A biography for James Holzhauerhasn’t been written yet.
“You need to pick your spots and bet big when you identify them. That's basically my 'Jeopardy!' strategy in a nutshell.”
“I feel like I've been lucky in a lot of ways.”
“My perception of a professional gambler has always been a positive one.”
“Holzhauer Haters' is pretty catchy, but I have not encountered too many haters. I'm sure they are out there, but I don't spend my free time looking up every person's opinion of James Holzhauer.”
“I did want to lock each game up before Final Jeopardy, to avoid losing to a bad bounce in that round.”
“I am in awe of Ken Jennings's accomplishments, as all 'Jeopardy!' fans are. Simply being compared to him is an honor.”
“In gambling, you usually start to go wrong when you deviate from your pregame strategy.”
“It was always my plan to go big on 'Jeopardy!,' and I'm glad I was able to stick to the plan under pressure.”
“I don't involve personal biases in my handicapping or wagering. I bet against the Cubs in the 2016 World Series, which tainted the victory a little. It was still incredible to watch.”
“There's a lot of attention on me which can be good, it can be bad. Sometimes my daughter's acting up in public and I really wish I could become anonymous for a few minutes.”
“Parenting is much more nerve-wracking than 'Jeopardy!'”
“I sketched out what I believed to be my optimal strategy for 'Jeopardy:' Play fast, build a stack, bet big, and hope for the best. In my mind, playing a seemingly risky game actually minimizes my chances of losing.”
“I've got a family and job that I really love with super flexibility.”
“There's nothing better for my interests and talents than combining math and sports for profit.”
“The last real job I had I was 16-years-old slinging fried chicken in my hometown of Naperville, Ill.”
“I'm a pro sports gambler. You have winning days and you have losing days. But you know if you've got the right strategy, you're going to get it in the end.”
“The best bet I made that won was on the Tampa Bay Rays - who had never had a winning season in franchise history - to advance to the 2008 World Series.”
“In Chicagoland, they had afternoon 'Jeopardy!' and afternoon Cubs games when they were at home, so that was basically what I would watch and it's what got me interested in Jeopardy! and sports statistics at an early age.”
“I get mad at football coaches who are afraid to call for a big play early in the game, you know, because they want to still be in the game at the end, and then it turns out they have no chance but a Hail Mary or something similar to that at the end.”
“I'm from Naperville.”