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3rd Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament – Quarter-Final Preview

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Current Champion

Matthew Riggle, career statistics:
47 correct, 6 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
41.23% in first on buzzer (47/114)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $7,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $21,300

To win:
3 games: 68.027%
4: 46.277%
5: 31.481%
6: 21.415%
7: 14.568%
Avg. streak: 4.128 games.
(Next game: September 14)
(Click Here for Methodology)

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August 17: S42 E101 (January 26, 2026)
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All Time Winnings

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular Play Only:

1. Ken Jennings $2,520,700
2. James Holzhauer $2,462,216
3. Matt Amodio $1,518,601
4. Amy Schneider $1,382,800
5. Jamie Ding $882,605
6. Cris Pannullo $748,286
7. Mattea Roach $560,983
8. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
9. Scott Riccardi $455,000
10. David Madden $430,400
11. Julia Collins $428,100
12. Matt Jackson $411,612
13. Austin Rogers $411,000
14. Ray Lalonde $386,400
15. Harrison Whitaker $373,999
16. Adriana Harmeyer $349,600
17. Caleb Groen $346,968
18. Adam Remsen $306,415
19. Ryan Long $299,400
20. Arthur Chu $297,200

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):

1. Brad Rutter $4,968,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,614,216
4. Matt Amodio $1,964,601
5. Amy Schneider $1,864,800
6. Yogesh Raut $1,098,403
7. Mattea Roach $897,983
8. Jamie Ding $885,605
9. David Madden $785,733
10. Victoria Groce $773,801
11. Cris Pannullo $754,286
12. Roger Craig $706,200
13. Larissa Kelly $671,930
14. Matt Jackson $623,612
15. Jason Zuffranieri $549,496
16. Andrew He $534,365
17. Scott Riccardi $533,000
18. Jerome Vered $499,102
19. Julia Collins $495,767
20. Austin Rogers $493,000
21. Ben Ingram $449,201
22. Paolo Pasco $448,717
23. Adriana Harmeyer $446,600
24. Buzzy Cohen $441,603
25. Juveria Zaheer $441,000

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Now that the Tournament of Champions is over, we move on to our last tournament of the 2026 postseason, the annual Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.

Unlike past seasons, though, this is a slightly abbreviated event, with only 18 players (which means we do get back to regular play sooner, for those who like such things.)

There also appears to be a good methodology to these matchups—the show appears to have seeded 6 players (5 players returning from Masters and a ToC winner), as well as making sure one woman is in each quarterfinal as well. I would have used the exact same methodology had I been putting these pairings together myself. In fact, I’ll be referring to those six players as seeded in this preview.

As always, my predictions have been informed by the Unified Prediction Model being run 100,000 times with this field & pairings.

Thursday, February 5, 2026:

Matt Amodio
New York, New York

Matt Amodio on Jeopardy!


1791 correct, 216 incorrect
78/93 on rebound attempts (on 222 rebound opportunities)
44.76% in first on buzzer (1727/3858)
101/119 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $388,200)
47/67 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,915

45.815% to win quarterfinal
58.928% to advance to semifinal
25.462% to advance to final
11.921% to win tournament

Drew Basile
Birmingham, Michigan

Drew Basile on Jeopardy!


213 correct, 47 incorrect
11/17 on rebound attempts (on 51 rebound opportunities)
37.83% in first on buzzer (216/571)
11/17 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $36,400)
5/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,280

28.137% to win quarterfinal
46.662% to advance to semifinal
14.650% to advance to final
4.274% to win tournament

Karen Farrell
Chesapeake, Virginia

Karen Farrell on Jeopardy!


243 correct, 26 incorrect
15/20 on rebound attempts (on 52 rebound opportunities)
37.88% in first on buzzer (225/594)
8/13 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,900)
9/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,491

26.048% to win quarterfinal
49.268% to advance to semifinal
14.634% to advance to final
3.841% to win tournament

Overall Thoughts: The tournament looks to get started with one of the stronger matches, with the seeded Amodio Rodeo returning to face off against Drew Basile and Karen Farrell. I’m sure we won’t see any words from Drew whatsoever about this draw, while I think Karen has traditionally been underrated by many fans. I think Matt will advance, but both Drew and Karen will make his life difficult along the way.

