Want to be a ‘Jeopardy!’ champ like James Holzhauer? You can train for it like he did, but the right type of brain helps, too

This file image made from video and provided by Jeopardy Productions Inc. shows "Jeopardy!" contestant James Holzhauer on an episode that aired April 17. (AP) James Holzhauer will have the “Jeopardy!” buzzer back in his hand Monday as he tries to break more records now that the two-week long Teachers Tournament has wrapped up. The 34-year-old Naperville native so far has won $1,691,008 in the 22 games he’s played this season. That’s more than twice the $737,760 “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings earned in his first 22 games on his way to winning $2,520,700 over 74 games. No compatible source was found for this media. Those who have aspirations of competing on “Jeopardy!” and achieving similar results to Holzhauer are going to need more than knowledge to contend successfully. Clinical psychologist Dr. Randy Summerville said understanding why people like Holzhauer perform so well on a game show like “Jeopardy!” is very complex. Individuals who excel on quiz shows tend to be people with well-developed linear knowledge, which often makes them good at math, Summerville said. Holzhauer was a mathematics prodigy who could calculate multiple digits in his head as a preschooler at the Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove. What people often refer to as a photographic memory also helps. “They are good at taking information in and good at taking information out,” said Summerville, a clinical director of ARCC Neuropsychology and affiliated with Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville. While linear thinkers have is the aptitude to recall, he said, they are typically averse to risk. That is not the case with Holzhauer, who is a professional sports gambler living in Las Vegas. That gives him an advantage over the challengers. The definition of risk, however, is relative, Summerville said. Someone who is wealthy is more likely to wager […]

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