SALT LAKE CITY — “Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer was told to smile in order to get on the quiz show.
Friends of Holzhauer told The New York Times that he reached out to an online poker forum for tips on how to grab a spot on the show.
“The No. 1 piece of advice he got was just, ‘Smile, look like you’re having a good time,’” Ben Yu, a longtime friend and fellow professional gambler, told The New York Times.
Yu said that he imagined Holzhauer thinking: “I am going to do whatever it takes. I am going to smile as forcefully as I can to make sure these producers put me on.”
Holzhauer told The New York Times that he often would skip class as well during high school. He was only a C student, even in math class.
“There were times in school where I would say, ‘I should go to class,’” Holzhauer said, according to The New York Times. “But I could make $100 playing online poker if I didn’t go.”
Holzhauer has had ongoing success on “Jeopardy!” this year, notching 21 straight victories. Only Ken Jennings sits ahead of him with 74 straight victories, which I wrote about for the Deseret News.
Fellow “Jeopardy!” contestants told Deadspin they don’t know how to handle him.
“I felt intimidated,” said Libby Wood, who lost in Holzhauer’s 19th victory. “I couldn’t imagine beating this guy who’d been steamrolling dozens of others before me.”