Warning: There may be spoilers in the post below at any point after 8:00 PM Eastern on January 7, 2020.
Tonight’s the night for Match #1 of the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time! Here’s tonight’s game recap (for January 7, 2020):
Are you looking for the recap for tonight’s syndicated game? Find it here!
Today’s contestants:
Brad Rutter, currently on 0 wins
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Ken Jennings, currently on 0 wins
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James Holzhauer, currently on 0 wins
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This is currently a placeholder post which will be updated with Final Jeopardy! information and a game recap once it is known.
Preview: Anything can happen and a lot is unknown going into the first of these matches. The prediction model from December made Brad a very slight favorite going in. The winner of this match will certainly get some confidence and momentum for Match #2 tomorrow as well! In case anyone was wondering, these episodes were not live; taping began on December 10.
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my new Betting Strategy 101 page!
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Part 1, Final Jeopardy! category: PRESIDENTS & THE BIBLE
Part 1, Final Jeopardy! clue: “Silent” Calvin Coolidge was inaugurated in 1925 on a bible open to this 6-word first line of the gospel according to John
Part 1, Final Jeopardy! correct response: What is “In the beginning was the word”?
Part 2, Final Jeopardy! category: ASTRONOMERS
Part 2, Final Jeopardy! clue: This man’s name was given to a comet that crashed into Jupiter in 1994; he’s the only human whose remains lie on the moon
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Part 2, Final Jeopardy! correct response: Who is (Eugene) Shoemaker?
Game 1 results:
Brad 5,200 + 5,200 = 10,400
James 16,600 + 16,600 = 33,200
Ken 33,200 + 11,800 = 45,000
Game 2 results:
Brad 10,000 – 10,000 = 0 + 10,400 = 10,400 (Who is Hale)?
Ken 12,200 + 6,200 = 18,400 + 45,000 = 63,400 (Game 1 winner)
James 15,000 + 15,000 = 30,000 + 33,200 = 63,200
Daily Double locations:
1) MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS $1000 (15th pick)
Brad 1800 +1800 (James 5200 Ken 4000)
2) DANCING WITH THE CZARS $1600 (1st pick)
Brad 4000 -4000 (James 7800 Ken 7000)
3) BEFORE, DURING & AFTER $1200 (4th pick)
Ken 8600 +8600 (James 9800 Brad 0)
4) GREATEST OF ALL TIME TRAVELLERS $600 (5th pick)
Ken 2400 +2400 (James 1000 Brad 0)
5) LET’S JAZZ UP THIS PLACE $1600 (1st pick)
Brad 3800 -3800 (James 8200 Ken 7000)
6) PHILOSOPHERS $2000 (7th pick)
Brad 2800 -2800 (Ken 10600 James 9800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this match: 0
Unplayed clues:
Game 1, J! round: None!
Game 1, DJ! round: None!
Game 2, J! round: None!
Game 2, DJ! round: None!
Total $ Left On Board: $0
Game Stats:
Ken 36,200 Coryat, 48 correct, 5 incorrect, 43.86% in first on buzzer, 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
James 31,600 Coryat, 39 correct, 2 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer, 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Brad 25,000 Coryat, 28 correct, 4 incorrect, 21.93% in first on buzzer, 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $92,800
Lach Trash: $2,400 (on 2 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $12,800
James Holzhauer, stats to date:
1,348 correct, 47 incorrect
41/44 on rebound attempts (on 82 rebound opportunities)
55.69% in first on buzzer (1228/2205)
78/84 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $676,988)
37/39 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $29,272
James Holzhauer, to win (per the prediction model):
Wins in 3: 0.000% of the time.
Wins in 4: 7.383% of the time.
Wins in 5: 12.928% of the time.
Wins in 6: 11.790% of the time.
Wins in 7: 5.866% of the time.
Overall: 37.966% of the time.
Ken Jennings, stats to date:
2,983 correct, 299 incorrect
108/134 on rebound attempts
58.66% in first on buzzer (2888/4923)
145/175 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $465,399)
56/85 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $26,386
Ken Jennings, to win (per the prediction model):
Wins in 3: 7.147% of the time.
Wins in 4: 10.393% of the time.
Wins in 5: 11.455% of the time.
Wins in 6: 8.249% of the time.
Wins in 7: 3.695% of the time.
