If you haven’t been watching Jeopardy!, you’re missing a star on the rise — and an increasingly wealthy star at that. Professional sports gambler James Holzhauer on Tuesday broke the show’s record for single-day cash winnings with a whopping total of $110,914.
“I said all along that I wanted to break Roger Craig’s one-game record, and I did it!” Holzhauer said in a statement. (Craig set the previous record of $77,000 back in Sept. 2010.)
And this record-breaking number holds a special meaning for Holzhauer: his daughter was born on Nov. 9, 2014 (aka 11/09/14). Pretty wild, no?
The Las Vegas-based contestant has now won four times, with a total of $244,365 in cash prizes. Wednesday’s episode will pit him against two new challengers eager to prevent him from scoring a fifth consecutive win.
Jeopardy! has made quite a few headlines this year, beginning with the crowning of the show’s first-ever “All-Star Games” winner. One day later, host Alex Trebek announced in an emotional video message that he’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working,” he said. “And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival-rate statistics for this disease.”
