I might have gotten it wrong if the hint that it was four cities wasn’t there. Given that I’ve been to all four and know all are capitals, I would’ve felt pretty dumb if I got it wrong. However, I’m a bit surprised that there isn’t a river with more capitals on it.
This bugs me more than anything else on Jeopardy (Alex’s “correcting” everyones pronunciation is a close 2nd)…
Betting less than the value of the clue??? It seems like such a wasted opportunity.
I would have got the river correct but called it the Donau. I wonder if they would have given me credit?
I admit to being stymied by her bet as well. That she bet to a $1 increment makes me think that she forgot how much the leader had and didn’t realize she had to bet it all.
(As for the question- I guessed The Nile. 
)
I think it’s more that Jeopardy doesn’t emphasize math or science at all and as a result draws contestants that are weak at those things.
Yes, I see your point. But by betting less than the amount needed to take the lead, you are essentially betting the leader will get FJ wrong. I don’t see how that is a good bet. I’d much rather be the leader and then have a look at the category to determine my optimal strategy rather than hoping the leader gets FJ wrong. And, as I said, even if you get DJ wrong, you still can win if the leader gets FJ wrong (which you’ll need anyway).
I groan whenever somebody bet’s less the value of the clue. If I were ever on the show, I would make finding and optimizing the Daily Doubles my first priority. I would assume that my opponents were my equals and therefore buzzer timing and Daily Double optimization would be the difference. Also, if I were anything but first going into Final Jeopardy!, and it was not a runaway for the leader, I would risk it all. Go big or go home.
I agree, completely. You are on the show for a reason. Why each and every person doesn’t make it a true daily double is beyond me, especially in a category they have just been tearing apart. Second place in this game is simply the greatest loser.
I know there’s hyperbole there, but I just wanted to say that I, at least, can see logical reasons to bet relatively low, especially if it’s a category you’re uncomfortable with.
Though I can definitely see the logic of always betting at least the original value of the question. (OTOH, one could argue that in “normal” circumstances, you just wouldn’t have rung in. Which seems to bring it back to value judgment level.)
So they don’t let you use a calculator? If not, they should.
Certainly people screw up the arithmetic often enough, but I’ll bet the big majority of incomprehensible FJ bets are due to bad thinking rather than bad calculating. But that’s fine with me. Unlike too-small-to-give-themselves-a-chance DD wagers, stupid FJ bets at least do not detract from the supsense of the game.
As for staff providing betting consultation, that strikes me as a bizarre idea. For one thing, many FJ scenarios present a number of defensible betting options.
Well, sometimes you’re doing well in a category through dumb luck. You don’t know the topic and you’ve just been fortunate to get the right answers so far. What’s potentially more important that getting questions right is controlling the board. So if you make a small DD bet you are a) able to keep the board under your control if you’re right, and b) not out of a lot of money if you’re wrong.
Losing money when you’re wrong definitely hurts and it takes you out of your game.
Rig. definitely no calculator help, at least when I was on. I think we were given scrap paper and a golf pencil…
That was driving me crazy! She was the type to say “George Z. K. Washington”–that was sooo annoying.
If you get a Daily Double, are you allowed to bet zero? Like, say, it’s a high-dollar clue in an obscure category that you’re certain you know nothing about?
I would guess that there is a minimum wager. If you bet 0, why would they even reveal the clue, other than to show. It wastes time and has no consequence.
But in some situations, wasting time would be the desired consequence.
You can not bet zero on a DD, IIRC.
She was not an English teacher, but a retired librarian.
Also, I think the only scenario where it is correct to wager less than the clue amount for a DD is if you already have a runaway, but would not if you lost the value of the clue and it is the last clue of the game.
$5 is the minimum bet on a Daily Double.
I don’t get the talk about betting “at least the clue amount”. A $2000 clue in a tough category for you is a good candidate for a $5 bet, while a top-row clue almost always demands a bigger bet.