Alex Jacob Goes All-In for Jeopardy Tournament of Champions

November 17th, 2015 | by Greg Shaun

Former poker pro Alex Jacob returned to take on the best Jeopardy of the year in the Tournament of Champions. (Image: jeopardy.tumblr.com)

Former high stakes poker player turned currency trader Alex Jacob has stepped into the spotlight once again as part of Jeopardy’s Tournament of Champions show.

Following a successful run on the show back in April, Jacob not only banked $151,802, but won the hearts of the nation with his unconventional style of play.

Poker Community Backing Jacob

In fact, during his run back in April, he received a wave of support from the poker community and certainly portrayed poker players in a positive light.

Of course, not everyone was a fan of the poker player’s antics and certainly made their feelings known on Twitter when it emerged he’d be back on the game show this month.

“@Jgurnari: @whoisalexjacob shakes his head and rolls his eyes thinking he’s smarter than he really is,” tweeted one unappreciative viewer.

“@RedHeadedScot: What’s the over/under for how many times this contestant Alex will absentmindedly and confusedly scratch a part of his body? #Jeopardy,” added another less than impressed spectator.

Although Jacob’s run finally came to an end when you incorrectly said Twitter instead of Instagram when asked a question about social media companies, he did do enough during his run to earn a spot in the Tournament of Champions which got underway on Friday the 13th.

Jacob Back to Do his Thing

Competing against Michael Bilow and an attorney from California named Scott Lord, Jacob held a healthy lead heading into the final round.

Despite nobody solving the final jeopardy, Jacob’s lead was such that he was able to risk just $143 in the final game stay on top when the action was over.

Although he couldn’t end his first appearance back in the spotlight with a bang, he did do enough to earn a place in this week’s final battles.

Set to take on other former winners, including Kerry Greene, Catherine Hardee and Andrew Haringer, Jacob will be fighting for the $250,000 winner’s prize.

Of course, Jacob has made more than 10X that during his poker career, but a chance to exercise his competitive urges in front of the US is something he’ll certainly relish.

In fact, at the last count, Jacob has managed to win his way through to the semi-finals and he looks to be one of the favorites to win the competition as a whole given his performance so far.