Overall: 40.938% of the time.
Brad Rutter, stats to date:
722 correct, 81 incorrect
41/44 on rebound attempts
41.27% in first on buzzer (681/1650)
43/52 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $62,300)
16/27 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,124
Brad Rutter, to win (per the prediction model):
Wins in 3: 0.000% of the time.
Wins in 4: 3.059% of the time.
Wins in 5: 6.259% of the time.
Wins in 6: 7.434% of the time.
Wins in 7: 4.342% of the time.
Overall: 21.095% of the time.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- The turning point was absolutely the BEFORE, DURING & AFTER Daily Double, and it goes to show just what they can do. Good on Ken for going all-in. That buoyed a Double Jeopardy! round where he went 16/0 in the second half of Game 1, en route to a Game 1 $25,800 Coryat and a 27-20 advantage over James on the buzzer.
- James played very well for not seeing a Daily Double, and the prediction model is bullish on James’ chances, even though Ken is a slight favorite thanks to his Game 1 win.
- Brad’s interview comments about his brain losing a step were prescient; it felt like all 3 of his Daily Doubles were on the tip of his tongue, and he probably would have had them all in 2005. I’ve always said that he gives you one chance to beat you. Was this the one chance? Will he be able to bounce back tomorrow?
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
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Though he didn’t have a lock and won only by $200, Ken surely knew he had a win if he was correct in the second FJ! and wagered accordingly! Give him credit for calculating quickly how not too wager too little or too much.
If Brad has aced his 3 missed DDs, he would have been in the lead entering the 2nd FJ. But alas, he missed that also. Having never see him play previously, would love to see him shine and win at least one.
Ken didn’t have to calculate quickly. They are given as much time as they need to come up with their final jeopardy wager.
In your final results for James, one equals sign needs to be changed to a plus.
So, I had a few strategy thoughts:
Ken made the right decision making a huge True DD on Before, Middle and After. But you could see how stressed it made him, even if it is now just for points. That points to one of the more subtle advantages that James has. When you have made thousands of large bets on very small edges, the making of a large bet doesn’t feel stressful and you can operate at peak efficiency. It is noteworthy that the next time Ken had an opportunity to make a big bet in a core subject of his (FJ1), he chose a more moderate size bet instead of a bet size which, in hindsight, would have game 2 a runaway.
James has made 2 notable changes to his subject-picking strategy. His typical early strategy on Round 1 is to run the 1000 row. It is less likely to stumble on the DD, but allows him to build his bankroll so that if he hits the DD, he can bet big and put the game away early. As he faces tougher competition, this strategy is both less intimidating and also less likely to succeed, as his more skilled opponents are just as likely to benefit and are almost equally willing to bet big early. In game 1, when he got control of the board early, he stayed in the 600 and 800 rows, prioritizing finding the DD for himself over building bankroll.
The second strategy that James used to employ was quickly jumping around the board using an abbreviated term for the subject. This gave him the advantage of being able to process that topic and the implications for the clue ahead of his opponents. I don’t see why this strategy would not be just as effective against Brad and Ken. I wonder if the producers asked him to ease off on this technique, as it also makes for a worse TV product.
Your analysis of changes in James’ strategy is very well explained. I had noticed he wasn’t focused on the 1000 row but didn’t know why and his pace and style in calling the categories was just as you described. We’ll see if he changes that strategy up tonight!
I checked on my DVR on Monday, to record this week’s games and it showed three for this week, and then one next Tuesday. When I checked again last night, after watching the first match, it now has shows listed Tuesday through Friday next week, so a new total of 7 shows, which seems to mean this will go down to the wire; one deciding show, and possibly one deciding question. But that is as it should be.
Last night’s show was well done. Nice touches to give it a special feeling, elevated above the daily shows or regular tournaments. Not sure who was in the audience, that was dark for a change. For secrecy, I would think only friends or relatives of the three contestants were allowed into the taping. And it seemed like they may have ‘relaxed’ the time limits for each round, since they cleared every board, but these guys know the shorthand on calling for clues. But truly a master class in how the game should be played, by three of the best who have ever played it. If it does go to seven games, I really don’t care who wins; he will have definitely earned the honor!
If James wins the million, he would pass Ken in total earnings, but Ken cannot pass Brad if he wins the million (but he would get very close).
Excellent show. Can’t wait to see more.