On the gameshow jeapordy do all the contestants keep there winnings?

Question

Thats what my hubby said,but I dont understand why the 2 lowest scores dont always bet ALL there winnings then if they dont keep them anyways.Thats what made me think they all kept there winnings.Thanks for the replys everyone.

Answer 1

no, the winner keeps all of their winnings, and second and third place get a "thanks for playing" prize.

Answer 2

Only the 1st place player keeps the money, 2nd and 3rd get prizes as mentioned before.  There are exceptions such celebrity week (all winnings go to charity) and I believe college week.

There are many reasons why and 2nd and 3rd do not bet all of their money at the final.  One could be is that it is a tight race and if the person is wrong and bets to much then the person can climb into 1st,

Answer 3

I agree.  I'm pretty sure only the winner gets to keep the money.

Answer 4

Here's an example of why people don't bet all their money:

Say Bob has $12,000, Jane has $10,000, and Larry has $3,000.

Bob has to assume Jane is going to bet all of her money, because if he assumes she will bet less and doubles up, he could lose even if he get the answer right. So he is forced to bet at least $8,001.

If Jane is smart, she knows Bob is going to bet enough to cover her doubling up, so her best chance of winning is if he gets it wrong and she gets it right. Her ideal bet would be $3,999. This way, if she gets it right she'll have more than Bob even if he bets nothing. If she gets it wrong, she'll still have $6,001, which is more than Larry will have if doubles up, and more than Bob will have if he bets over $8,000 and gets it wrong.

Larry's only chance of winning is if both Bob and Jane bet big and get it wrong. He has to assume Jane is going to bet all of her money, and Bob is going to bet at least $8,001. He should wager no more than $1,000. This way, if Jane loses all her money, and Bob bet $8,001 and loses and is left with $1,999, he will win, regardless of if he answers the question correctly.

I don't know if Jeopardy contestants put this much thought into betting, but this is the ideal strategy for betting in final Jeopardy. It's basically the same method used in blackjack tournaments.