Epic Jeopardy! super-champ James Holzhauer made his splashy return to the game show’s Tournament of Champions on Wednesday evening, where he predictably flexed his trivia muscles to beat out returning champions Alan Dunn and Lindsey Shultz (who had won five and four times, respectfully). In doing so however, he made an unusually small bet that had fans scratching their heads, and once again may have inadvertently dusted up conspiracy theories about why his previous run had ended.
Heading into Final Jeopardy, Holzhauer was leading his two opponents by tens of thousands of dollars, yet for some reason he wagered just $326 after his nephew’s birthday on March 26. He could have literally bet thousands and still easily won, so it’s unclear why he stuck to such a small figure.
Another runaway game for @James_Holzhauer. Shocker pic.twitter.com/zrmqLeDMGM
— Dude Where's Makar (@joelthesakic) November 7, 2019
And as usual, Holzhauer was of little help explaining himself:
Raise your hand if James tricked you, too. 🙋🙋♂️ #TournamentOfChampions pic.twitter.com/qT0Hu8pbFK
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 7, 2019
Tonight, the Vegas-based sports gambler once again faces off against Emma Boettcher, who put an end to his 32-game run earlier this year. Holzhauer previously has shot down rumors that he “let” Boettcher win, tweeting back in August, “New game: imagine you pulled off the most dominant upset in Jeopardy history and people won’t shut up about how the 32x champ must have let you win.”
New game: imagine you pulled off the most dominant upset in @Jeopardy history and people won’t shut up about how the 32x champ must have let you win. #JeopardyEmma
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) August 26, 2019
It certainly is pretty crappy to write off her accomplishment, when you look at it that way. In either case, fans will surely be on the edge of their seats waiting to see how Boettcher fares against Holzhauer in round two.