Monday, March 9, 2015

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I’m back in Vermont – and my car now has a snow-hawk.

It’s a better look than being almost completely covered, as it was a month ago. Instead, I’m driving my dad’s car around.

Tonight’s scores feel like those of last Monday.

Rachael Sims	Mike Ewing	Jen Jabaily Blackburn
9,800	14,400	11,200

Tonight’s Final Jeopardy! category is:

LITERARY CHARACTERS

I’ll have a video up after I’m done playing my mom in Scrabble… you know how it is.

First-order calculations

Second doubles up

If Jen doubles her score, she’ll have 22,400.

To cover this all-in wager, Mike will need to wager 8,000.

Rachael	Mike	Jen
9,800	14,400	11,200
	8,000	11,200
	22,400	22,400

An incorrect response with that wager will leave Mike with 6,400.

To stay above his total, Jen can wager up to 4,800.

Rachael can wager up to 3,400.

Rachael	Mike	Jen
9,800	14,400	11,200
3,400	8,000	4,800
6,400	6,400	6,400

Third doubles up

A successful doubling will put Rachael at 19,600.

To cover this, Jen should wager at least 8,400.

(Mike would need to wager at least 5,200, but this is somewhat questionable.)

Rachael	Mike	Jen
9,800	14,400	11,200
9,800	5,200	8,400
19,600	19,600	19,600

Jen, like so many others lately, is in Stratton’s Dilemma: does she cover Rachael, or stay above Mike?

Here’s where things stand after the first order:

Second-order calculations

Third’s max vs. first

Rachael	Mike	Jen
9,800	14,400	11,200
3,400		2,000
13,200		13,200

And if Jen misses on that second-order wager:

Rachael	Mike	Jen
9,800	14,400	11,200
600		2,000
9,200		9,200

Now let’s see where we stand:

Zero wagers

Then we add a dollar to the minimum wagers, and subtract a dollar from the maximum wagers.

What actually happened

Ay, yi, yi. A quick reminder:

The Final Jeopardy! clue

LITERARY CHARACTERS

THE FIRST STORY IN WHICH HE APPEARED BEGAN, “THE SCENT AND SMOKE AND SWEAT OF A CASINO ARE NAUSEATING AT 3 IN THE MORNING”

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