James Holzhauer Pays Tribute to His Granny in His Latest Game

james holzhauer gambler

Jeopardy James Holzhauer.

James Holzhauer continued his run of dominance during his 10th appearance on “Jeopardy” on April 17 and gave a shoutout to his “granny” in his Final Jeopardy answer. Holzhauer broke his own single-game record with a total of $131,127. Before he set the record at $110,914, the previous record was $77,000, set by Roger Craig in 2010.

Holzhauer entered Final Jeopardy with $71,114, and wagered $60,013. The Illinois native who is now a professional sports gambler in Las Vegas added in his answer, “this is for you granny” with a heart. As he read the answer, Alex Trebek asked Holzhauer if his grandmother was still alive, and he shook his head and said no, while kissing his hand and pointing to the sky. Holzhauer has been giving shoutouts and tributes to his family members throughout his amazing run, often using meaningful dates, like birthdays and anniversaries, for his wagers.

Holzhauer will enter his 11th game with a total of $697,787 during his spectacular run on “Jeopardy.” His total winnings are second only to the legendary Ken Jennings, who won $2,522,700 over a record-setting 74-win streak in 2004. Holzhauer, who is married with a young daughter, is well on his way toward setting the record for most money won during the “regular season” of “Jeopardy” games.


Holzhauer Watched ‘Jeopardy’ With His Grandmother When He Was a Kid

James Holzhauer started his love for “Jeopardy” when he was a young child. He told Vulture that he would usually watch the game show with his “granny,” which makes his tribute to her as he won his biggest total yet even more special.

Holzhauer told Vulture during an April 16 interview, “When I watched Jeopardy! as a kid, I would primarily watch with my grandmother. She was the most beautiful person the world has ever seen. Her first language wasn’t English, so she couldn’t follow along well, but she wanted to share this experience with me since she saw it was something I really liked. I promised her I’d one day be up on that stage for her. I don’t promise anything unless I intend to fulfill it.”

Holzhauer added, “o me, it’s fulfilling the promise I made to her 25 years ago. Once I really decided to take this seriously, I wasn’t going to half-ass it. It didn’t matter if I won, but if I went home knowing it was the absolute best I was capable of, that’s all I really cared about”

As he read out Holzhauer’s 10-day total, “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek told the reigning champion, “Grandma’s happy.”


Holzhauer Has Given Multiple Shoutouts to His Wife During His ‘Jeopardy’ Run & Says ‘Family Will Always Be More Important’ Than the Money He Has Won

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JeopardyJames Holzhauer and Jeopardy host Alex Trebek.

James Holzhauer has been giving shoutouts to family members with his Daily Double and Final Jeopardy wagers, using numbers that represent important dates, like birthdays and anniversaries.

“My wife can never again claim I forgot our anniversary (9/8/12). By the way, honey, that counts as your gift for this year,” he wrote on Facebook, after one of his wins. He also paid tribute to his daughter, using her nickname, “Booger,” during his record-breaking game.

“As for the shout-outs, family will always be more important to me than money or winning on ‘Jeopardy,’ and the bets were a fun and unconventional way for me to show them that,” Holzhauer told The Naperville Sun.

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