# The Jeopardy thread \[was James Holzhauer\]\[contains spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696 "2019-04-17T21:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/41 "2019-04-20T00:19:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > … I always find it interesting when someone figures out a new way to win something that we all assume has its best practices set in stone. … The only way I could see that strategy failing, given a well-informed contestant who can work the buzzer, is if the show-runners started emphasizing obscure word-play games. If the rules were eccentric enough that you needed the easier clues to be able to figure out said rules, then the strategy could become less useful. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/42 "2019-04-20T00:45:32Z")
Ken Jennings tweeted yesterday that he’s always wanted to watch someone pursue that incredibly aggressive strategy, and who also had the skills to back it up. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/43 "2019-04-20T00:57:01Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The only way I could see that strategy failing, given a well-informed contestant who can work the buzzer, is if the show-runners started emphasizing obscure word-play games. If the rules were eccentric enough that you needed the easier clues to be able to figure out said rules, then the strategy could become less useful. I don’t want to see them change the rules to beat him, I’d think it would be fun to see another player take him on using these tactics: a really fast paced game between two contestants during it out and one person kind of lost in the middle. I think what’s likely is that James will blunder badly in his fast passed strategy and blow a big wager. I bet the person who beats him does it by a little luck. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/44 "2019-04-20T01:58:25Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I don’t want to see them change the rules to beat him, I’d think it would be fun to see another player take him on using these tactics: a really fast paced game between two contestants during it out and one person kind of lost in the middle. > > I think what’s likely is that James will blunder badly in his fast passed strategy and blow a big wager. I bet the person who beats him does it by a little luck. Could be. After all, he’s playing five games a day (unless they’ve changed their system in the aftermath of Trebek’s health news, that’s the way it’s filmed–two days a week, five games each day). That has to be incredibly wearing after a while. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/45 "2019-04-20T04:17:37Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Ken Jennings tweeted yesterday that he’s always wanted to watch someone pursue that incredibly aggressive strategy, and who also had the skills to back it up. I don’t have Twitter, but was it,\* **“Dez NUTS!”** \*? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/46 "2019-04-20T05:37:36Z")
I just watched him for the first time tonight. It was actually close in the first round, and then he blew their doors off in the second round to win $45,000. Very impressive. The other two finished with less than $5,000 each. Go, James, go! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/47 "2019-04-20T12:10:19Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if the shows being shown today were taped well before Alex’s announcement of cancer which was about 6 weeks ago. I believe shows are taped 2-3 months in advance. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/48 "2019-04-20T12:52:29Z")
I watch Jeopardy! every day. James is blowing me away. He doesn’t have an OTT personality and isn’t annoying or showy. As a professional gambler, he has nerves of steel and a strategy. Five games a day are taped. I figure at some point fatigue will get him and he won’t be able to be as quick on the buzzer. I am impressed with his scope of knowledge. But runaway games get boring. I do hope though, he wins a million. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2019, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/49 "2019-04-20T13:38:55Z")
It occurs to me that his payoff calculations might be based on incorrect assumptions. His strategy maximizes the expected value of payoff _for each game_. But the winnings from a single game aren’t the only payoff. If you win the game, even if it’s only be a score of $1 to $0, then you get to come back for another day, which also has a high expected value. So he should perhaps be playing a bit more conservatively, to increase the chances of coming back, even though he’s decreasing how much he gets per game. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/50 "2019-04-21T00:52:38Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if the shows being shown today were taped well before Alex’s announcement of cancer which was about 6 weeks ago. > > I believe shows are taped 2-3 months in advance. Yes, you’re probably right about the timing of the announcement (and the rest). ---
**Author:** ![candide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@candide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/candide)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/51 "2019-04-21T03:34:58Z")
I lost to Austin Rogers. (September 29, 2017). Watson proved that Jeopardy is nothing more than a test of how fast you can buzz in. I’m also convinced that the player in the winner’s spot has an advantage. Also, there’s a person, not a machine, who decides when Alex has completed the question; those that mesh with his timing will do better. I think that Jeopardy should not have just one person in this role, but that is the choice they have made. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/52 "2019-04-21T15:25:21Z")
