Final Jeopardy! wagering analysis:
Monday, April 18, 2016

This looks like it could be a fun way to kick off our Jeopardy! week. Was it?

Another good game tonight, and we’ve got some special scores heading into Final:

Tonight’s Final Jeopardy! category is:

First-order calculations

David has to get it right, so all in for him.

This is an evenly-spaced scores situation, so Sarah, in the middle, has a predicament on her hands: should she add the extra dollar (to lock out David if they both get it right) or withhold it (to stay above Andrew’s minimum if they both miss)?

Second-order calculations

Andrew has a similar decision. And, given Sarah might wager 4,001, he should cap his maximum alternative wager at 2,198.

What actually happened

Bad wagers from our two challengers. Sarah needed to wager at least 8,400 to cover that potential 2,198 / 2,199 wager from Andrew. But really, when ties are a possibility, you’re forced into a very specific range.

Andrew has now won 2 games and $65,202.

The Final Jeopardy! clue