Thursday was a tough game of "Jeopardy!" for James Holzhauer.
Holzhauer was close to the $2 million mark, but alas, it wasn't enough. His total winnings are now $1,991,135.
The 34-year-old from Las Vegas won his 26th game with $52,108, but only after he went into Final Jeopardy with just $5,400 separating him from his challenger Nate Scheffey, a technology consultant from New York.
Both Holzhauer and Scheffey knew the correct question to the "Jazz Classics" clue: "In one account, this song began as directions written out for composer Billy Strayhorn to Duke Ellington's home in Harlem."
The answer was "What is 'Take the A Train'?".
So it all came down to who bet more of their winnings.
Holzhauer, a professional sports gambler, put down $20,908 of his $31,200. Scheffey put down $10,000 of his $25,800 winnings, which could have made him the winner if Holzhauer had given the wrong answer.
The final contestant, Laura Schulman, a public defender from Seattle, came in third place after she bet none of her $1,200 winnings, which was a smart move for her. She gave an incorrect answer, "What is 'Take 5'?"
Holzhauer will play his 27th game Friday and potentially surpass the milestone.