> [@candide](#): > > I lost to Austin Rogers. (September 29, 2017). Watson proved that Jeopardy is nothing more than a test of how fast you can buzz in. I’m also convinced that the player in the winner’s spot has an advantage. Also, there’s a person, not a machine, who decides when Alex has completed the question; those that mesh with his timing will do better. I think that Jeopardy should not have just one person in this role, but that is the choice they have made. I disagree. One, it doesn’t matter how fast you can buzz if you don’t know the answer. And, two, I think Watson’s games were rigged. There weren’t any what I would call “clever” categories. Like Before and After. I’d love to be able to rewatch them to be sure, but it seemed the game was entirely rote knowledge and look up questions. The game played to the strength of Watson. I’d love to see a rematch with James, Arthur and Watson. Or even Austin. Too bad Watson can’t get annoyed. I’d love to see Watson mime doing a medical diagnosis or something when “he” is introduced. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/53 "2019-04-21T19:49:02Z")
I don’t DISlike him. He’s certainly not as odious as Austin Rogers, who can die in a cancer fire as far as I’m concerned. But I find myself feeling sorry for his competitors, and that takes me resent him a wee bit. And here’s a question: Who in the name of tap-dancing Jeebus would marry a “professional gambler”? He might have been more or less successful so far, but by definition, ruination is ever-looming. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/54 "2019-04-21T19:56:32Z")
Also, I do have a problem with the buzz-in system on “Jeopardy!” I think it should be revamped…perhaps a single large button for all the contestants to vie for. As it stands, each contestant has a hand-held, hair-trigger thumb button; if everyone clicks at the same time, it’s a difference of microseconds determining who gets to answer, not to mention how well the equipment is working. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/55 "2019-04-21T20:58:25Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > …I figure at some point fatigue will get him and he won’t be able to be as quick on the buzzer… I disagree. I think being the returning champion gives you a huge home-field advantage. James is nicely settled into his routine and comfortable with his button timing. By the time the challengers chase away the butterflies at the beginning of each game and figure out the button (if they \*ever \*do), they can barely glimpse James’ taillights in the far off distance. mmm ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/56 "2019-04-21T23:09:24Z")
OK, I binged watched the episodes (accidentally deleting Friday’s episode before I watched it). I like him a little better than I did going into my binge watching but I do find him a tiny bgit fake and smarmy. He has a weird smile, almost “doll-like” . His upper lip does not move when he smiles, just his lower lip drops to expose his teeth. That said, he is much better than Austin and Buzzy. No doubt he has got the game figured out and optimum timing on the buzzer. I want to see a matchup between him, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/57 "2019-04-22T00:26:01Z")
> [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](#): > > And here’s a question: Who in the name of tap-dancing Jeebus would marry a “professional gambler”? He might have been more or less successful so far, but by definition, ruination is ever-looming. This is not true, imo. A good friend of mine’s son is a professional gambler and does quite well for himself and has for going on 10 years now. Nothing flashy, just grinds it out. I think the professional part is the key. I like James. True, final isn’t as fun with a runaway but his “all in”s even it out. When he misses a big one in DJ he will have his work cut out for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/58 "2019-04-22T02:14:22Z")
> [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](#): > > Also, I do have a problem with the buzz-in system on “Jeopardy!” I think it should be revamped…perhaps a single large button for all the contestants to vie for. That sounds absolutely terrible. > [@](#): > > As it stands, each contestant has a hand-held, hair-trigger thumb button; if everyone clicks at the same time, it’s a difference of microseconds determining who gets to answer, not to mention how well the equipment is working. I’m not understanding how that is any kind of problem. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/59 "2019-04-22T13:53:29Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I disagree. I think being the returning champion gives you a huge home-field advantage. James is nicely settled into his routine and comfortable with his button timing. By the time the challengers chase away the butterflies at the beginning of each game and figure out the button (if they \*ever \*do), they can barely glimpse James’ taillights in the far off distance. That’s basically what [Ken Jennings said in a recent interview.](https://www.wired.com/story/ken-jennings-james-holzhauer-jeopardy/) It takes a new player some amount of time to acclimate to being on the set and using the buzzer. A returning player has moved past that period of adjustment. Regarding Holzhauer, in addition to his strategy and big bets, he knows the answers and doesn’t hesitate. ISTM that alone would give him wins even if he played a more traditional game. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/60 "2019-04-22T14:42:08Z")
There is such a thing as a real professional gambler, who consistently brings in a profit. But a lot of people think that such folks are doing the same things as amateur gamblers, just more of it or for higher stakes: They’re not. For the most part, they win the same way the casinos do, by finding suckers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=4)