Being a reality show winner and sports gambler, he has reserved a handsome amount in his account. The world knows his genius, so let’s have an insight into Jeopardy star James Holzhauer’s life to know about his net worth, IQ level, and more.
A Quick Check At The Early Days
He is a contestant in a famous American reality game show. He is known for his 32-game winning strike as the Champion on the television quiz show Jeopardy. Besides being the 3rd highest-earning game show contestant of all time, he was also the winner of the Tournament Of Champions in November 2019 of Jeopardy. James won $3 million during the 33 appearances and another $250 thousand in the Tournament of Champions, plus another $250 thousand for being a runner-up in the Greatest of All Time Tournament.
He Belongs To German and Japanese Descent
Holzhauer was born in Naperville, Illinois, and is of German and Japanese descent. In preschool, he used to add multiple digits in his head. He used to play online poker in his school days. Holzhauer also memorized murky baseball and professional wrestling statistics.
Holzhauer graduated with a bachelor of science in 2005 in mathematics. He used to participate in math and physics quiz shows during his high school life. On September 8, 2012, he married Melissa Sassin, a tutor from Seattle, Washington. Melissa has also been part of a reality gameshow, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, in 2014 and won $28,800. They both have a daughter from this marriage.
Let’s get into some more details about James Holzhauer.
James Holzhauer | Wiki/Bio |
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Original Name: | James Holzhauer |
Nick Name: | James Jeopardy |
Net Worth: | $2 million |
Date of Birth: | July 1984 |
Age: | 37 Years |
Nationality | American |
Birth Place: | Naperville, Illinois |
IQ | 158 |
Height: | 5ft 8in |
Occupation | Sports gambler, Game show contestant |
Reason of Fame | 32-time winner of reality show Jeopardy |
Wife: | Melissa Sassin |
Children: | 1 Daughter |
Parents: | Nachiko Ide Holzhauer, Juergen Holzhauer |
Source of Wealth | Gambling career |
Marital Status | Married |
Weight | 70 Kg |
Bicep Size | 11.5 in |
Body Measurement | 40-30-31 in. |
High School | Naperville North High School |
University | University of Illinois |
Father | Juergen Holzhauer |
Mother | Nachiko Ide Holzhauer |
Heritage/origin | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Religion | Christian |
Residence | Naperville, Illinois, United States. |
Colleagues | Frank Spangenberg, Ken Jennings & Emma Boettcher |
Daughter | Natasha Holzhauer |
Friends | Ken Jennings |
Hairstyle | spikey |
Hair color | Dark brown |
Beard or Mustache | Beardless |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Height | 176 cm |
Smoke | No, never |
tattoo | No |
Hobbies | Travelling, gambling |
Favorite Actor | Chris Evans |
Favorite Actress | Jennifer Lawrence |
Favorite Destination | London |
Favorite Food | Mexican |
Last updated: | 2024 |
James Holzhauer in Reality Game Shows
Holzhauer made his debut in reality game shows in an episode of “The Chase” in 2014. He took his team to the prize pool of $175,000, and his cut of winning was a little over $58,000. On April 4, 2019, he recorded his first victory in Jeopardy and took $43,680 home for the night. Holzhauer won 31 more consecutive games and made a record of $131,127 on April 17, 2019. Furthermore, he ended his winning streak with a mind-blowing total of $2,464,216. He lost the 33rd game by a librarian Emma Boetcher.
Holzhauer took a break of one year from his sports gambling career to prepare for Jeopardy. According to him, he read tons of children’s books featuring infographics and pictures. He donated a portion of his winning to a charity organization in Las Vegas and was honored with a key for his generosity.
Facts
Below are some interesting facts about James Holzhauer.
- James’ daily average winning from sports gambling is $76,944.
- His response accuracy in Jeopardy is 97%.
- Jeopardy was not the first reality game show in which James participated. Earlier, he has been part of The Chase and 500 Questions.
- James holds the top 10 records in the reality game show Jeopardy.
- James took the help of a children’s book to prepare for Jeopardy.
James also practices Jeopardy buzzer techniques before the show.
11 Interesting Quotes from the Jeopardy Genius James Holzhauer:
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Anytime you learn something new, you’re just trying to file it away—might be useful one day.
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I would say it’s [the traditional way of playing Jeopardy!] too risk-averse. The funny thing is, my strategy minimizes the risk of me losing a game. There are times in a football game where a team goes for a big TD pass. If you don’t take a risk like that, you’re not going to win. The big risk is never trying anything that looks like a big gamble.
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I kind of didn’t look at anyone else’s strategy for Jeopardy! I thought I’m going to build this from the ground up.… If I had never seen a Jeopardy! Game played before, what would I have to do to play it to maximize my winnings, maximize my chances of winning?
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As a sports fan, I like the one-and-done playoff setups of the NFL and NCAA, but a best-of-seven gives the favorite a much better chance of prevailing in the end. I give the Jeopardy! team a lot of credit for coming up with a great format to settle the debate as best they can.
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I’ve said all along that Emma is an all-time great player, and I’m proud it took that level of a competitor to defeat me. Now the world sees that I wasn’t just making excuses. But the whole point of the TOC [Tournament of Champions] is to play the best of the best, and Emma and Francois Bar comb certainly proved that Emma Boettcher and Francois Bar comb belonged in the final three.
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I went to Illinois. Most people think I went to Princeton or something. But I was never a diligent student.
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I went to Illinois. Most people think I went to Princeton or something. But I was never a diligent student.
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My source of income is sports betting. I have some investments also.
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Parenting is much more nerve-wracking than ‘Jeopardy!’
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Like Dave Muscatine, I’m not superstitious.
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I know life goes on if you make a big bet and you lose. But if you don’t give yourself the best chance of winning, you’re going to kick yourself tomorrow.
James Holzhauer Biography (Infographic)
Get To Know His All Social Media Profiles
Platform | Profile Links |
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Follow him on Facebook | |
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Follow him on Instagram | |
Youtube | Watch his videos on Youtube |
Popularity on Google
A Quick Check into His Profile
Q: Where and when was James Holzhauer born?
A: James Holzhauer was born in the United States of America in 1984.
Q: Who is James Holzhauer’s wife?
A: James Holzhauer married to Melissa Sassin Holzhauer in 2012.
Q: Did James Holzhauer’s wife appear in “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”?
A: His wife Melissa Sassin Holzhauer appeared in “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and won around $29,000.
Q: Who has beaten James Holzhauer in Jeopardy?
A: On June 3 2019, James Holzhauer lost to Emma Boettcher when he was close to breaking Ken Jenning’s record.
Q: What name was given to James Holzhauer for his 2nd highest winning streak in Jeopardy?
A: He was given the name “Jeopardy James”.
Q: How many followers does James have on his Twitter account?
A: There are over 251k followers on James Holzhauer’s Twitter account.
Wrap up:
James Holzhauer is a genius and has entertained and inspired people through his intellect. Moreover, he is also an inspiration for all who ever want to participate in Jeopardy. We are looking forward to some more jaw-dropping moments from this genius.
Nora G.
Thursday 28th of July 2022
James is literally my hero!!!