Didn’t he only lose because he got FJ wrong? He was in the lead at the end.
There have already been a couple of games where he got one of the Daily Doubles wrong and lost everything. He was able to climb back and still have a runaway victory.
His strategy with the “all-in” Daily Doubles is that he only does them relatively early in the game, leaving himself enough time to recover if he gets them wrong. When he hits a Daily Double late in the game, with fewer clues left, he will bet more conservatively. Still a big number, usually, but limited enough that he will maintain his lead if he gets it wrong.
Of course it helps that he’s fast on the buzzer, and has a very broad knowledge base so that he rarely answers incorrectly. He also doesn’t seem to guess. Except on Daily Doubles, when he has no choice but to answer, if he’s not confident of the answer he doesn’t ring in.
The best chance others have of beating him is to find the Daily Doubles before he does. Of course, that means getting control of the board for a long run, which isn’t easy given how fast he is. Get someone else on there who is also good with the buzzer and has a good command of trivia, and it would be an interesting match-up.
While I can’t deny James’s skill, I’m not entirely thrilled about his winning streak. I don’t really like huge blow-outs like he’s been delivering. I enjoy it when games are competitive.
I get a kick out of his wagers - I have to wonder if the amounts have significance to him or he’s just having fun.
And I also think his smiles are a bit forced and uncomfortable when he’s on camera. I watched at the end of the show one evening when the credits were rolling, and he seemed a lot more relaxed and his smile was more genuine.
Yes and yes. Alex asked him about it once, and he said a lot of them were special dates like birthdays and anniversaries. He has run out of these dates, however, and the last couple of shows he has made even number bets.
I remember that. The question was something about a company with peak employment from January-April and the answer was H&R Block. I think he guessed Fedex.
As for James, I’ve been enjoying watching him, except for the little bit at the end where he kisses the tips of his fingers. It just annoys me irrationally.
Aha!
That’s it - the presenter meant “that’s the most money anyone has earnt in the cash-builder phase…”
Thanks. 
We liked him from day one, but after his 6th win we’ve stopped watching until he loses. He’s no longer fun to watch. Here’s why:
It’s Michael Larson on Press Your Luck. It’s Ender Wiggins in the Battle Dome. Total dominance, and (even if there was a reason to keep battle school after the defeat of the buggers) battle school would never be the same again. You can’t go back to what existed before. The game will not be the same after.
Even more than Arthur Chu, James has altered the way the game is played, probably permanently. Austin Rogers played a straight-up strategy for the game, so did Ken and Julia and Roger and everyone. Now along comes James with such a different way of winning that he just crushes his enemies and drives them before him. All that’s left is to hear the lamentations of the women.
I don’t know if the game will change that much. The strategy only works with the skill to back it up. He’s answering the question more than 50% of the time. Even if it wasn’t for the daily doubles, I bet most of these games would be runaways.
But he’s not the first one to start with the high values, or to bet aggressively on Daily Doubles. His dominance is due much more to his skill than to his strategy.
Here’s an interview with him where he talks about his strategy, other players trying to copy it, and other topics. He comes across as a likable person, but it’s pretty hard to stay likable when you are demolishing the competition like he is.
My favorite gameshow moment! I was eight (almost nine) years old at the time, but I remember seeing that episode. I always just assumed I saw a re-run, but then I learned the episode was only aired once – in 1984 – until 2013.
I haven’t seen any of his episodes yet (I binge watch them) but I have seen some highlights. Just from the highlights, I find him a little off-putting.
Most likely there is going to be a new host next year. To promote the new host, I think the producers are going to want a Brad Rutter vs Ken Jennings vs James Holzhauer showdown.
I don’t really get the complaints about him. He’s pretty bland. You figure everyone who complained about Austin Rogers would be thrilled.
I used to record and watch daily, but I stopped doing that years ago. I just set my DVR…
I hated Austin. Still do.
James does nothing to complain about.
Even though I’m on record as hoping he’ll lose, that’s me, not him.
"Go. Fight! Win!
And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits. "
I wouldn’t consider bravery to be a characteristic of playing a game.
I checked in last night to watch, I hadn’t really watched Jeopardy in years. He seems like a nice enough guy, talking about his grandmother and his kids, but definitely is awkward. When the game is on, he’s totally in the zone, but as soon as it stops he seems kind of embarrassed by the whole thing. 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. One of the other contestant would get a $200 clue right and try to go to the next one down, but as soon as Holzhauer got control it was all over.
Just now watching his first show. In the interview segment, he asked Alex if he was looking for any action on the [Stanley] Cup this year, and then added that he likes the Lightning.
That was a complete whiffy!
Just watched him for the first time. Holy hell that looked effortless.