How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (2024)

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (1)

Jeopardy! is the unique quiz game in which the players are given the ANSWERS and must ask the correct QUESTIONS to win. Since you can win or lose money with every question, your money is always in "Jeopardy!"

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (2)

Components

  • 180 cards
  • 6 card stands
  • Jeopardy money
  • Game Die
  • Game Board
  • Instructions

Object of the Game

Ask the correct questions and accumulate the most money after three rounds of play: "Jeopardy!", "Double Jeopardy!", and "FINAL Jeopardy!".

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (3)

Setup

Turn the see- through plastic game board over so that the back is facing up. Now hold the backboard piece so that the two indented "handle parts" are at the top hollow side out.

Press this piece into the back of the gameboard so that you now have formed a sort of envelope where you can place the answer sheets. Slide the Display Board legs onto the bottom of the Display Board.

Carefully separate the 25 dollar-value cards and place them, blue side up, in the slots on the Display Board as shown in Diagram #2. The values should range from $200 across the top windows to $1000 across the bottom windows.

Choose a player to be the emcee, or "host", of the game. The emcee will also act as banker.

The emcee inserts an answer sheet separated from the pad, and slides the sheet into the Display Board from the top. Be sure to use the side marked Jeopardy! so it is facing toward the Display Board windows for the first round of play, and the side marked Double Jeopardy! for the second round.

The emcee then hides the blue DAILY Double card underneath any one of the value cards so that none of the players knows its location.

The emcee then gives each player $1,000, a contestant clicker, and pencil and paper (not included) to use in FINAL Jeopardy! Round.

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (4)

Game Play

  1. Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest number goes first.

  2. The first player selects one of the five categories displayed on the upper row of the board, and any one of the dollar values.

    For example, if the player chooses "Animals" for $200, the answer revealed would be about animals and the amount of money that could be won or lost would be $200. Generally, the higher the dollar value, the greater the degree of difficulty.

  3. The emcee removes the value card (which allows the answer to be seen by all players) and then reads the answer aloud.

  4. The first player to click the clicker asks the question. If two or more players click at the same time, players roll the die; the player with the highest number asks the question.

  5. The emcee then refers to the page in the Question Booklet that corresponses to the game number shown on the answer sheet (such as Jeopardy! 1), and looks under the category and dollar amount that corresponds to the answer.

    He or she then says whether it is correct or not. The player's question does not have to match the question in the booklet exactly, but should have the same general meaning.

    For example, if the answer is "Shoat", and the question in the booklet reads, "What is the name of a baby pig?", the player would also be correct if he said, "What do you call a baby hog?".

    Note: If the player's response is not in the form of a question, the emcee should instruct the player to word the response as a question; this prompting will notbe allowed in Double Jeopardy! Round.

  6. If the player's response is correct, the player receives from the bank the amount of money indicated on the dollar-value card. If the player's response is not correct, the player forfeits that amount of money.

    Note: If a player asks an incorrect question worth more money than he has, the player gives the bank all of his money, but is still in the game. Players cannot have "negative dollar amounts" and cannot borrow money from another player or the bank.

  7. If the emcee says that the response to an answer is incorrect, then the first of the other players to click after the ruling has the opportunity to ask the question. The player responds and either wins or loses the same dollar amount.

    Play then proceeds as above. Note:If a player's response is declared incorrect, that player does not get a second chance to ask a question for that particular answer.

  8. The player who asks the correct question chooses the next category and dollar amount. If no player asks the correct question, the emcee reads the correct question aloud. The player who selected the previous category and dollar amount then makes the next selection.

    Remember: one player selects the category and dollar amount, but all players have the opportunity of responding to every answer (except Daily Doubles).


    Note:After the correct question has been announced, the emcee should turn the dollar value card to the red (Double Jeopardy!) side.

    In that way, once the Jeopardy! round has been completed, the game board will already be set up for Double Jeopardy!.

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (5)

Daily Double

There is one Daily Double in the Jeopardy! Round. When a dollar-value card is removed revealing the Daily

Double card under it, here is what to do:

  1. The emcee asks the player who made that selection how much money that player wants to put into Jeopardy!. The player may put any amount into Jeopardy!, up to the total amount he has.

    If the player has less than $1,000, the player can declare any amount of money up to $1,000to be placed in Jeopardy!. This is a good opportunity for players with little money to increase their winnings with less risk (remember, players will never have less than zero dollars).

  2. The Daily Double card is then removed and the answer is read aloud by the emcee. Only the one player who selected the clue can respond, and that player will either win or lose the amount he placed in Jeopardy! (except that a player cannot end up with less than zero dollars).

    Even if this player goes down to zero, he/she is still in the game.



How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (6)

Double Jeopardy

After all 25 answers have been exposed, the Jeopardy! Round is over, and the emcee prepares the game for Double Jeopardy!.

  1. The value cards should now be in the windows of the Game Board so that the red side is face up. The dollar values now range from $400 across the top row to $2,000 along the bottom row.

  2. Replace any one of the value cards (we suggest one of the $2,000 cards since these answers are normally the most difficult) with the Final Jeopardy! card so that all players can see its location. This card will be the last one chosen and will reveal the answer for FINAL Jeopardy!.

