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NEW YORK (AP) – Rumor has it that James Holzhauer is a cyborg created to be the perfect "Jeopardy!" competitor.
But considering how it has made sure that a level of excellence rarely seen in the game show appears almost trivial, this sometimes seems to be the case. Holzhauer eclipsed the $ 1 million profit mark on Tuesday in his 14th appearance. Not only did he earn $ 131,127 to break the previous record of the one-day program, to $ 77,000, but he's already got the top five best-ever scores in history of a game broadcast regularly since 1984.
The professional Las Vegas player is quick and practical, his knowledge is extraordinary and, true to his profession, he has the coolness in his will to risk large sums of money.
The hottest records in the series, set in 2004 when Ken Jennings won 74 consecutive games and earned more than $ 2.5 million, appear to be a plausible goal.
"James is just a perfect" Jeopardy! "Machine," Jennings told The Associated Press this week.
Like most of the best players in the game, he did his share of studying in advance, believing that books for young people were a good way to get to grips with unfamiliar subjects. He built a replica of the show 's ringtone and trained while playing TV, standing in his living room, as he must now do in front of a lectern. Holzhauer says that he rarely guesses – he does not like those chances – but seems to have never forgotten a fact.
"My goal was just to be less nervous than the other players," he said. "Every time I felt overwhelmed, I snapped three fingers and imagined a fun snow festival with my daughter."
He had a daring objective: to pay tribute to his daughter by winning $ 110,914 in one episode, since his birthday was November 9, 2014. He did it in his fourth show.
His strategy is to start the games with the highest value clues, hoping to quickly win and land on the "Daily Double" in the first round. When he does, he usually bets everything, punctuating it with a movement that gives the impression that he is pushing all his chips. If he is wrong, you have time to earn more money. But he is rarely wrong.
The two "double dailies" of the second round of the game are also coveted. He does not bet everything then, but he puts a lot on the line.
Holzhauer said that one day, the animator Alex Trebek had told him that he was not playing because he could win $ 1,000 and did not care, but that losing $ 20 was annoying.
"I'm not surprised that most competitors are not playing the way I do," he said. "Aversion to loss is a very real factor."
The Final Jeopardy Round gives him an extra chance to place a big bet. In the program aired April 17, Holzhauer bets $ 60,000 on the category of literary personalities of the 20th century. The index was as follows: his name refers to the old quarter in which the Greek capital was located; his last name is a bird.
He correctly answered: Who is Atticus Finch?
"Most" Jeopardy! "Players never think about maximizing their winnings," Jennings said. "I've never done it, I just wanted to survive the game and be able to play again, but it's a sports bettor." Maximizing the winnings is all about him. I would not have the guts to bet $ 60,000 on an index of Final Jeopardy.And if you're wrong, and you have to come back in five minutes and play another game knowing that you just lost a year's salary for a single anecdotal question? seems to be made for these dangerous games.He is a cool client. "
Jennings can imagine that future players are trying to mimic Holzhauer's strategy of quickly accumulating big winnings. But in a smaller player, it could be disastrous.
"I'm not sure I can bet more boldly than I already have," said Holzhauer. "I can still keep my foot on the accelerator."
For a show with a long history, its achievements in one day call for a little perspective. Think of it as follows: it's like a young Major League baseball player hitting 95 homers in a season (the record is 73 by Barry Bonds), followed by a few seasons in the 80s.
Holzhauer often watches with his friends his series unfold on weeknights (shows are recorded long in advance). "People seem to think that it's really cool to watch someone on television when you sit next to them," he said.
He hopes his celebrity remains discreet. He is recognized in public now but said that most people were respectful, with the exception of a fan "who was a little too loud with my biceps" during a hockey game.
With his style of play, Holzhauer considers Jennings' winning record to be a more achievable goal than the series of 74 consecutive wins. Given the schedule of the series, which includes tournaments and reruns, fans will not know until September when it is approaching the standard of consecutive series. Given that the ratings of the series are already very high, producers will laugh at it if it stays around.
"It's been 15 years since I waited for someone to launch me, and that's finally the case," Jennings said. "The closer he gets to cash and play records, the closer I'll look, I'm looking for the guy."
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