Alex Jacob Wins Jeopardy Tournament of Champions

Former poker professional Alex Jacob etched his name in the "Jeopardy" record books by winning the 2015 Tournament of Champions title and $250,000 in a landslide over contestants Matt Jackson and Kerry Greene.

For the second consecutive day in the finals, Jacob outscored his opponents by a wide margin, his victory secure even before the Final Jeopardy clue. He wisely chose not to wager in the last round, sitting on a bankroll of $18,700 that loomed large over Jackson's $7,200 and the $3,200 of Greene.

Jackson, a paralegal from Washington, D.C., also bet nothing and finished with a two-day total of $10,200, good for 2nd place and a $100,000 prize. Greene was in 2nd place after the first day of competition, but tallied only $4,700 in Day 2 after correctly responding to the Final Jeopardy clue for $1,500. Her combined score including $3,400 from yesterday was $8,100, resulting in a $50,000 prize for 3rd place.

Dominant

Jacob's two-day total was $48,300 after grabbing a huge lead in Day 1 with $29,700. It prompted host Alex Trebek to call the Chicago currency trader's appearance on Jeopardy's T of C to be "the most dominant performance of anyone."

Jacob landed on two Daily Double clues for the second day in a row, but unlike yesterday when he went all-in with $5,000 and then again with $15,200 - doubling up both times - he went for a true Daily Double only one time today. With a bankroll of $2,800 in the Jeopardy round, Jacob correctly knew that each lap of the Daytona 500 is 2.5 miles.

In the Double Jeopardy round, and well aware that yesterday's huge margin of victory allowed him to be a bit more conservative in Day 2, the ex-poker pro wagered only $100 on the Daily Double clue and got it right.

True Daily Double Miss

The match took a huge turn today when Jacob's score was $11,900 and Jackson was not far behind with $10,000. The paralegal landed on the second and last Daily Double clue and took a page out of Jacob's playbook by going all-in - but he first apologized to his mother for doing so.

Jackson failed to pose the correct question to the clue, knocking his bankroll down to $0 and virtually destroying any possible chance of catching Jacob. A valiant effort that went for naught, and one that every poker player knows all too well.

Congratulations to Alex Jacob for a job well done! His performance was good for the game of poker, even thought he left the grind of live tournament play to concentrate on trading currency.