39 Facts About James Holzhauer

James Holzhauer was born on August 6,1984 and is an American game show contestant and professional sports gambler.

James Holzhauer is the fourth-highest-earning American game show contestant of all time.

James Holzhauer set the single-game winnings record with $131,127 and holds all top 10 single-game winning records.

In 1989, when James Holzhauer was four, his teacher was astounded by his mathematical abilities and developed advanced classwork just for him.

At age seven, James Holzhauer was moved up to a fifth-grade math class, and skipped second grade at his mother's urging.

James Holzhauer consistently got A's on math tests and competed on the Naperville North High School math team.

James Holzhauer memorized obscure baseball and professional wrestling statistics, prompting his parents to reprimand him for "wasting his life" learning about sports.

James Holzhauer was a member of the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Team that won the state competition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; he contributed by taking first place in physics and second in math.

James Holzhauer graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 2005.

James Holzhauer appeared on the American version of the quiz show The Chase on September 2,2014.

James Holzhauer's score set a record for the Cash Builder that was never surpassed during the show's run.

James Holzhauer had a choice of three amounts to play for: $60,000 based on his score in the Cash Builder, $30,000 to reduce the difficulty of the round; and $120,000, which would increase the difficulty.

James Holzhauer chose to play for $60,000; after the show, Holzhauer said that the odds did not favor playing for the maximum amount and that it was not worth the gamble.

Labbett scored a perfect five, with his final answer not revealed since James Holzhauer had already achieved the necessary points to win the round.

James Holzhauer appeared on the American quiz show 500 Questions on May 22,2015.

The incumbent champion, Steve Bahnaman, prevailed over James Holzhauer, who did not receive any winnings.

James Holzhauer is the first and only player to win $100,000 or more in a single episode, a feat he accomplished six times.

James Holzhauer was defeated in his 33rd game, which aired on June 3,2019, and was watched by 14.5 million people.

James Holzhauer won both his quarterfinal and semifinal games to advance to the final round, which featured a rematch against Boettcher, who was invited separately and won her first two tournament games.

James Holzhauer won the two-day final, winning the first game by a larger margin than Boettcher won the second and claiming the $250,000 grand prize.

James Holzhauer won one match in the tournament, but lost to Jennings in the others, and received the runner-up prize of $250,000.

On May 24,2023, James Holzhauer won the Masters tournament, edging out Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio to earn the $500,000 grand prize.

In May 22,2024, James Holzhauer wrapped up part one of the two part finals with a total of 28,309 points to hold a sizable lead going into part two of the finals, but ultimately he finished in 3rd with a total of 38,017 behind winner Victoria Groce who finished with a total of 55,400 and runner up Yogesh Raut who finished with a total of 45,910.

James Holzhauer selected the highest-value clues first in an attempt to maximize the money he had available to wager when he hit a Daily Double.

James Holzhauer credited reading fact books written for children, with their heavy use of infographics, with allowing him to learn vast amounts of information in an easily digestible manner.

James Holzhauer's record-breaking winning streak attracted considerable reaction and media attention.

James Holzhauer can make two or three times what any other player ever has with that same level of play, which again is top-shelf.

Former Game Show Network executive Bob Boden said the ratings would help compensate for any short-term financial losses James Holzhauer's run caused, and that the show's profitability up to this point would allow them to absorb the increased payouts.

The poker game is where James Holzhauer began gambling but he grew his sports betting bankroll in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

James Holzhauer says he has built predictive models for baseball, NFL, and college basketball, but now focuses largely on in-game betting.

James Holzhauer debuted at the World Series of Poker in 2019.

James Holzhauer ultimately was knocked out as a solo contestant in round 17 of the tournament, with his most notable prize win being a $600 profit for finishing 92nd out of 1,867 on a No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty game.

On September 8,2012, James Holzhauer married Melissa Sassin, a tutor from Seattle, Washington.

James Holzhauer is a sports fan in his personal capacity and is a fan of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League.

James Holzhauer has incorporated Vegas' staple "V" logo into his signature on an episode of Jeopardy and in a separate episode once proclaimed 'go Knights go' before wagering $10,617 on a daily double question, intentionally corresponding with October 6,2017, the date of the team's first win.

James Holzhauer is a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs; he has said his dream job is a front-office position with the team and has actively sought employment in Major League Baseball.

James Holzhauer is a fan of professional wrestling, in particular WWE, as seen in his numerous appearances for Jeopardy and The Chase.

In mid-2019, James Holzhauer donated $1,109.14 to the 2019 Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Reach Walk in Illinois, in Alex Trebek's name.

On June 24,2019, James Holzhauer began participating in World Series of Poker events in Las Vegas.