James Holzhauer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Holzhauer
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Holzhauer on The Chase in 2014
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| Born | August 6, 1984 Naperville, Illinois, US
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| Alma mater | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BS) |
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| Known for | 32-game Jeopardy! winning streak |
| Spouse(s) |
Melissa Sassin
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 |
James Holzhauer (born August 6, 1984) is an American game show contestant and a professional sports gambler. He is famous for his amazing 32-game winning streak on the quiz show Jeopardy! This happened from April to June 2019. During his time on the show, he set many records for how much money a player could win in a single game. He also won the Tournament of Champions later that year.
James won a total of $2,464,216 during his 33 appearances on Jeopardy!. This made him the second-highest winner in regular Jeopardy! games at the time. He was only behind Ken Jennings. James also won other big tournaments. He took home $250,000 from the Tournament of Champions. He also earned $250,000 as a runner-up in the Greatest of All Time tournament. In 2023, he won the first Jeopardy! Masters tournament, adding $500,000 to his winnings. His total winnings from Jeopardy! are $3,464,216. This makes him the third-highest winning Jeopardy! contestant ever. James also holds all of the top 10 records for the most money won in a single game. Because of his success, people often call him "Jeopardy James".
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Early Life and Education
James Holzhauer was born on August 6, 1984, in Naperville, Illinois. He grew up there. When he was four years old, his teacher was very impressed by his math skills. She even created special lessons just for him. At age seven, James skipped second grade and moved up to a fifth-grade math class. He always got high grades on math tests. He was also part of his high school's math team.
Even though he was great at math, James sometimes skipped classes and homework. He felt he could use his time better, like playing online poker. He loved memorizing facts about baseball and professional wrestling. His parents sometimes told him he was "wasting his life" learning about sports. James went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He graduated in 2005 with a degree in mathematics.
Game Show Adventures
James Holzhauer has appeared on several game shows.
The Chase
James was on the American game show The Chase on September 2, 2014. In one round, he answered 12 out of 13 questions correctly in just one minute. This set a record for the show. He then faced a "Chaser" named Mark Labbett. James chose to play for $60,000 and won his way to the final round.
In the Final Chase, James and his team beat Mark Labbett. They won a total of $175,000. James's share was $58,333.33. He answered 19 questions correctly for his team, which was another record. Later, James, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter became "Chasers" themselves on a new version of The Chase. This new show started on ABC on January 7, 2021.
500 Questions
James also appeared on the quiz show 500 Questions on May 22, 2015. He did not win any money on this show.
Jeopardy!
James Holzhauer became a household name during his 33 games on Jeopardy!. His first game aired on April 4, 2019.
Record-Breaking Run
In his fourth game, on April 9, 2019, James broke the record for the most money won in a single Jeopardy! game. He won $110,914, beating the old record of $77,000. He broke this record 16 times during his run. On April 17, he set a new all-time record by winning $131,127 in one game. James is the only player to win $100,000 or more in a single episode. He did this six times!
His total winnings after five days were $298,687. This was a new record for five-day totals. James won a total of $2,464,216 in his 33 games. He averaged over $75,000 per episode. This was an incredible achievement.
Tournament Success
James was finally defeated in his 33rd game on June 3, 2019. The winner was Emma Boettcher. This episode was watched by 14.5 million people.
In November 2019, James returned for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. He won his quarterfinal and semifinal games. He then faced Emma Boettcher again in the final. James won the two-day final and took home the $250,000 grand prize.
After that, James competed in Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time in January 2020. He played against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. James won one match but lost to Ken Jennings in the others. He received $250,000 as the runner-up.
Jeopardy! Masters
In May 2023, James Holzhauer won the first Jeopardy! Masters tournament. He beat Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio to win the $500,000 grand prize. He was called the "villain" of the tournament. In May 2024, James competed in the second Jeopardy! Masters tournament. He finished in third place.
Winning Strategies
James used a special strategy on Jeopardy!. He would pick the highest-value clues first. This helped him build up a lot of money quickly. Then, when he found a Daily Double, he would bet a large amount. He was very good at answering Daily Doubles correctly, getting 72 out of 76 right (94.7%).
He also said he learned a lot by reading fact books made for children. These books often use infographics, which helped him learn information easily. James even took a year off from his job as a sports gambler to study for Jeopardy!.
Public Reaction
James's winning streak got a lot of attention. When he reached $1 million in just 14 games, people were amazed. Ken Jennings said James was "absolutely insane" and "as good as anybody." The show's ratings went up a lot during James's run. His final episode was watched by 14.5 million people, making it the most-watched Jeopardy! episode since Ken Jennings's last game in 2004.
Gambling Career
Before Jeopardy!, James Holzhauer was a professional sports gambler. He started gambling by playing card games like hearts and spades in college. He later moved to Las Vegas in 2008 to bet on sports full-time. He built special computer models to help him predict outcomes in baseball, NFL, and college basketball games. He now mostly focuses on betting during games.
James also played in the World Series of Poker in 2019. He did not win any major prizes there.
Personal Life
James Holzhauer married Melissa Sassin on September 8, 2012. Melissa is a tutor and has also been on a game show. She appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2014 and won $28,800. They have one child.
James often used special dates for his bets on Jeopardy!. These included family birthdays and his wedding anniversary. He is a big sports fan, especially of the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. He has even said his dream job is to work for the Cubs. James is also a fan of professional wrestling. He has used wrestling phrases on Jeopardy! and The Chase.
Giving Back
James has said he wanted to donate some of his Jeopardy! winnings to children's charities in Las Vegas. He donated $10,000 to a group that helps homeless teens. In May 2019, he received a special "key to the Las Vegas Strip" for his success and his donations to charities. He also donated money to a Pancreatic Cancer walk in honor of Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek. James plans to donate half of his World Series of Poker winnings to Project 150, which helps high school students in need.
Awards and Honors
On September 29, 2022, James and his wife Melissa received the first Alex Trebek Person of the Year award. They got this award for their help with Project 150. In 2020, the rock band AVOID! released a song called "Song About James" in his honor.
See also
- List of Jeopardy! contestants
- Strategies and skills of Jeopardy! champions
Images for kids
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Holzhauer on The Chase in 2014
