Jeopardy! Sensation Arthur Chu Mentions Poker In Discussing His Controversial ApproachThe 30-Year-Old Has Already Won Over $100,000 Using A Game-Theory Informed Strategy |
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In late January 30-year-old insurance compliance worker and voice actor Arthur Chu won $102,800 in four appearances on the popular CBS game show Jeopardy! The game has produced a number of notable champions, but Chu in particular has drawn attention for his unconventional play, actively and openly searching out the Daily Double and in the process shirking the typical approach of starting a new category at $100 and then working your way down.
While fans of the show have taken his approach as an affront to the game, many have praised his play and it’s apparent foundations in an understanding of game theory concepts.
Chu recently gave an interview to the A.V. Club, a popular entertainment site, in which he discussed his experience on the show and his strategy. During the discussion he described how he tailored his play based on the payout structure, and in doing so brought up poker.
“AVC: Can you talk a little bit about the payout structure? A lot of people think that if the winner has $19,001 and the second place person has $18,999, that person still goes home with $18,999.
AC: "That was how it worked way, way back on the original version of Jeopardy!, the Art Fleming version. That was one of the big controversial changes that Merv Griffin made when he went into syndication with Alex Trebek, and it’s pretty clear why. Everybody kept their money. It was like a cash game in poker. Once you’ve gotten enough money, why risk more money? Why make a big bet? If I know I’ve got $18,000 in the bank and someone’s like, “Hey, want to bet $8,000 that you know the answer to this question?” No. Why would I do that? Am I a gambling addict? Am I stupid?
“In order to encourage big bets, Jeopardy! is winner-take-all. Only the person in first place keeps their total at the end of the game. Everyone else gets the consolation prize. If you have $20,000 and someone else has $20,001, you get second prize, which is $2,000. If you are in third place and the two other players have $5 more than you, no matter how much money you have, you take home $1,000. There’s a very powerful incentive to be aggressive. You really do need to make sure you win the game. The most important thing isn’t the absolute number of dollars you have on the board. It’s how strongly you’re beating the other players. How far ahead are you? What’s the spread?”
Chu will return as the defending champion tonight (Feb.24th) at 6:30 on CBS after a brief hiatus for the Jeopardy! “Battle of the Decades” tournament.
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