Daily analysis, Friday, May 30
Two serious-looking challengers tonight … both with a PhD. Will Julia finally suffer Weird Al’s fate?
I was tense! I was nervous! And, for the first time in recent memory, I had some work to do for tonight’s Final Wager.
Julia Collins: 11,600
Sami Siegelbaum: 8,100
Wendy Hardenberg: 9,000
The Final Jeopardy! category: 19th CENTURY POLITICS
All right, some more math than has been the norm as of late. But first, a note about that Burghers of Calais clue: thanks for the thoughtful birthday present, J! writers.
Let’s dig right in – although watching the video might be easier.
Basic strategy: first and second
Julia should wager 6,400 to take her destiny into her own hands.
Wendy can wager up to 3,800 to stay above Julia if they both miss. She should also wager at least 2,600 under Rule #3.
Sami can wager up to 2,900 for the same result.
Basic strategy: second and third
Wendy will need to wager at least 7,200 if she wants to take control of her own destiny against Sami. This puts her in a situation called Stratton’s Dilemma: does she cover Sami, or play defensively against Julia? If she chooses to go large, she might as well wager everything, since she’ll lose if she gets it wrong regardless.
Under Rule #3, Sami will need to wager at least 900 to cover a zero wager by Wendy, and at least 1,800 to cover an “unsafe” wager by her.
Mind games
Julia should just stick with 6,400; assuming one of your opponents will be sly is risky enough, so assuming both will be clever is just asking for trouble, in my opinion.
If Wendy thinks Sami will wager rationally (2,900), she could wager 2,000 to top him.
Sami might respond by capping his wager at 1,100. In that case, he should also wager at least 900 to cover a zero wager by Wendy.
In the end, Julia came through in the clutch. Sami went too large; it would have cost him the game had the clue been a triple-stumper.
The Final Jeopardy! clue for May 30, 2014 (19th CENTURY POLITICS):
A SENATE SEAT FROM THIS SOUTHERN STATE SAT VACANT FOR 4 YEARS; WHEN IT WAS FILLED, ITS EX-OCCUPANT HAD BECOME U.S. PRESIDENT
[spoiler]What is Tennessee?[/spoiler]
Since you mentioned May 30 is your birthday, here’s a bit of trivia for you: Before 1971, Memorial Day would’ve always come on your birthday (May 30 is the traditional date for the holiday, until Congress moved it along with some other federal holidays to always fall on a Monday to produce a long weekend). Since a link will flag this as spam I won’t post any links here, but you can search for “Uniform Monday Holiday Act” if you’re interested.
Keith, the siren in the background was interesting. I took off my headphones to see if it was in my neighborhood.