The Final Wager – 2014 TOC SF #2

Half of you-know-what is in place. Will the other piece fill the remaining spot? Or will a dark horse spoil the party?

Be sure to check out my preview.

Arthur’s in decent shape heading into Final, but both of his opponents are in striking distance:

Arthur Chu: 17,800
Mark Japinga: 8,000
Rebecca Rider: 12,800

The Final Jeopardy! category: FRENCH LITERATURE

Were it not for Mark, we’d have a compelling mind-games situation between Arthur and Rebecca.

Basic strategy – first vs. second

Arthur should wager 7,801 to cover Rebecca.

Rebecca can wager up to 2,800 to stay above Arthur if they’re both wrong. (2,799 is safer, just in case Arthur is still in wager-to-tie mode for some reason.)

Mark is still alive, but must get it right, so all-in is the correct play.

Basic strategy – second vs. third

Since we expect Mark to wager everything, Rebecca should wager 3,201 to cover Mark.

That wager would cause her to fall below Arthur if they both miss, so Rebecca should wager everything.

Pretty easy, unlike yesterday!

What actually happened

So Arthur moves on and we’ve got the battle hoped for by much of the Jeopardy! fan base. But remember: Jeopardy! is a three-player game.

Which of tomorrow’s semifinalists – Ben Ingram, Joshua Brakhage, Sandie Baker – will complete our trio? Click here for the preview.

The Final Jeopardy! clue

FRENCH LITERATURE

ITS FIRST CHAPTER RECALLS “THE LITTLE SCALLOP-SHELL OF PASTRY, SO RICHLY SENSUAL UNDER ITS SEVERE, RELIGIOUS FOLDS”