Daily analysis, October 21 – praying for a second miracle

Will our players start the week off on a good note?

After pulling off a miracle on Friday’s show, Nolan returns for his first game as champion. He’s trailing once again heading into Final.

Nolan Martch: 7,800
Sharon Warner: 1,000
Bill Tolany: 10,600

Barring an even worse debacle, Sharon is out of contention. Bill should wager 5,000 and Nolan should wager at most 2,200.

But this is a situation where “mind games” might come into play. If Bill thinks Nolan is going to wager small, he might stand pat. Nolan is justified in wagering larger if he’s afraid of Bill doing this.

How large? The most Bill can wager without falling below Nolan is 2,800. If Bill answered correctly, he’d have a lead of 5,600. In such a case, Nolan should wager at least 5,600 (and no more than 5,800, so as not to fall below Sharon’s doubled total); that’s precisely what he did.

The Final Jeopardy! clue for October 21, 2013:

AFI’S 100 FUNNIEST FILMS
THESE 2 FILMS WERE NO. 1 & NO. 2 ON THE AFI’S LIST OF FUNNIEST AMERICAN FILMS; BOTH INVOLVE CROSS-DRESSING

Correct response: What are Some Like It Hot and Tootsie?