Battle of the Decades preview: 1980s, game 5

Battle of the Decades – preliminary round
1980s					1990s					2000s
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
knockout rounds

We’ve had some nostalgic moments this week, surely – but tonight, we wrap up our trip to the show’s first decade with a fierce battle between three solid champions.

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Tom Cubbage was an inspiration of mine: the first College Champion (1989, Southern Methodist University), he went on to win his TOC. The footsteps were too big for me, it seems.

Tom acquitted himself well in both subsequent tournaments, trailing by 600 heading into Final both times, the latter against Bob Harris. He could be a force.

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Speaking of forces, Jerome Vered took third in the UTOC, claiming a $250,000 paycheck. His one-day record – $34,000, pre-doubled values – stood for 12 years until Ken Jennings took home $75,000 on the final day of Season 20.

In the UTOC, he squared off against seven BotD competitors: Jim Scott, Dan Melia, Michael Daunt, Frank Spangenberg, Pam Mueller, Brad Rutter, and Ken Jennings. He finished third to Leszek Pawlowicz in the 1992 Tournament of Champions.

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Bob Verini completes the Game of Death, with first in the 1987 TOC, second in Super Jeopardy!, and third in the Million Dollar Masters. He was overpowered in the UTOC (he received a bye to the second round) and will probably need to hit some big Daily Doubles to have a shot here.

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Prediction: Any of these three is a good pick, but my money’s on Jerome for his breadth of knowledge. I might be biased because I have personal experience with it. Surely this will be an exciting game to watch!

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Tom Cubbage

TOC semifinal (11/13/89)

Tom	Peggi	Cygus
9,300	5,900	1,400

Proper wager: 2,501
Actual wager: 2,501
Verdict: bingo.

Super Jeopardy! quarterfinal (07/28/90)

Roger	Tom	Leah	Lionel
13,200	12,600	10,300	-500

Proper wager: 8,001
Actual wager: 8,001
Verdict: and again.

UTOC Round 1 (02/15/05)

Bob H*	Tom	Frank
12,200	11,600	7,600

Proper wager: 3,601 – 3,999
Actual wager: 3,601
Verdict: color me impressed.

Jerome Vered

Jerome had locks in his first, fourth, and fifth games; and in his third-round UTOC match over fellow BotDers Michael Daunt and Dan Melia.

Game 2 (05/19/92)

Jerome	Susan	Dennis
11,900	8,200	4,300

Proper wager: 4,500
Alternate wager: 0 – 2,900 (Susan might wager between 400 – 800)
Actual wager: 4,501
Verdict: Jerome doesn’t like my insistence on wagering to tie, so this is a good-natured ribbing.

Game 3 (05/20/92)

Jerome	Jeff	Mike
10,000	5,400	1,900

Proper wager: 800 (but no more than 4,600)
Actual wager: 3,000
Verdict: trying to pad the bank account.

TOC semifinal (11/17/92)

Jerome	Robert	Leonard
13,200	8,500	3,500

Proper wager: 3,801
Actual wager: 3,801
Verdict: an easy one.

UTOC Round 1 (02/28/05)

Jerome	Michelle	Jim*
21,500	13,800	7,200

Proper wager: 6,101 (but no more than 7,099)
Actual wager: 6,101
Verdict: Jerome is nothing if not consistent.

UTOC Round 2 (04/21/05)

Jerome	Leah	Sean
21,000	14,500	9,000

Proper wager: 7,501
Actual wager: 9,000
Verdict: risking some downside, but there is no rational wager from the others that will hurt him here.

Bob Verini

Bob had locks in his fifth game; his TOC semifinal; and his Super Jeopardy! quarterfinal.

Game 3 (06/22/87)

Bob V	Al	Emalie
11,000	5,600	2,800

Proper wager: 200 (but no more than 5,400)
Actual wager: 201
Verdict: cue argument over bringing back a “weak” opponent.

Game 4 (06/23/87)

Bob V	Linda	J.J.
5,800	4,600	2,500

Proper wager: 3,400
Actual wager: 3,401
Verdict: solid.

Super Jeopardy! semifinal (07/07/90)

Bob V	Eugene	Eric
24,800	16,100	10,400

Proper wager: 7,401
Actual wager: 7,401
Verdict: Bob, too, is consistent.

Super Jeopardy! final (09/08/90)

Bruce	Bob V	Dave
28,200	16,900	-2,800

Proper wager: 16,900
Actual wager: 16,900
Verdict: why not?

Million Dollar Masters semifinal (05/10/02)

Bob V	Chuck*	Claudia*
12,400	10,600	9,400

Proper wager: 8,801
Actual wager: 8,801
Verdict: see you in the finals.

UTOC Round 2 (05/03/05)

John	Tad	Bob V
14,500	14,400	3,000

Proper wager: 0 – 2,799
Actual wager: 0
Verdict: tough game, but good Final Wager.