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Jeopardy! Masters star James Holzhauer is a professional sports gambler and a renowned personality on the ABC network. His net worth is estimated to be around $3 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
He is best known for becoming the highest-earning game show contestant after winning 32 consecutive rounds on Jeopardy! in 2019. Self-proclaimed "game show villain," James won approximately $2.4 million from the competition and became an overnight reality TV personality, often called "Jeopardy James."
After his initial stint on the contest, he continued participating and eventually secured over $3.4 million in winnings. However, he chose not to participate in Jeopardy! Masters season 3, which premiered on April 30, 2025, and recommended his long-time rival, Brad Rutter, to take his place.
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Jeopardy! Masters alum is a professional sports gambler
James was born in Illinois on August 6, 1984, to a German immigrant and chemical engineer, Juergen Holzhauer. According to The New York Post, he attended Naperville North High School, a Chicago-based public institution. James skipped classes and focused on learning about sports statistics. It was then that he developed an interest in studying statistics, which in the future would make him a gambler.
He soon became a member of The Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Team, a program offering STEM classes to pre-college students. He managed to clinch first and second places in physics and maths, respectively.
At this stage in his life, he was also part of a card club, whose members practiced card games and poker gambling. The Jeopardy! Masters star holds a Bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; however, within three years of graduating (2008), he relocated to Las Vegas to become a professional sports gambler.
In 2014, James participated in a game show called The Chase, where he broke all records for the number of correct answers given. However, he faced an upset in 500 Questions, another game show he participated in 2015.
In 2019, the Jeopardy! Masters alum took part in the World Series of Poker tournaments in Nevada, finishing in 454th place out of 1,800 contestants.
James' career took off when he appeared on Jeopardy! in April 2019. He won $43,680 on his first attempt, which was the largest single-game amount won on the game show. He then outperformed himself by winning $131,127 on April 17. James continued his winning streak, earning over $100,000 during a single episode on six occasions.
The Jeopardy! Masters contestant's long stretch of victories ultimately ended on June 3, 2019, when he was defeated by Emma Boettcher.
James enjoyed watching the ABC show as a child with his Japanese grandmother and even promised her that he would participate someday. During the April 17 episode, he wrote, "This is for you, granny," on the final answer board, honoring his late grandmother.
James' streak on the game lasted 33 episodes, earning him $2,464,216. Jeopardy! Masters season 3 host Ken Jennings is the only other contestant with more winnings than James. He won $2,520,700 in 2004.
James' earnings increased after he won the $250,000 prize from the Tournament of Champions, another $250,000 from Greatest of All Time Tournament, and the $500,000 winner's prize in the Masters Tournament. Consequently, his prize earnings amounted to $3,464,216.
James is also known for his philanthropic ventures. As reported by Fox5Vegas, in May 2019, he donated $10,000 to Project 150, a non-profit Las Vegas organization which supported homeless and displaced high school students.
The same year, he donated another $1,109.14, the same number as the birthdate of his daughter, Natasha, to the Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Reach Walk as a tribute to the late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.
On the personal front, the ABC show alum is married to Melissa Sassin, who won $28,800 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2014.
Jeopardy! Masters can be streamed on Hulu.
