Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer wins his 24th straight show setting a new all-time record of winning an average of $78,000 each time he plays
- Las Vegas gambler James Holzhauer, 34, won his 24th consecutive Jeopardy!
- On Tuesday, he banked $86,905 on the popular quiz show
- Holzhauer set a new game average record as he pulls in almost $78,000 a game
- Holzhauer has won a total of $1,867,142 in his 24 Jeopardy! appearances
- He is closing on the all-time cash record holder, Ken Jennings, who won $2.5M
- Jennings won 74 consecutive Jeopardy! shows back in 2004
- He needs just 9 more victories at the same pace to break Jennings' record
- On Sunday, Jennings wrote an op-ed saying he is rooting for Holzhauer
Jeopardy! contestant James Holzhauer has set a new all-time record for the average amount of money won on the show, as he secured his 24th consecutive win.
Holzhauer, 34, finished in first place yet again by banking $86,905.
The win also saw him break another barrier as he claimed the title for having won the highest per-game average of $77,798.
The figure is the highest in the history of Jeopardy! which has been on the air for nearly 50 years.
James Holzhauer, 34, has won nearly $1.9million, which he has amassed over 24 consecutive wins on the hit quiz show Jeopardy!
The professional gambler from Las Vegas on Tuesday saw his total winnings rise to a massive $1,867,142.
He also holds the single-day record for the amount of prize money won: $131,127 set on April 9, having beaten a record that he had also previously created.
'James could not be caught — what else is new?,' host Alex Trebek said just before the show ended.
'We'll keep it rolling. He'll keep it rolling, but can he be stopped?' he asked.
'James could not be caught — what else is new?,' host Alex Trebek said just before the show ended. 'We'll keep it rolling. He'll keep it rolling, but can he be stopped?' he asked
With his victories stretching back for more than a month, Holzhauer has moved one step closer to the all-time cash record of $2.5million which was set by Ken Jennings.
Jennings won 74 consecutive contests dominating the quiz show in 2004.
But Holzhauer's winning streak is even more incredible because he is on track to win just as much money as Jennings, but in fewer than half the number of games.
It has been calculated that if Holzhauer keep up his current pace, he should beat Jennings' all-time record for cumulative winnings after his 33rd game.
Holzhauer has managed to win $77,798 per game on average, more than double the roughly $34,000 that Jennings earned each time he played.
On Tuesday, he banked $86,905 on the popular quiz show
Holzhauer set a new game average record as he wins on average $77,798 each time he plays
Holzhauer was comfortably ahead going into the Final Jeopardy round on Tuesday night
Holzhauer has the top eight single-game totals in the show's history but Jennings has openly said that he is rooting for Holzhauer to smash the all-time cash record.
'We are seeing history made in front of our eyes, the Jeopardy! equivalent of a basketball player notching 70-point games for an entire season or a baseball player hitting for the cycle in every game,' Jennings wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post on Sunday.
'I'm the only person alive who knows firsthand how difficult it is to do what Holzhauer is doing, and that's why I'm rooting him on,' Jennings said. 'I may hold a bunch of Jeopardy! records, but at heart I'm just a fan of the show. And for any real fan, this streak is something special.'
'Even casual fans of the show have probably heard by now how Holzhauer is doing it: He's a sports bettor who feels supremely comfortable wagering aggressively, and he cannily plays the game board from the bottom up, starting with the highest dollar values and amassing cash before the Daily Doubles have been found and while his poor opponents are still finding their feet.'
The other two contestants, Kate Kelly and Jason Manganm looked despondent at their loss
Holzhauer, 34, finished in first place again on Tuesday Monday by banking $86,905. He moves one step closer to the all-time cash record of $2.5million
Jeopardy! returned to its regular contestants after a two-week hiatus in which teachers competed on the show.
Earlier this month, Holzhauer gave an interview to a middle school newspaper in which he revealed the secret to his Jeopardy! success.
'I was an undisciplined student, but I set a goal for Jeopardy and really focused on achieving it,' he told the Sams Salmon Exclusive.
The show's all-time record set by Ken Jennings who was $2.5 million in 2004
'No one has ever played Jeopardy! like I do, but I didn't let that stop me from approaching the game the way I thought I should.'
Holzhauer said that he first started taking the online test to get on Jeopardy! in 2006, but it wasn't until 2012 that he seriously began to prepare.
His strategy was simple: read as many children's book as possible.
'I dedicated myself to learning at least the basics of every subject I could imagine popping up on the show,' he said.
'For me, that meant reading a lot of children's books, since they are specifically designed to get the reader interested in a new subject.'
Holzhauer says that he has used a strategy of answering the most expensive questions first.
When he hits a 'Daily Double,' he bets large sums of money.
Holzhauer says he was driven to make it on Jeopardy! because of his grandmother.
'I had wanted to be on the show since childhood, when I watched with my beloved Granny,' he said.
'I promised her I would be on the show one day, so I always felt I owed it to her.'
