The Final Wager – Wed 03 Dec 2014

At the midpoint to this Kids Week, what kind of game will we get out of our newest trio?

Tonight’s game featured a lot of misses, unfortunately; I feel bad for Gabby, who finished Double Jeopardy! in the red, and won’t be around for Final. More on that tomorrow, in the video.

Jake McCrory: 9,700
Gabby Fusco: -1,400
Grace Acton: 11,600

The Final Jeopardy! category: U.S. GEOGRAPHY

Having only two players makes the calculations very straightforward.

First-order calculations

To cover an all-in wager by Jake, Grace will need to wager 7,800. (Add a dollar to her actual range.)

An incorrect response with that wager will leave Grace with 3,800. To stay above that total, Jake can wager up to 5,900. (Subtract a dollar here.)

Second-order calculations

Let’s say Jake goes for that 5,900 amount. Grace could cover it with a wager of 4,000 (+1).

On the flip side, Jake can wager up to 2,100 (-1).

Zero wagers

Jake should wager at least 1,901 to cover a zero wager by Grace, and at least 3,801 to cover an “unsafe” wager. Pair those with the appropriate maximum wagers.

What actually happened

Not too bad a wager out of Grace, all told! The way things shook out, she’s winning in every situation except where she misses and Jake nails it. That’s the best possible scenario (assuming Jake wagers rationally).

The Final Jeopardy! clue

U.S. GEOGRAPHY

THIS CITY OF 650,000 PEOPLE IS THE MOST POPULOUS U.S. CITY NOT FOUND IN A U.S. STATE