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Former poker standout Alex Jacob 6-time winner on Jeopardy

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04-15-2015 , 01:15 PM

#126

Monorail

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilbury Twist

In case anyone is curious, Alex is climbing the all-time winners list, according to this site:
http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide/halloffame/50kplus/

huh? he's not on that list best i can see.

What's his 3-day total so far? (maybe it's not updated in real-time?)

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04-15-2015 , 01:23 PM

#127

xalas

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This is worth reading.
Gaming the Game: 5 Unorthodox Jeopardy Strategies That Are Proven to Win
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/gaming-th...proven-to-win/

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04-15-2015 , 01:24 PM

#128

domda

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ntnBO

KJ has faced perhaps 200 opponents in his Jeopardy career, 148 of those regular contestants, the other ~50 in special tournaments meaning these were the best of the best. He destroyed all but about 10 of the 148 and all but about 5 of the other studs. So he destroyed around 90% of the best of the best of all time. So by this you're saying Alex has the talent level of someone who only comes around once every two years or so? After watching only three games?

You're willing to predict a nearly perfect GTO strategy will be his eventual downfall? Are you one of those types who thinks the results are perfectly reflective of the strategy? Never mind if this strategy wins him umpteenth games before his eventual loss.

You are predicting that KJ would destroy Alex after only watching 3 games , my contention is that Alex is the type of player that Jennings would least like to battle with.

For the second point I don't agree that Alex is using GTO strategy I think his betting all in on Daily Doubles when he has a big lead is overly risky . He has done this three times so far and been correct in his answer each time but if he were to miss a question he would find himself in a hole and have to scramble to win the match . If he were to bet less on the Daily Doubles he could still put the game away when he has the right answer but leave himself at least on level ground when he misses.

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04-15-2015 , 01:32 PM

#129

unta8

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I'm guessing he goes on big tear since he really seems to be embracing the social media.. Maybe he wins 50+ games and is trying to build his brand right from the beginning?

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04-15-2015 , 02:15 PM

#130

PeteBlow

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Quote:

Originally Posted by subfocused

Is there a play at home version with a buzzer where you can practice buzzing or is it who can adapt the quickest once the show starts? Obviously the poker player is going to crush and probably has an even greater advantage if there is no way to practice at home.

I'd say your presumption is way off base. Why would you think poker players would have an advantage at buzzer speed?
I would say quiz specialists would be the best group.

Last edited by PeteBlow; 04-15-2015 at 02:26 PM.

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04-15-2015 , 03:10 PM

#131

Ufgators948

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Keep forgetting to tune in each night, preciate the youtube links

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04-15-2015 , 03:19 PM

#132

xalas

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Originally Posted by Ufgators948

Keep forgetting to tune in each night, preciate the youtube links

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04-15-2015 , 04:19 PM

#133

pmarrsouth

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Just caught up on this now. He demolished the competition on 4/14!

Holding "buzzer" down by your side seems to be a better strategy than out in front imo.

Would it be possible to not update the thread title, hard for non US folks to watch it live? Been avoiding this thread until I can catch up, but its always near the top of NVG so I get spoilered anyway with the title

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04-15-2015 , 04:44 PM

#134

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So do the contestants play until they lose or is their a cap on how many episodes in a row they can win?

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04-15-2015 , 05:05 PM

#135

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilbury Twist

In case anyone is curious, Alex is climbing the all-time winners list, according to this site:
http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide/halloffame/50kplus/

The records are interesting to see - it looks like if Alex had gotten the Final Jeopardy question correct yesterday, he'd have been one of the very few to have made $50k in one day, besides Ken Jennings.

Hope he lasts for a while - it's been fun to watch his run!

Last edited by TrustySam; 04-15-2015 at 05:18 PM. Reason: Changed 'Double' to 'Final', doh!

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04-15-2015 , 05:26 PM

#136

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He was super pissed at himself when he bet $100 on the Daily Double and knew the correct answer. I'm not sure why he did this because he got the previous question in that category right and obviously read Moby Dick. He could have ran away with it if he bet it all.

Last edited by BRm34eva; 04-15-2015 at 05:29 PM. Reason: DD

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04-15-2015 , 05:42 PM

#137

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Was impressed with him being able to sing the alphabet backwards when Trebek talked to the contestants during yesterday's show.

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04-15-2015 , 07:04 PM

#138

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Is he back to his day 1 outfit?

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04-15-2015 , 07:22 PM

#139

xalas

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Rmbxr9

Is he back to his day 1 outfit?

Haven't seen it yet but it's possible for this reason

Quote:

Originally Posted by xalas

shows are taped 3-4 months ahead of time, they tape several shows roll in a single day taking small breaks, the winning contestant will change clothes, they will act like it's a different day.

