James Holzhauer Is Alive

ORIGIN
James Holzhauer (Jeopardy James) is an American professional sports gambler and game show contestant from Naperville, Illinois. He became a household name following an exceptional run on Jeopardy! in 2019. Holzhauer is the third-highest Jeopardy! earner ever behind Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. His dominance on the show led to a 30% increase in Nielsen ratings nationwide. Other game shows he’s competed on include ‘The Chase’ and ‘500 Questions.’ As for sports betting, Holzhauer has had success with the World Baseball Classics, the NFL, and college basketball. He’s also dabbled in card games such as poker, hearts, and spades.

Pro gambler Holzhauer was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. His parents are Juergen and Nachiko Holzhauer. He has an older brother named Ian. Mathematical gifted, Holzhauer began taking advanced math coursework as early as age 4. He skipped the 2nd grade altogether. He would later join the Naperville North High School math team. Holzhauer completed his BS degree in Mathematics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2005). During his tenure, he competed and won a state championship as a member of the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering team. He got into online poker during college.

CAREER
Holzhauer made his game show debut in a September 2014 episode of The Chase. The quiz show was produced by ITV Studios and hosted by Brooke Burns. Holzhauer bested “chaser” Mark Labbett to carry his team to a prize pool of $175,000. His cut of the winnings was a little over $58,000. A Final Chase record was also established in the process. In May 2015, Holzhauer became a contestant on ABC’s 500 Questions. He faced off against Steve Bahnaman but fell short of winning any cash.

On April 4, 2019, Holzhauer recorded his first win on Jeopardy!, hosted by Alex Trebek. He took home $43,680 for the night. He won 31 more consecutive games, including an all-time record of $131,127 on April 17, 2019. Holzhauer ended his winning streak with a grand total of $2,464,216. He was defeated on June 3rd, 2019, (his 33rd game) by University librarian Emma Boettcher. It’s worth mentioning that Boettcher employed a similar game strategy as Holzhauer.

In preparation for Jeopardy!, Holzhauer took off a year from his sports gambling career to prepare. He read tons of children’s books that featured infographics and pictures. His Jeopardy! strategy involves picking out high-value clues and making big wagers on Daily Doubles. He usually builds up an incredible lead, making it impossible for him to lose in Final Jeopardy!. Holzhauer is known for having his Final Jeopardy! wagers reflect important dates. These dates include his daughter’s birthday and his wedding anniversary.

PERSONAL
James Holzhauer is about 5ft 8in tall and he’s of German and Japanese descent. His net worth is estimated at $2 million USD. As promised, he donated a portion of his winnings to charity organizations in Las Vegas. He was given a key to the Las Vegas Strip for his generosity and for his incredible performance on Jeopardy!.

Holzhauer currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He wed tutor ‘Melissa Sassin’ in September 2012. They welcomed their daughter, Natasha, in November 2014. Melissa Sassin is a game show contestant in her own right, winning $28,800 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire back in 2014.

James Holzhauer Bio, Net Worth, Height