https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/opinion/james-holzhauer-jeopardy.html
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When I call my parents in New York, I know not to bother them between 7 and 7:30 p.m. That’s sacrosanct “Jeopardy!” time, and for decades, my mother has kept a weeknight appointment with Alex Trebek.
Lately, she has grown a little bored. James Holzhauer, the Las Vegas gambler who has crushed all comers, winning 22 games in a row, and who returns Monday night (after a two-week hiatus while “Jeopardy!” showed a teachers’ tournament), is “affable enough,” she says, but the “game has grown predictable.”
And yet, of course, there is something utterly novel about Mr. Holzhauer, about the way he racks up record-breaking wins — his winnings already total $1.69 million. Instead of viewing him as a mere “Jeopardy!” contestant, we ought to think of him as one of that special breed of innovators who completely change the stage on which they perform.
The conventional way of approaching “Jeopardy!” is to start new categories at the lowest dollar amounts (and easiest questions) and gather steam as you work your way up. Mr. Holzhauer goes straight for the high-dollar clues, builds up his war chest, and then finds Daily Doubles, for which contestants wager as much of their pot as they want — and has the guts to bet relatively high amounts.
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