My parents read me some typical children's books: 'Green Eggs and Ham,' 'The Little Engine That Could,' 'Peter Rabbit.' But I quickly developed a preference for nonfiction books about baseball and math, by the likes of Bill James and Martin Gardner.

James Holzhauer

As a sports fan, I like the one-and-done playoff setups of the NFL and NCAA, but a best-of-seven gives the favorite a much better chance of prevailing in the end.

James Holzhauer

I know life goes on if you make a big bet and you lose. But if you don't give yourself the best chance of winning, you're going to kick yourself tomorrow.

James Holzhauer

It's one thing to skip class to play poker, but if I'm learning how to think in the real world playing poker, then maybe that's more valuable than a college education could've been.

James Holzhauer

I kind of didn't look at anyone else's strategy for 'Jeopardy!' I thought, I'm going to build this from the ground up... If I had never seen a 'Jeopardy!' game played before, what would I have to do to play it to maximize my winnings, maximize my chances of winning?

James Holzhauer

As a gambler, I hold myself to an especially high standard of honor, and it disgusts me when people try to cheat at games.

James Holzhauer

When I was a kid, I would turn on the television as soon as I got home from school.

James Holzhauer

Parenting is much more nerve-wracking than 'Jeopardy!'

James Holzhauer

I wouldn't recommend sports betting as a career. It requires a ton of effort and mastery of many different skills, and successful bettors are unwilling to teach you because you would be their competition.

James Holzhauer

Lots of people recognize me now.

James Holzhauer

Like Dave Mustaine, I ain't superstitious.

James Holzhauer

When I watched 'Jeopardy!' as a kid, I would primarily watch with my grandmother. She was the most beautiful person the world has ever seen. Her first language wasn't English, so she couldn't follow along well, but she wanted to share this experience with me since she saw it was something I really liked.

James Holzhauer

It definitely helps that I can bet big with ice water in my veins.

James Holzhauer

I've got a family and job that I really love with super flexibility.

James Holzhauer

My source of income is sports betting. I have some investments also.

James Holzhauer

I went to Illinois. Most people think I went to Princeton or something. But I was never a diligent student.

James Holzhauer

I think the best way to quickly describe my personality is that I'm a maximizer rather than a satisficer, i.e. I want to squeeze every drop out of an opportunity rather than settle for 'good enough.'

James Holzhauer

I'm a pro sports gambler. You have winning days and you have losing days. But you know if you've got the right strategy, you're going to get it in the end.

James Holzhauer

I have no special knowledge of markets, so I invest solely in low-expense index funds, plus some cryptocurrencies.

James Holzhauer

There are times when you'll only have one or two seconds to decide if you're going to bet on something and you need to be decisive. You need to do math quickly in your head.

James Holzhauer

Baseball was my goal from a young age, but gambling had significantly fewer barriers to entry.

James Holzhauer