Jeopardy champ Eddie Timanus credits Holzhauer’s success to his strategy

Jeopardy! champ James Holzhauer continues to be a force of nature, winning Wednesday night’s game and bringing his total earnings to $1,135,175.

Holzhauer, 34, is only the second person in the show’s 35-year history to win more than $1million.

And now many, including host Alex Trebek, believe the Las Vegas professional sports gambler has a real shot at beating Ken Jennings’ $2.5million record.

Making Holzhauer’s performance all the more incredible is the fact that he reached the $1million mark in just 15 games.

Jeopardy champ James Holzhauer continues to be a force of nature, winning Wednesday night’s game and bringing his total earnings to $1,135,175

It took Jennings 33 games to reach $1million in 2004 and 74 games to earn $2.5million.

Holzhauer now claims the top seven one-day scores in the history of the game show, which has aired since 1984.

The professional gambler credits his incredible success to his experience as a sports bettor in Sin City.

Holzhauer’s strategy is one rarely seen on the show. Instead of going from top to bottom in a category, he selects the questions that could win him the most money right off the bat.

This allows him to win big if he finds the Daily Double, which he almost always does.

‘You could make an analogy to sports betting or poker tournaments,’ he told the New York Times this week.

Holzhauer is only the second person in the show’s 35-year history to win more than $1million

And now many, including host Alex Trebek, believe the Las Vegas professional sports gambler has a real shot at beating Ken Jennings’ $2.5million record

‘There are big advantages to having a lot of chips early on in a poker tournament. You can make plays that other people can’t.’

‘Hitting a Daily Double on the first clue is nice, I guess, but you can do a lot more damage if you have $5,000 in front of you already.’

Holzhauer said he planned his strategy from the beginning, only deviating from it if the category is one he’s unfamiliar with – such as the US Senate.

Eddie Timanus, a five-time Jeopardy! champion in 1999 (pictured), said Holzhauer’s approach to the board makes him a ‘true game-changer’ for the show

‘You can see as soon as I get control of the board in the first game I’m going for the $1,000 clues whenever I have the opportunity,’ he added.

Eddie Timanus, a five-time Jeopardy! champion in 1999, said Holzhauer’s approach to the board makes him a ‘true game-changer’.

‘Holzhauer clears the big-dollar clues first,’ Timanus told USA Today. ‘Thanks to his ability to ring in first consistently and rarely miss, he usually has a considerable total built up by the time he uncovers a Daily Double.’

‘He finds most of them since he’s able to maintain control of the board for long stretches and, as we’ve seen, he’s not afraid to bet big. That’s how he’s been able to accumulate scores that have been unprecedented in the show’s history.’

‘A sports gambler indeed, but perhaps betting on himself is the safest wager of all.’

Holzhauer credits his career with helping ‘desensitize’ him when it comes to making big bets.

‘The fact that I win and lose money all the time helps desensitize me, so I can write down $60,000 as the Final Jeopardy wager and not be trembling at the thought of losing that money,’ he said.

‘You have to be comfortable. Some of the opponents I’ve been playing, you can see they are visibly shaken by what’s going on onstage. You’re not going to play well if you’re up there trembling.’

Holzhauer now claims the top seven one-day scores in the history of the game-show which has aired since 1984. He is seen left on April 9 and right on April 12

Holzhauer credits his career with helping ‘desensitize’ him when it comes to making big bets on the show. He is seen left on April 16 and right on April 17

‘And if you make yourself tremble by playing more aggressively than you are comfortable with, that’s so much the worse.’

‘Number one is making sure you’re in your comfort zone,’ he added. ‘My comfort zone is very different than the typical contestant. I think that’s a huge advantage for me.’

But Holzhauer said the biggest factor for his success is his strength with the buzzer.

And statistics show that Holzhauer is an unprecedented master at buzzing in first, according to Timanus.

‘Holzhauer successfully rang in first nearly 57 percent of the time through his first 14 wins,’ he added.

‘That’s a phenomenal percentage with two other competitors trying to do the same.’

Holzhauer trained hard for his Jeopardy! stint, building a replica of the show’s buzzer and playing along while watching the show at home.

Statistics show that Holzhauer is an unprecedented master at buzzing in first during the game

‘Getting onto Jeopardy! was a pet project my whole life, so it was something I was willing to work really hard on,’ he said.

Holzhauer also read children’s books to help him gain knowledge on subjects that he wasn’t normally interested in.

‘I have a strategy of reading children’s books to gain knowledge. I’ve found that in an adult reference book, if it’s not a subject I’m interested in, I just can’t get into it,’ he revealed.

‘I was thinking, what is the place in the library I can go to to get books tailored to make things interesting for uninterested readers? Boom. The children’s section.’

Holzhauer now gets recognized on the street, but said he hopes his celebrity status remains low-key.

Holzhauer has taken some huge risks during his time on Jeopardy!, including this $60,000 bet on a Final Jeopardy question

‘I’m still in my normal life now,’ he said. ‘If the right opportunity comes along, I would of course consider it.’

‘But if I get to the point where I can’t drive my own kid to class, then I think I’ve really screwed up. I want to not lose what makes me be me.’

It may be awhile before Holzhauer leaves our television screens. Timanus believes his competitors only have a shot at beating him if they can get at least half of his total before the Final Jeopardy round.

‘It’s probably going to require Holzhauer to actually miss one of those big wagers,’ Timanus added.

‘Then, of course, the challenger would have to deliver a correct response on the final clue and hope the champ misses.’

‘To date, Holzhauer has only missed one Final Jeopardy. As I said, it would take quite a bit of good fortune.’

Holzhauer sounds a siren before the start of an ice hockey clash between the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on the weekend