How did James Holzhauer transform 'Jeopardy!' In his own A.T.M. We asked him

James Holzhauer dominated "Jeopardy!" As no one since the last version of the game show created in 1984. He again won on the episode aired Wednesday, bringing his total winnings to more than a million dollars, second on the list of all the times behind the legendary Ken Jennings.

And what is remarkable is that 34-year-old Laszhauer, a 34-year-old Las Vegas professional sports bettor, has reached that record in just 15 games. $ 2.5 million Jennings was played in 74 games

Of course, Holzhauer has extraordinary knowledge, but his huge scores – he now holds the top seven daily totals in the history of "Jeopardy!" – come largely from his aggressive strategy. He first looks for issues of great value, and when he finds a daily double, which allows competitors to bet as much of their winnings as they wish, he bet big.

His huge winnings and his vast margins of victory almost give the impression that he broke the game.

Holzhauer told The New York Times about his "Jeopardy!" Strategy, about sports betting and his secret weapon to learn anecdotes. These are edited excerpts from this conversation.

Your strategy on "Jeopardy!" Has attracted a lot of attention.

You can make an analogy with sports betting or poker tournaments. There are big benefits to having a lot of chips at the start of a poker tournament. You can make games that other people can not.

When I just started playing sports, I did not have huge money, and sometimes I had the chance to see a good opportunity to bet without having enough money to watch it.

Hitting a double daily on the first hint is good, I suppose, but you can do a lot more damage if you already have $ 5,000 in front of you.

Have you planned this strategy from the beginning or has it developed as you go?

I had the idea right away. You can see that as soon as I take control of the board of the first game, I look for the $ 1,000 indices every time I have the opportunity.

I think the only time I got out of it was a category on the US Senate. I'm not a politician, so I avoided that, but other than that, I spend between $ 1,000, $ 1,000, and $ 1,000 every time I can.

Why is not everyone coming and betting very aggressively?

You must be comfortable. Some of my opponents I met were visibly upset by what's happening on stage. Of course, you will not play well if you are up there trembling. And if you get shaken playing more aggressively than you are comfortable with, it's a lot worse.

Number 1 ensures that you are in your comfort zone. My comfort zone is very different from that of the typical competitor. I think it's a huge advantage for me.

Would you describe the traditional way of playing "Jeopardy!" As too risky?

I would certainly say it's too risky. The funny thing is that my strategy minimizes the risk of losing a match. There are moments in a football game where a team is considered a big TD pass. If you do not take such a risk, you will not win. In fact, the big risk is never to try anything that looks like a big bet.

Are sports betting your full time job?

My source of income is sports betting. I also have investments.

What sports do you focus on?

When I started 14 years ago, baseball was the favorite field and that's what I focused on. But the market is really catching up with the advanced stats, and he's taking big bets on games like football and basketball, so I'm focusing more on my attention there. Hockey on which I have been trying to work lately. You can find inefficiencies in the team totals [how many goals will be scored in a game] and the puck line [betting that a team will win by a certain margin].

Have you bet on the game Sharks-Golden Knights? [LesrequinsdeSanJose[TheSanJoseSharks[LesrequinsdeSanJose[TheSanJoseSharkscame from 3-0 down eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights of the hockey playoffs on Tuesday.]

I did not do it, but I was pretty upset as a fan.

Do you have a thing to bet on where you found a benefit, or do you jump around?

I'm definitely jumping around. When I started, I found one thing about the baseball futures markets, where the prices of long shots were calculated incorrectly. They have completely closed this loophole now. These things disappear overnight. When a sports betting manager determines what you are doing, he is adjusting his chances and everything else in the market follows.

Some professional sports players were prevented from wagering in some casinos because they won too much. Did this happen to you?

About half of the sports betting in town will not take me bets. You hope to maintain good relations with the other half. The other half also knows that I am a pro. I can not bet as much as random men on the street in these places, but they are ready to act at least on my part.