Daily analysis, Tuesday, July 22 – Teen Tournament QF #2

2014 Teen Tournament
Overview			Teens in the TOC				Joe Taglic interview
Quarterfinals					Semifinals			Finals
1	2	3	4	5	1	2	3	1	2

Night two of the Teen Tournament – which will bring, I hope, a measure of reasonableness back to Twitter.

Three very likable contestants in a wide-open game. I was particularly pleased with Jeff’s Daily Double with one clue remaining in the DJ! round, which put him at over double Erin’s total.

I strongly recommend Erin’s reflections on appearing on the show while suffering from anxiety. It’s beautifully written.

Erin Christopher: 9,400
Selena Groh: 14,000
Jeff Xie: 19,000

The Final Jeopardy! category: WORLD LANDMARKS

Let’s work our way through the “normal” wagers.

Basic strategy – first vs. second

Jeff should wager 9,001 to lock out Selena.

To stay above him, Selena should wager no more than 4,000, and Erin will have to get it right with a wager of at least 600.

Basic strategy – second vs. third

Selena should wager 4,801 to cover Erin.

Erin should cap her wager at 200 to account for this.

Jeff can wager at most 199 to guarantee second place and a strong wild-card score.

Mind games

Selena might consider 5,200 in case Jeff goes for that 199 wager and answers correctly.

The rest is really just a crap shoot. If he likes the category, Jeff might wager something like 2,000 to maintain a strong hold on his slot.

What actually happened

Good wagering all around, particularly in hindsight. And that 20,000 amount makes its first appearance.

The Final Jeopardy! clue for July 22, 2014 (WORLD LANDMARKS):

BUILT FOR A WORLD’S FAIR IN 1889, ITS VISITORS THAT YEAR INCLUDED THE PRINCE OF WALES & BUFFALO BILL; IT STILL GETS 7 MILLION A YEAR

[spoiler]What is the Eiffel Tower?[/spoiler]