James vs. Emma Part II: The Jeopardy! Rematch of the Century

James Emma Jeopardy!

It’s the Jeopardy! matchup we’ve all been hoping for.

What is James Holzhauer versus Emma Boettcher in The Jeopardy! Rematch of the Century?

Both contestants advanced to the final round of the trivia show’s Tournament of Champions, and we’ll find out at week’s end whether Jeopardy James gets his revenge or if Emma the Giant Killer crushes his dreams once again.

Las Vegas sports bettor James Holzhauer took the country by storm in the Spring when his unique risk versus reward gambling strategy on Jeopardy! gained national attention.

The combination of starting at the bottom of the board—which has more difficult questions for higher payouts—then going all-in after eventually finding a Daily Double was something no one, not even long-time show host Alex Trebek, had ever seen before.

And Holzhauer wasn’t just winning; he was dominating like no one had done before him, shattering all-time single-show records while showing no signs of slowing down.

To put in perspective just how dominant Holzhauer was: $77,000 was the previous all-time record for Jeopardy! single-show winnings. He crushed that record with his $110,914 in just his 4th consecutive win and then would eventually surpass that record with a $131,127 performance—nearly twice as much as any contestant had ever won in one airing.

As Holzhauer kept winning, the possibility of breaking two all-time records set by legendary Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings back in 2004—the $2,520,700 total amount won and the 74-game winning streak—suddenly seemed within reach.

But then Chicago librarian Emma Boettcher came onto the show.

Boettcher shattered Holzhauer’s hopes at Jeopardy! immortality when the show aired in June, ending his 32-game winning streak that had accumulated $2,464,216 over the course of 33 games.

Holzhauer had also trained himself to be quick on the buzzer, but during the matchup against who Trebek would later name “The Giant Killer,” Boettcher beat the bettor on the buzzer throughout their first meeting.

“I was a little shook during Double Jeopardy,” Holzhauer told ESPN after the loss. “I was playing from behind and constantly getting beaten on the buzzer by Emma.”

She would go on to win three more games before falling in the fourth. However, she would qualify for the Tournament of Champions—setting up a potential rematch in what some are now calling “The Super Bowl of Trivia.”

Gambler James certainly doesn’t see the big deal, but Jeopardy James knows that the stakes this time around couldn’t be higher.

It’s important to remember that there is a wild card to all of the hype surrounding the rematch: High school physics teacher Francois Barcomb, who’s only the second winner of the Teachers Tournament to make it to the final round of the Tournament of Champions.

And as Holzhauer points out, both he and Boettcher have lost a game of Jeopardy! before while Barcomb has not.

A grand prize of $250,000 is at stake, and

The two-part finale airs Thursday and Friday in either the afternoon or evening depending on where you live, and with a grand prize of $250,000 up for grabs, all bets are off on who will come out on top.

And while the online sportsbooks do not have any betting lines posted for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions final round, we’ll attempt to fill the role of the oddsmakers for the historic event.

We predict that Holzhauer would be a heavy favorite heading into the matchup due to his past success and because the finale is split into two parts, meaning he can take even more risks from more opportunities.

Because Boettcher pulled off the upset, we’ll list her next and then Barcomb as a bit of a longshot since he’s the relative unknown variable that may have the most value if it was a real prop bet.

Best of luck to the three finalists, and may the odds be in your favor.

P.S. On behalf of all the sports bettors out there: Don’t screw this up, James!

2019 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions Odds

  • James Holzhauer -300 (70%)
  • Emma Boettcher +400 (19%)
  • Francois Barcomb +700 (11%)
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Jacob Jennings
Jacob has been writing ever since he was a wee lad, but he “officially” became a “professional writer” in 2013 after he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) College of Journalism and Communications. At UF CJC Weimer Hall, he learned from some of the world’s top professors — including Pulitzer Prize winners and jurors — in journalism, public relations, marketing, and multimedia. Alongside his passion for writing, Jacob has in-depth knowledge and understanding of all sports and esports and would wager that few know more than him, especially when it comes to his two favorites: NFL and college football. And because sports and betting go together like peanut butter and jelly, he chose to bake (and make) some bread by joining the team at SportsBetting.Legal in 2018. Today, you’ll catch Jacob betting, watching, and writing regularly on sports happening all around the world in addition to covering the legislation that’s currently in the works across the United States. When he isn’t working or watching his favorite sports teams disappoint him by not winning it all every year, you’ll most likely find him immersed in any number of video games, such as Borderlands, Dark Souls, The Witcher, or pretty much any competitive multiplayer game not named Fortnite.
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