Man, that was some good Jeopardy! last night. I felt like a black guy watching the NBA slam dunk contest at certain points of the consecutive matches, like whenever any contestant went all-in on a daily double or Final Jeopardy and got the question right. And to think there are several more nights of this, I think it’s safe to say that there are at least two more solid nights of some solid Jeopardy! entertainment to be had.
Ken Jennings may have taken the first win of Jeopardy! GOAT tournament, and could very well win it all; but I think it’s safe to say that when the smoke settles “Jeopardy James” Holzhauer is still the one who really changed the game.
It didn’t take a lot of time to see that from the very start, the contestants started with the high-dollar answers, a staple of the Holzhauer tactic, with the ultimate objective being finding the Daily Double(s), and then going all-in to either run away with the game, or crash and burn trying. This was definitely not something that either Ken Jennings or Brad Rutter did in their previous runs, but by virtue of Holzhauer standing at the podium next to them, forced them to adapt.
Basically what it boils down to is that if you don’t play like Jeopardy James, there’s little way to actually beat Jeopardy James. Contestants are forced to clear the Daily Doubles and wipe out all of the high dollar answers so that he can’t build any bank, because he’s so good at the game that he can win any game where he’s capable of remaining in striking distance.
Both Jennings and Rutter played a Holzhauer game where they sniffed out all the high dollar questions first, and unfortunately for Jeopardy James, between the two of them, they basically found every single Daily Double in the two matches of the night. Rutter, who was there solely on his legacy from 19 years ago, found 3-4 of them, and blew it and zeroed out each time, and it’s painfully evident that in spite of his imprssive lifetime earnings through Jeopardy, he really has no place being in this tournament today.
It was a clear two-horse race between Holzhauer and Jennings; I think most assumed that would be the case from the start. But even Jennings admit to being out of his comfort zone when he bet his entire 3,800 on a Daily Double, and you could see the immense relief in his face when he happened to get it correct. But it no more clear the importance of playing like Jeopardy James than in the first match’s Final Jeopardy where all three contestants going all-in on their wagers, with Jennings getting the win solely based on him building a strong lead in the first two rounds.
The most interesting part of night one was the Final Jeopardy of match two, was where Jennings made a fairly modest wager on Final Jeopardy, whereas Holzhauer went his customary all-in; both got the question correct, but by virtue of the rules of the tournament, where the aggregate of two matches was the deciding factor, Jennings edged Holzhauer out by a mere 200 points for the first win of the tournament. The impression I got was that Holzhauer didn’t really think about the final tally, and just went all-in, because that’s what he always does, whereas Jennings had Holzhauer’s score constantly in his mind, and was actively tracking the numbers that he needed to be at in order to remain in front. And in the end, Jennings knew pretty specifically what he could safely wager to remain in front, even if and when Holzhauer went all-in and got it right.
Needless to say, experience won out in the start, and much like a match-up between heavyweights, it’s clear that we’ve got a game on our hands now. Ken Jennings beats Jeopardy James in the race for three wins, and we’ve got several more nights to see how this thing will transpire. It’s great television for viewers, and I can’t say I’ve had this much fun watching Jeopardy ever before.
However, I’d be remiss to not take another opportunity to dunk on Brad Rutter again; sure he seems like a nice guy, but again I don’t think he has much place in this matchup. And in all fairness, as famous as James Holzhauer got through 2019 for his 30+ win streak, he’s not really the first guy to play in this manner. Arthur Chu also played in a similar manner of going after high value answers first, and sniffing out Daily Doubles, but in comparison to the GOAT trio, he only amassed an eleven-win streak and nowhere near the earnings of the others. But as far as entertaining television goes, he would’ve been a far more appealing third than Brad Rutter has so far demonstrated.
Whatever though, there is still much more Jeopardy to be played, and frankly, I’m not sure whom I’m rooting for. Definitely not Rutter, but I respect Holzhauer’s tactics and like that he’s also super into baseball and baseball numbers, but I also hold no ill-will to Ken Jennings, and I fondly remember the summer of 2004 when he basically dominated the game like no other.
Regardless, no matter who wins the title of Greatest of All-Time, there’s no denying that James Holzhauer changed the way the game is played, and it’s no more evident in the fact that the other all-time greats have been forced to play like him, in order to have any chance at beating him.
