Daily analysis, Friday, April 25

Thanks to all of you who told me I should be drunk to watch this game. I obliged.

I’m going to go right into The Penultimate Wager, because that was downright offensive to everything for which I stand.

The Penultimate Wager

Julia Collins: 20,600
Aimee Seligstein: 16,800 (Daily Double)
Hilary Gaughen: 3,000

Aimee has two goals here: take the lead if right, enter a wager-to-tie situation if wrong. Without even straining my brain, there’s an obvious wager here: 6,500. She wagered 2,000, preferring to languish with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Or, perhaps, in this case, who know only defeat.

The Final Wager

Julia Collins: 20,600
Aimee Seligstein: 14,800
Hilary Gaughen: 3,000

The Final Jeopardy! category: COMPUTERS

Here’s what each player should do.

Basic strategy

Julia should wager 9,000 to cover Aimee.

Aimee should wager no more than 3,200 to stay above Julia if they both miss.

Hilary is out of it, as she can have at most 6,000 if she’s right. She might as well keep a few dollars around in case Aimee goes for broke.

Mind games

Aimee can’t cover Julia’s zero wager, so Julia might wager up to 2,600 to stay above a “small” wager by Aimee.

Aimee, in response, could at least 8,400 (but preferably everything) to cover this possibility.

I almost had a Jeopardy! crush on Aimee, but it fell hard after that Daily Double. She didn’t deserve to win this one.

The Final Jeopardy! clue for April 25, 2014 (COMPUTERS):

THE CREATOR OF THIS COMPUTER COMMAND CALLED IT “A 5-MINUTE JOB”; IN 2013 BILL GATES CALLED IT “A MISTAKE”

Correct response: What is Ctrl + Alt + Delete?