‘Jeopardy’ Phenom James Holzhauer Breaks Record for Second-Longest Winning Streak

By Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg
Published May 3, 2019, 10:09 a.m. ET

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Another day, another dollar. On Thursday night, Jeopardy phenom James Holzhauer broke yet another record when he won his 21st consecutive game, securing his second-place spot on the trivia show’s all-time consecutive wins list. As with Jeopardy‘s all-time cash winnings list, the Las Vegas native now sits behind only Ken Jennings, who amassed $2,520,700 during his 74-game win streak in 2004.

Despite facing some tough competition on Monday — he won by only $18 — Holzhauer continued to dominate the rest of the week. On Thursday’s show, fellow contestants Jessica Efron Sauer and Josh Archibald-Seiffer never really stood a chance: Holzhauer went into Final Jeopardy with $51,212, while Sauer and Archibald-Seiffer had just $1,400 and $10,200, respectively. The professional sports gambler correctly answered with “The Glass Menagerie” to the Final Jeopardy question (“A character in this 1944 play is said to be like a piece in her own collection, ‘too exquisitely fragile to move from the shelf’), and went on to win with $80,615. The sum brought Holzhauer’s 21-day total to $1,608,627, less than $1 million shy of Jennings’ all-time record.

Since making his Jeopardy debut in early April, Holzhauer has dominated with his unique strategy of “Forrest Bouncing,” in which contestants jump around the board to throw off their opponents. The technique also helps the Las Vegas native find Daily Doubles, and when he lands on them, he bets big to maximize his profits. According to The Jeopardy Fan, Holzhauer has played 51 Daily Doubles in just 21 games, winning 47.

While Holzhauer is still in second place to Jennings, the professional sports gambler is hot on his predecessor’s heels when it comes to total cash winnings. At this point in his historic run, Jennings had amassed only $697,760, almost $1 million less than Holzhauer’s $1,608,627. If Holzhauer continues winning at this rate, The Jeopardy Fan predicts that he will likely surpass Jennings’ all-time total by late May, when he has played around 40 games.

Holzhauer will compete for his 22nd consecutive win tonight, Friday, May 3. To find the exact time and channel in your area, visit the Jeopardy website. 

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