James Holzhauer made a good gamble appearing on Jeopardy!
The 34-year old professional sports gambler from Las Vegas — originally hailing from Naperville, Illinois — just won 19 games in a row on Tuesday night, tying for the third-longest streak ever in Jeopardy! history. Holzhauer’s winning streak ties him with academic competition organizer and art historian David Madden, who won his 19 matches in 2006.
But it isn’t just formalities — Holzhauer’s wins have totaled up to an astonishing $1,426,330, according to the New York Post.
His victories are all the more mind-boggling because of how quickly his total is skyrocketing. According to The Washington Post, Holzhauer reached the $1 million mark on his 14th win, twice as fast as the legendary Ken Jennings, who holds the show’s top spot with a 74-game winning streak.
If he wins his 20th game on Wednesday night, Holzhauer will tie with Julia Collins, nonprofit founder of the organization Girls Like You and Me, for the second-longest streak on the Alex Trebek-hosted program.
Holzhauer does, however, already hold the title for the highest single-game winning, breaking his own record on April 17 and taking home $131,127. Out of the 10 highest earning single-game victories in Jeopardy! history, he claims 9 of them.
In an interview with The Washington Post in early April, Holzhauer explained that each large wager that he previously made on the game show was in honor of an important date in his life — such as “his wedding anniversary, the birthdays for his dad, nephew and daughter.”
He also told the outlet that he had dreamed of being on the show since he was a kid.
“More importantly,” he told The Washington Post, “I promised my dear Granny that I would appear on Jeopardy one day, and I never take promises lightly. So here we are.”
Source: Read Full Article