A professional gambler broke the single-game winnings record on “Jeopardy!” earning over $100,000.
James Holzhauer, 34, claimed the jackpot on April 9 in his fourth consecutive night as a winner.
The previous record in a single game was set by Roger Craig on Sept. 19, 2019, when Craig earned $77,000, Jeopardy said in a press release.
Holzhauer was close to the previous record after risking his pot on three Daily Doubles, answering all three—”What is anemia?” and “Who is Jesse James?” and “What is Moorish”—correctly, reported ABC.
James just broke the single-game winnings record with a total of $110,914! pic.twitter.com/tVkOlivPY5
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) April 10, 2019
His total stood at $72,600. Host Alex Trebek said that he was close to the record, and Holzhauer said he would try to beat it.
In Final Jeopardy, Holzhauer bid $38,314 and answered “What is ‘Quantum Leap?'”
Holzhauer finished with $110,914—a tribute to his daughter, who was born on Nov. 9, 2014—bringing his four-day earnings to $244,365.
“I said all along that I wanted to break Roger Craig’s one-game record and I did it,” Holzhauer said in the press release.
ICYMI: There’s a new single-game winnings king. ???? Congrats, James Holzhauer!
Watch the full story here: https://t.co/wxLDYko11H pic.twitter.com/bKfzxjkbx4
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) April 10, 2019
Holzhauer said that besides gambling on sports in Las Vegas for a living, he enjoys playing bridge and spending time in the library reading children’s books.
“They are chock-full of infographics, pictures and all kinds of stuff to keep the reader engaged,” he told the Washington Post via email. “I couldn’t make it through a chapter of an actual Dickens novel without falling asleep.”
He said that he had promised his grandma that he would appear on the show someday and that his tribute to his daughter meant a lot to him.
“Family and friends will always mean more to me than any amount of money or ‘Jeopardy!’ wins,” he told The Post. “I wanted to show them my love in an unconventional way.”
Who will it be … ? pic.twitter.com/UiuiljNCOh
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) April 8, 2019
Holzhauer credited his degree in mathematics, his love of gambling, and his dedication to reading and watching “Jeopardy!” reruns for his success.
“I think it was a huge advantage that I don’t blink at gambling large amounts of money when I think I have a big edge,” he said. “I approach both sports betting and ‘Jeopardy!’ with the same attitude: What can I do differently than the average person to give myself an edge?”
Las Vegas sportsbooks sources told ESPN that Holzhauer is a respected better while he said that he has been betting on sports since 2006, starting with baseball and shifting to football, basketball, and hockey.
“Now, I focus largely on in-game betting, where the oddsmaker often struggles to put an accurate line with only a few seconds to think about it. I think my work is similar to an investment bank, except that I’m the analyst, trader, fund manager and day trader all into one,” Holzhauer told ESPN in an email.
“I’m proud that I’ve found success in many different fields of sports betting, but the most important thing about my work is the freedom it gives me to travel and spend time with my family, which I would never have a nine-to-five—although maybe not on a college football Saturday.”
