Delaware man’s single-day 'Jeopardy!' record shattered

A Delaware man's single-day "Jeopardy!" record was shattered Tuesday night, putting an end to his nine-year reign as the person to win the most cash during one day of filming. 

James Holzhauer, a 34-year-old professional sports gambler from Las Vegas, won the gameshow Tuesday with a total of $110,914. 

Roger Craig from Newark had set the previous record of $77,000 on Sept. 19, 2010.

“I said all along that I wanted to break Roger Craig’s one-game record and I did it,” said Holzhauer, whose daughter was born November 9, 2014 (11-09-14), giving the win special significance. 

On Twitter, Craig said he was "stanning" Holzhauer, which means he's a big fan of the man who ultimately dethroned him.  

"I wasn't upset at all," Craig said Wednesday. "Records are meant to be broken. It was great to watch James plow through the questions and make those huge bets. His $14,600 'True Daily Double' bet in American History was a super gutsy move and it paid off for him big time." 

Craig was a graduate student studying computer sciences at the University of Delaware when he set the 2010 record, unseating the previous record holder, Ken Jennings.  

“Breaking Ken Jenning's record is simply amazing," he told reporters at the time. "I knew that I had a chance to set the new record going into Final Jeopardy so I thought, 'What the heck, I'll go for it." 

He continued his winning streak on the following day's "Jeopardy!" adding another $24,401 to his total.

Craig's success came after wagering big on the Daily Doubles.

"I lucked out on my first game with a chemistry Daily Double," he told the university's news service, UDaily. "My undergrad degree is in biochem."

He then bet $30,000 in final jeopardy and won big. 

The clue was: "The inspiration for this title object in a novel and a 1957 movie actually spanned the Mae Khlung River."

He correctly replied, "What is 'The Bridge on the River Kwai?'"

Craig, who is now a data scientist and consultant, has appeared on Jeopardy! several times since 2010. 

In 2011, he won $250,000 in the prestigious Tournament of Champions. That season, he won six times total, winning more than $230,200, according to J! Archive. 

Craig appeared again on Jeopardy again about a month ago, according to his LinkedIn page. He competed in the Tournament of Champions as part of a team of Jeopardy record-setters. Craig's group did not win. 

His predecessor is also an accomplished Jeopardy! player. 

Tuesday's win was the fourth in a row for Holzhauer, whose winnings total $244,365.

He will face two new challengers Wednesday when he will attempt to win his fifth consecutive game.

"I actually met him years ago at a quiz competition and he was super knowledgeable then, so I'm sure he's only improved since then," Craig said. "I'm not surprised at all at how he's doing on Jeopardy!" 

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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.