Friday, February 6, 2026:

Eric Ahasic
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Eric Ahasic on Jeopardy!


210 correct, 25 incorrect
17/20 on rebound attempts (on 44 rebound opportunities)
36.84% in first on buzzer (189/513)
15/17 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $65,000)
3/9 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,022

34.005% to win quarterfinal
53.138% to advance to semifinal
19.860% to advance to final
7.413% to win tournament

Roger Craig
Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Roger Craig on Jeopardy!


588 correct, 120 incorrect
33/42 on rebound attempts (on 98 rebound opportunities)
40.50% in first on buzzer (601/1484)
35/41 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $155,400)
14/24 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,436

40.017% to win quarterfinal
55.262% to advance to semifinal
22.666% to advance to final
9.897% to win tournament

Veronica Vichit-Vadakan
Portland, Oregon

Veronica Vichit-Vadakan on Jeopardy!


162 correct, 18 incorrect
10/14 on rebound attempts (on 42 rebound opportunities)
29.76% in first on buzzer (150/504)
5/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,200)
5/9 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,533

25.978% to win quarterfinal
50.139% to advance to semifinal
15.427% to advance to final
4.234% to win tournament

Overall Thoughts: If Quarterfinal #1 wasn’t strong enough for you, Quarterfinal #2 is the strongest of the six per the Unified Prediction Model. I feel for Veronica a little bit, as she was not given a favorable draw at all. I think she’s only improved since her Tournament of Champions, and I think that will make this the best three-way battle of the event. Both Eric and seeded Roger are among the best of all time on the Daily Doubles as well; I would not be at all surprised to see a combined score entering Final Jeopardy over the board value of $54,000.

(Content continues below)

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Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my Betting Strategy 101 page. If you want to learn how to bet in two-day finals, check out Betting Strategy 102. In case the show uses a tournament with wild cards in the future, there is also a strategy page for betting in tournament quarterfinals.

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Monday, February 9, 2026:

Liz Feltner
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Liz Feltner on Jeopardy!


49 correct, 6 incorrect
6/6 on rebound attempts (on 23 rebound opportunities)
19.65% in first on buzzer (45/229)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,450

18.581% to win quarterfinal
35.946% to advance to semifinal
7.660% to advance to final
1.129% to win tournament

T.L. Cubbage
Dallas, Texas

T.L. Cubbage on Jeopardy!


255 correct, 21 incorrect
16/19 on rebound attempts (on 54 rebound opportunities)
31.60% in first on buzzer (231/731)
11/13 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $14,500)
12/13 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,292

46.526% to win quarterfinal
61.248% to advance to semifinal
23.607% to advance to final
9.320% to win tournament

Drew Goins
Washington, D.C.

Drew Goins on Jeopardy!


221 correct, 29 incorrect
10/12 on rebound attempts (on 41 rebound opportunities)
37.54% in first on buzzer (214/570)
11/14 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $26,600)
5/10 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,300

34.893% to win quarterfinal
48.083% to advance to semifinal
15.342% to advance to final
4.533% to win tournament

Overall Thoughts: T.L. is the “seeded” player in this one, having won a Tournament of Champions. He also last missed a Final Jeopardy about four months into the elder Bush administration. Since then, he’s won a College Championship, a Tournament of Champions, and made the semifinals of Battle of the Decades. Certainly, had anybody run a pre-tournament betting line, I think Tom would probably be where most of the smart money would have ended up—the Unified Prediction Model has T.L. at a similar level as Paolo Pasco, and we all saw what Paolo just did in the ToC. Liz’s “strength of schedule” helps her in the Unified Prediction Model here, as she played in the 2022 College final against Jaskaran Singh and Raymond Goslow, both of whom are among the best players of the modern era, while fans will be happy to see Drew Goins once again.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026:

Mehal Shah
Seattle, Washington

Mehal Shah on Jeopardy!


170 correct, 24 incorrect
13/13 on rebound attempts (on 33 rebound opportunities)
35.68% in first on buzzer (162/454)
9/11 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $37,200)
1/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,925

25.726% to win quarterfinal
43.392% to advance to semifinal
12.007% to advance to final
2.777% to win tournament

Jen Giles
Longmont, Colorado

Jen Giles on Jeopardy!


