(Bloomberg) — “Jeopardy!” contestant James Holzhauer is closing in on a record $2.5 million haul set 15 years ago.
Holzhauer, a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas, topped $2 million in winnings on Friday’s episode of the quiz show, notching his 27th straight win. By contrast, it took record holder Ken Jennings 74 games to amass his fortune, according to the New York Times.
“Most people think I went to Princeton or something,” Holzhauer told the Times in April. “But I was never a diligent student.” He said he reads children’s books to gain knowledge.
Since Holzhauer started on “Jeopardy!” in early April, he surpassed $1 million in the shortest time ever and broke the show’s 2010 record for single-day cash winnings on April 9.
The prize money, $110,914, had the same digits as the birthday of his daughter, who was born on Nov. 9, 2014.
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