Streaks vs. Sums

What would you think if your teacher won half a million dollars on Jeopardy!? In 2019, high school math teacher Jason Zuffranieri went on the quiz show and won 19 consecutive games. He took home $532,496 in total.

The game looks simple: Players choose from a grid of six categories with increasing dollar amounts. To win the cash, contestants race to give the question that matches the selected clue. The winner of each game takes home their winnings and continues to the next game.

The number of games won and the total amount of money won are the two big numbers for any Jeopardy! champion. Sometimes the two values go hand in hand, as was the case with Ken Jennings, who is now hosting the show. He holds the record for the longest winning streak (74 games) and most money won ($2,520,700). But that’s not always the case.

What if your teacher won half a million dollars on Jeopardy!? In 2019, high school math teacher Jason Zuffranieri did just that. He won 19 games of the quiz show in a row. He also took home $532,496.

The game looks simple. Players choose answers from a grid of six categories. Each answer in a column is worth more than the one above. Contestants race to give the question that matches the selected clue. The winner of each game takes home the amount they won. They also continue to the next game.

The number of games won is important for any Jeopardy! champion. So is the total amount of money won. Sometimes the two values go hand in hand. That was the case with champion Ken Jennings. He’s now the host of the show. He holds the record for the longest winning streak (74 games). He also holds the record for the most money won ($2,520,700). But that’s not always the case. 

Zuffranieri, who now teaches high school statistics in Addison, Texas, analyzed the link between games won and money won for 11 of the top Jeopardy! champs—including himself! He found that 71 percent of the time, how much money players won seemed directly related to the length of their winning streaks. The rest of the time, other factors played a role, such as how much players win per game.

2019 champ James Holzhauer was particularly good at amassing a lot of money in a short time. He used a strategy of earning as much as he could quickly, then hunting for a Daily Double. This type of question let him bet big and often double his winnings. It paid off: He won $131,127 in one night, setting the record for the most won in a single game!

Zuffranieri looked at the connection between games and money won for the top 11 Jeopardy! champs. That included himself! He found that the amount of money players won seemed directly related to the length of their winning streaks 71 percent of the time. Other factors like the amount players won per game played a role the rest of the time.

2019 champ James Holzhauer is one example. He earned a lot of money in a short time. He did that by getting as much money as he could early in his games. Then he hunted for a Daily Double. This type of question let him bet what he had won. He could often double his winnings. It paid off. He won $131,127 in one night. That was a new record for the most won in a single game!