Althouse: "So happy to see someone playing game theory correct on Jeopardy. Totally nerded out after you bet to tie."

January 31, 2014

"So happy to see someone playing game theory correct on Jeopardy. Totally nerded out after you bet to tie."

"You're awesome," said the tweet, which correctly discerned Arthur Chu's decision, which was based on the analysis of 2003 Jeopardy! College Champion Keith Williams, who made this YouTube video:

16 comments:

MayBee said...: The missing -ly in a nerded out comment is driving me crazy.; 1/31/14, 8:31 AM
rehajm said...: So happy to see someone playing game theory correct on Jeopardy.

Hello? You play to tie the game?; 1/31/14, 8:36 AM
TosaGuy said...: So by bringing back the next day a person you demolished you have reduced the unknowns in the next game by 50 percent.; 1/31/14, 8:53 AM
Stoutcat said...: Ah, TosaGuy, but you are also now bringing back another contestant who knows what's happening, whose level of experience of the game -- the buzzer, the lights, the game board, etc. -- is equal to yours. Suddenly, rather than playing against two newbies squinting and sweating in the spotlights, you've got a competitor with equal history beside you in that spotlight.

Believe me, that counts for a lot.; 1/31/14, 9:12 AM
TosaGuy said...: That is a good point, Stoutcat, but you also had a game to measure up that person. If you think you got lucky against them you bet an additional dollar and be rid of them. If you know they are not at your level, then bring them back.; 1/31/14, 9:16 AM
Stoutcat said...: That is also a good point, but each game is dramatically different. Yes, the other contestant may not be up to you today; today, these were your categories. No guarantee that tomorrow won't be her categories. I say vote 'em off the island whenever possible.; 1/31/14, 9:22 AM
Gary Kirk said...: Now I know why Wheel of Fortune is the game show for me.; 1/31/14, 9:44 AM
Andre said...: As someone who has played and won on Jeopardy, the thing you quickly figure out is that anyone good enough to get on is good enough to win. I wasn't in a position where victory was assured (so I played a different strategy), but if I had been I would've been basing win or tie on "How good was the other guy with the buzzer?" As has been said, if I think my opponent would be more formidable with different categories, I'm taking them out.; 1/31/14, 10:42 AM
Stoutcat said...: Andre, congrats on your win. I was on, and I lost in Final. I agree, of all the challenges of being on the show, the biggest is the buzzer.

And you're right. At one point I believe that stat was that if you're on the show, you're going to know about 90% of the correct answers. So, yes, if you're on, you're likely capable of winning. So you take the competition OUT whenever possible.; 1/31/14, 11:13 AM
Andre said...: Yeah, I can't think of a competitor who I was like "Yeah, I'd want to try my luck against them again." I was in second place going into Final Jeopardy. The thing is, for all the "it's still anyone's game" talk, if you're not in first place going into Final Jeopardy, you're only winning if the person in first gets it wrong. This means (and this is the counter-intuitive part) you should bet based on them being wrong. The first place person needs to bet to win (or tie), so you know what they are going to bet. My bet was enough to have more than them even if we were both wrong I'd have more money. I got the final right, but once the Champion got it wrong, I couldn't have possibly lost.; 1/31/14, 1:00 PM
FullMoon said...: Hey, Jeopardy guys, please explain how the prize money is paid out. I have been told contestants do not actually receive the amount shown on the board; 1/31/14, 1:05 PM
Andre said...: I received a check for the amount I won on the game I won + $1000 for the game I cam in third minus California state taxes. I received it roughly 120 days after my last appearance aired, which was roughly 120 days after I taped it. other than having to wait 8 months for money i knew was coming, I think I got exactly what you saw on TV; 1/31/14, 1:15 PM
FullMoon said...: Andre said...

I received a check for the amount I won on the game I won + $1000 for the game I cam in third minus California state taxes. I received it roughly 120 days after my last appearance aired, which was roughly 120 days after I taped it. other than having to wait 8 months for money i knew was coming, I think I got exactly what you saw on TV

So, you only get $1000.00 for 3rd place, not the amount on "the board". What does 2nd place get?; 1/31/14, 5:47 PM
Ambrose said...: You get to be on Jeopardy, if at all, once in your lifetime. I say bet it all in Final, just like Cliff did. I would not even write the number - "all of it, Alex". You lose, you lose - but if you win, you win big.; 1/31/14, 7:56 PM
Andre said...: $2000 for second. They don't hide this though. Check the scoreboards at the end of the game next time it's on; 1/31/14, 9:21 PM
FullMoon said...: Andre,
thanks; 2/1/14, 12:11 AM