Wednesday 1st May 2019....rabbits...rabbits...rabbits!!!

Well April sure went by in a flash...rabbits...rabbits....rabbits!!!

Today is the start of our babysitting with both Emily and Ryan going to work......so we were up quite early and Ryan did not take Jonah to day school today so after his breakfast I drove home there and Gracie stayed home with little Izzie.......

When I came back Izzie was in her swing chair smiling and happy...we both realize that each Wednesday Thursday and Friday for the next three weeks will be dominant by watching the children.....

The day went well I was able to help a little with Izzie whilst Gracie practiced her piano and around noon I went out for a 90 minute walk..I take a different route each day..when I came back the next door neighbour was out in his yard and we chatted and I told him I was a hiker...later in the Afternoon he came over with a map and showed me his favourite hike to a lake about 35 minute drive away so I shall look forward to hiking there next Monday.

We knew when we came we would be busy but we also knew we would take the weekends and go off...so on Saturday morning we are driving up to Fairfield Connecticut to see one of Gracies best friends who unfortunately has been very sick for the last year but is now on the mend and we will spend the weekend with her and come back Sunday evening!!

At 3 pm I watched another fantastic live soccer game from Spain and then around 4.15pm went to get Jonah..we went back to the same park as yesterday but went to a different ice cream shop before getting home around 6pm.

Emily came home shortly after and she enjoyed her day back at work but obviously missed her baby!!!

Are you watching this amazing man on Jeopardy???

Someone told us about him and we have watched all last week.....cannot believe that someone can know so much about every Subject!!

A Former Jeopardy Champion Scrutinizes James Holzhauer’s Strategy

“I think he has a good shot at beating Ken Jennings’s overall earnings, but I don’t see him winning anywhere near the 74 consecutive games Jennings won.”

James Holzhauer Explains the Strategy Behind His Jeopardy Winning Streak

The Jeopardy contestant James Holzhauer has now won 18 consecutive games and earned more than $1.3 million—and he’s outperforming the 2004 Jeopardy legend Ken Jennings in providing correct responses. Last week, Joe Pinsker wrote that three things give the seemingly unstoppable contestant an advantage: a deep knowledge of trivia, the speed of his recall, and a mind for strategy.

As a former five-time Jeopardy champ in Season 1, I am very surprised that no one has adopted Holzhauer’s “maximize your winnings per show” strategy until now. I think a lot of future contestants will probably do so.

Two factors affect your winnings on Jeopardy: your winnings per show, and how many shows you win. If you try to maximize one, you will lower the other. This is because winnings per show is primarily dependent on a Daily Double strategy. If you are the best of the three players, betting big will increase your expected winnings for the episode, because you’ll generally get the answers right; however, it will decrease your chance of winning that game—and allowing you to play more games—because betting big and missing will work in favor of your opponents. If you bet small, you’ll increase your chance of winning the game, but decrease your expected winnings.

When I competed on the show—and for many, many years after—there was an upper limit of five games and/or $75,000 in winnings. The values on the board were half of what they are now. As a result, the best strategy for the superior player—especially if you had a decent lead at the time you hit the Daily Double—was to bet small and maximize the chance to win each game. That’s what I did, and I had five solid wins and  earned almost $55,000 (which would be at least $120,000 today). Betting big would have only increased my winnings somewhat, and I would have had to risk losing a game, which was not worth it.

That’s what just about everyone did for years thereafter, including Ken Jennings in his 74-game streak. But since Jeopardy eliminated the upper limit on winnings and the five-game rule, my strategy may not work anymore. It seems like betting big on Daily Doubles—especially if you like the category—and risking a loss is what will maximize your expected winnings. You’ll likely have a shorter run, but you’ll win a lot more money per show.

Maybe it took a game-theory guy like Holzhauer to figure that out. With this strategy, I think he has a good shot at beating Jennings’s overall earnings, but I don’t see him winning anywhere near the 74 consecutive games Jennings won.

It sure makes Jeopardy more exciting, though. After about 12 or 13 years of never watching the game I appeared on three different times—first a run of five wins, then a Tournament of Champions, and finally the Ultimate Tournament of Champions—I’m watching again.

Ashley is still doing so well in tennis and school....

Have a great evening..I think there is a hockey game in my future after everyone has gone to bed!!!

Yashi Kochi!!