Daily analysis, Wednesday, July 16

TONIGHT! Will we get that tie we’ve been waiting for?

Nahhhhhhh.

Ed Patterson: 5,800
Jerome Azbell: 12,800
Molly Dobbins: 5,400

The Final Jeopardy! category: 20 YEARS AGO IN ENTERTAINMENT

Pretty straightforward tonight.

Basic strategy – first vs. second

Jerome can wager up to 1,200 to maintain his return ticket.

Now things get somewhat interesting.

Basic strategy – second vs. third

Ed should wager 5,000 to cover Molly. (Remember, he’ll take the extra $1,000 prize if they tie.)

Molly should wager no more than 4,599.

Basic strategy – Rule #3

Molly should wager at least 801 to cover an “unsafe” wager by Ed.

Mind games

Ed could wager 4,200 to cover that smaller wager out of Molly.

Molly should respond by capping hers at 3,799.

And so on and so on, down into the rabbit-hole, should either player so desire.

What actually happened

The Final Jeopardy! clue for July 16, 2014 (20 YEARS AGO IN ENTERTAINMENT):

IN 1994 THIS COMEDIAN STARRED IN A NO. 1 SITCOM, THE NO. 1 CHRISTMAS MOVIE & HAD A NO. 1 NON-FICTION BESTSELLER

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