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04-15-2015 , 07:31 PM

#140

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He looked in pain after winning the 4th time.

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04-15-2015 , 07:41 PM

#141

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Fun little discussion of poker after the first break

Becky seems like Alex' first serious competition in 4 days - today's been a bit of a sweat so far ..

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04-15-2015 , 08:01 PM

#142

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Did he post on 2+2 back in the day when he was playing ?

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04-15-2015 , 08:07 PM

#143

OldB

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Is he really a FX trader or "currency trader"?

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04-15-2015 , 08:07 PM

#144

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Quote:

Originally Posted by thakidd99

Did he post on 2+2 back in the day when he was playing ?

http://forums.twoplustwo.com/members/2083/

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04-15-2015 , 08:13 PM

#145

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what a legend

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04-15-2015 , 08:15 PM

#146

sam1chips

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BRm34eva

He was super pissed at himself when he bet $100 on the Daily Double and knew the correct answer. I'm not sure why he did this because he got the previous question in that category right and obviously read Moby Dick. He could have ran away with it if he bet it all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Jacob's twitter @whoisalexjacob

Dear Twitter, I've never read Moby Dick #justsaying

FYI

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04-15-2015 , 08:19 PM

#147

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ntnBO

Yes. In a lock situation the proper wager is either $0 or the max that still guarantees victory. Hardly any contestant understands this, but I would expect poker players to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by captZEEbo

This is not true. When you're in a lock situation, you are playing with strictly your OWN money. Because of this, you have to factor in your life roll. Some of these contestants could easily have a $0 net worth before the start of the show. Let's say they're net worth just jumped from $0 to $30k, because they're going to FJ with $30k and a lock win. Let's also say they have the opportunity to bet $10k and still lock up a win. It'd be fairly reckless to bet $10k (1/3 of your net worth) on a question where your edge is ~53%. I also think it's reasonable to vary your bets based on your confidence in the category and net worth. Just making up some numbers with a small/medium sized net worth: if you have 55% confidence you can bet like $1k, if you have 65% confidence you can bet $5k, if you have 80% confidence you can bet $10k. Basically, it's reasonable to bet small with a small edge and up your bets with a large edge because of the Kelly criterion.

I also agree with captzeebo. If you have 80% confidence in the category, then you can/should wager 80% * (Maximum possible wager while still guaranteeing victory with an incorrect response).

Of course, it comes down to personal preference/risk appetite,because you are wagering money that is effectively in your pocket at this point. But many players just wager 0 or $100 or something, which I think is TERRIBLE (assuming that they aren't actively making this choice because they hate the category)

Last edited by sam1chips; 04-15-2015 at 08:43 PM.

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04-15-2015 , 08:25 PM

#148

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Today was the first episode I actually got to watch. My opinion:

1. He really does seem like he has the demeanor of a poker player who has seen every bad beat in the book. So calm and collected for the whole game.

2. It was funny to see his disgusted look when he drew the daily double on the Moby Dick category (He posted on his twitter that he hadn't read the book before, although he still got it right).

3. WAGERING STRATEGY
It is a super awkward spot for him. When the 2nd place player has >80% of the 1st place player, it puts the 1st place player in the tough spot.

Because the girl (2nd place player) could have made a huge wager. Then Alex would have needed to also make a huge wager AND get the question right in order to guarantee victory.

OR, the girl could decide to make a smaller wager. If Alex decides to make a huge wager while the girl makes a smaller wager (which was what happened in today's episode), now Alex is forced to answer the question correctly in order to win regardless of whether the girl answers correctly or not. That's why it's such a sick spot.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I wrote a college paper last year about optimal final jeopardy wagering strategies, and this type of situation is the only one that I couldn't come up with a concrete answer. No matter what Alex wagers, he is in a weird spot. Granted, if he could see the second place player's wager, then he could adjust his wager appropriately, but final jeopardy wagering (like poker) is a game of incomplete information.

I liked Alex's wager, I guess. If you're gonna lose, you're losing no matter what. If you're gonna win, you might as well maximize your winnings.

-----

EDIT: A bit of an aside, but I love the 2nd place player making that small wager for final jeopardy in that situation, for the very same reasons I mentioned above. It puts pressure on 1st place to get the answer right no matter what (most likely), and probably gives the 2nd place player the best chance to win the game

Last edited by sam1chips; 04-15-2015 at 08:41 PM.

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04-15-2015 , 09:35 PM

#149

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Does Jeopardy only accept white skinned contestants?

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04-15-2015 , 09:43 PM

#150

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexmier

Does Jeopardy only accept white skinned contestants?

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