LOS ANGELES — A professional sports gambler from Las Vegas and Naperville native has broken his own single-episode winnings record on “Jeopardy!”
James Holzhauer won $131,127 during a show that aired Wednesday, topping his best win from last week by more than $20,000. It’s the 10th straight win for Holzhauer, who has pocketed $697,787 to date, putting him in second place for total money won, behind Ken Jennings, who took home more than $2.5 million during a 74-game winning streak in 2004
Holzhauer is graduate of Naperville North High School and the University of Illinois. In an interview with the Naperville Sun, Holzhauer revealed he studies children’s books at the library to bone up on trivia. “The books there are filled with pictures and fun facts, and they’re a great way to learn the nuts and bolts of any subject,” he said.
Wednesday’s win marks the 10th consecutive win for the 34-year-old Holzhauer. Before his run, the previous episode record was $77,000 and was set by Roger Craig in 2010.
“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who revealed in March that he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, posted a message Wednesday thanking fans for their well-wishes and said he’s feeling good and continuing with his therapy.
The next episode of “Jeopardy!” airs at 3:30 p.m. Thursday on ABC.
Contributing: Sun-Times reporter Miriam Di Nunzio