109 correct, 18 incorrect
4/6 on rebound attempts (on 25 rebound opportunities)
31.78% in first on buzzer (109/343)
3/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,400)
3/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,829

25.182% to win quarterfinal
44.858% to advance to semifinal
12.069% to advance to final
2.719% to win tournament

Andrew He
Concord, California

Andrew He on Jeopardy!


557 correct, 76 incorrect
36/42 on rebound attempts (on 99 rebound opportunities)
31.52% in first on buzzer (521/1653)
32/41 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $147,400)
15/29 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,007

49.092% to win quarterfinal
60.712% to advance to semifinal
26.034% to advance to final
12.125% to win tournament

Overall Thoughts: Seeded Andrew He has been given Colorado teacher Jen Giles and Seattle software engineer Mehal Shah in this one. We haven’t seen Jen since the All-Star Games in 2019, while Mehal had a heartbreaking exit from the 2025 Tournament of Champions. Mehal’s 1/8 in Final will do him no favors in a format that might require a correct response in Final Jeopardy to advance, while Jennifer has always seemed to draw difficult opponents in her tournament returns. UPM thinks Andrew has a very good chance of advancing while Mehal and Jen battle for second.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2026:

Josh Hill
North Little Rock, Arkansas

Josh Hill on Jeopardy!


207 correct, 32 incorrect
4/7 on rebound attempts (on 25 rebound opportunities)
42.43% in first on buzzer (213/502)
7/10 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $24,195)
4/9 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,578

32.198% to win quarterfinal
47.462% to advance to semifinal
14.641% to advance to final
4.080% to win tournament

Alison Betts
San Jose, California

Alison Betts on Jeopardy!


150 correct, 31 incorrect
10/12 on rebound attempts (on 42 rebound opportunities)
37.59% in first on buzzer (150/399)
10/12 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $31,000)
4/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,257

28.698% to win quarterfinal
45.361% to advance to semifinal
12.656% to advance to final
2.951% to win tournament

Isaac Hirsch
Burbank, California

Isaac Hirsch on Jeopardy!


513 correct, 104 incorrect
30/37 on rebound attempts (on 102 rebound opportunities)
36.87% in first on buzzer (525/1424)
20/30 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $17,000)
15/25 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,288

39.104% to win quarterfinal
54.167% to advance to semifinal
18.989% to advance to final
6.465% to win tournament

Overall Thoughts: Seeded Isaac Hirsch takes on Josh Hill and Alison Betts in this one. All three of these players have been staying pretty fresh, so I’m expecting a closely contested game in this quarterfinal. The Unified Prediction Model does give Isaac a slight edge due to his run to the Masters semifinals last year.

Thursday, February 12, 2026:

Long Nguyen
Las Vegas, Nevada

Long Nguyen on Jeopardy!


104 correct, 18 incorrect
5/7 on rebound attempts (on 19 rebound opportunities)
36.14% in first on buzzer (103/285)
6/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $16,400)
4/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,840

37.073% to win quarterfinal
49.049% to advance to semifinal
16.248% to advance to final
5.028% to win tournament

Will Yancey
Gadsden, Alabama

Will Yancey on Jeopardy!


156 correct, 37 incorrect
10/13 on rebound attempts (on 25 rebound opportunities)
34.43% in first on buzzer (157/456)
10/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $15,600)
4/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,850

28.447% to win quarterfinal
43.650% to advance to semifinal
11.702% to advance to final
2.663% to win tournament

Adriana Harmeyer
West Lafayette, Indiana

Adriana Harmeyer on Jeopardy!


497 correct, 62 incorrect
30/40 on rebound attempts (on 102 rebound opportunities)
32.96% in first on buzzer (469/1423)
17/25 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $24,400)
18/25 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,144

34.480% to win quarterfinal
52.675% to advance to semifinal
16.346% to advance to final
4.630% to win tournament

Overall Thoughts: Our last quarterfinal features Long Nguyen, Will Yancey, and seeded Adriana Harmeyer. Interestingly, Adriana is the only seed in this event not favored to win by the Unified Prediction Model—Long is the second-best player in the field in terms of taking advantage of Daily Doubles (behind Eric Ahasic), and that’s giving him the edge per UPM in this one.


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