  3. There are two Daily Doubles in Double Jeopardy!. Hide the two red Daily Double cards under any of the dollar-value cards so the players don't know where they are.

    Note: in Double Jeopardy!, if a player who has less than $2,000gets a Daily Double, that player can declare any amount of money up to $2,000to be placed in Jeopardy!.

    As in Jeopardy!, a player can either win or lose the amount of money placed in Jeopardy! (except that a player cannot end up with less than zero dollars).

  4. Remove the answer sheet from the Game Board, turn it over, and slide it back into the Game Board so that the Double Jeopardy! side is face. Up.

  5. To start Double Jeopardy!, the player with the least amount of money chooses the first category and dollar amount. (If two or more players tie for the least amount of money, they roll the die and the player with the lowest number chooses).

  6. Follow the rules as before until all 24 value cards have been removed, leaving only the Final Jeopardy! card. Double Jeopardy! is now over, and the final round, FINAL Jeopardy!, begins.


Final Jeopardy

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (7)

Only those players who have money can compete in FINAL Jeopardy!. This is the last chance for players to increase their winnings.

  1. Players decide how much money they want to place into Jeopardy!, from $0 to a maximum equal to the amount of money they have won so far.

    Players will either increase or decrease their winnings by the amount of money they have in Jeopardy!.

    Players write their amount on a piece of paper and place the paper, face down, in front of them. Players do not have to reveal how much money they have accumulated so far.

  2. The emcee removes the Final Jeopardy! card, revealing the answer underneath, and reads it aloud.

  3. On another piece of paper, players write the question they think is correct.

  4. When all the players are finished writing, the emcee reads each player's question, and then reads the correct question. Note:in FINAL Jeopardy!, the players' written responses must be in the form of a question.

  5. The players then reveal how much money they have placed in Jeopardy!. Players with the correct question receive the amount of money they placed in Jeopardy!; players who do not have the correct question forfeit the amount of money in Jeopardy!.


End of the Game

The Game: Players count their money, and the player with the most money wins the game.


Continue Reading

How to play Jeopardy! | Official Rules (2024)

FAQs

How to play Jeopardy Rules? ›

Each team takes turns choosing a point value, which will reveal the clue. If a team provides the correct response to a clue, they earn the value of the clue. If they answer incorrectly, the value is subtracted from their score. The clues range in point value from $100 to $400 in both Rounds.

How do Jeopardy answers work? ›

Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given general knowledge clues in the form of answers and they must identify the person, place, thing, or idea that the clue describes, phrasing each response in the form of a question.

How to word Jeopardy answers? ›

The answering player or team must answer the question within five seconds, and the answer must be worded in the form of a question, beginning with “What is” or “Who are,” for example.

Do you have to spell the answer correctly on Jeopardy? ›

According to "Jeopardy!" rules, spelling does not usually matter — but phonetic pronunciation does: "Written responses to the Final Jeopardy! clue do not have to be spelled correctly, but they must be phonetically correct and not add or subtract any extraneous sounds or syllables."

What is the best strategy for Jeopardy? ›

Mastering the signaling device is commonly said to be at least as important as knowing the correct response to each clue. Speed is essential, as getting the opportunity to answer more clues first and right allows a player to pick more clues, thus increasing their chances of finding the Daily Doubles.

What are the rules for final Jeopardy? ›

In the final round, Final Jeopardy, consists of one question presented to all the contestants. The question category is revealed and the contestants who don't have a negative score have to take a wager. Once the wagers are placed, the final question is read and the contestants have one minute to write the answer.

What is the most common answer on Jeopardy? ›

The most common Jeopardy response is "What is China?" In Double Jeopardy, it is "What is Australia?" The most common category in Final Jeopardy! is "Word Origins." The heat charts on the bottom shows the frequency of the answers and categories coming up over time.

What is the answering style of Jeopardy? ›

The show usually insists on the response being in the form of a question, gently reminding the contestant (but not penalizing them for it) if the contestant doesn't answer that way in the first round, but penalizing them if they do in the Double Jeopardy round.

When can you answer on Jeopardy? ›

On the game show Jeopardy, can a contestant ring in as soon as the clue appears on the screen, or do they have to wait for Alex to finish reading the question? No. The clue is revealed to contestants as it appears when you're watching at home — you can read it before Alex finishes reading it.

Can you correct your answer on Jeopardy? ›

According to Jeopardy!'s official rules, contestants may change their responses as long as neither the host nor the judges have made a ruling.

Who has the most correct answers in one game of Jeopardy? ›

Most Correct By Champ From Single-Game
RankNameCorrect
1James Holzhauer44
3Ken Jennings
4James Holzhauer43
5
6 more rows

How to play Jeopardy at work? ›

How to play team building Jeopardy at work
  1. Build a game board. The first step to setting up a game of Jeopardy is to build your game board. ...
  2. Select your categories. ...
  3. Write your questions. ...
  4. Ready your equipment. ...
  5. Split your group into teams. ...
  6. Decide team turn order. ...
  7. Allow teams to pick questions. ...
  8. Double Jeopardy.
May 16, 2021

Why do Jeopardy answers have to be questions? ›

Why do contestants respond in the form of a question anyway? In the early 1960s, when entertainer/producer Merv Griffin was trying to devise a new quiz show format, his then-wife Julann suggested that he give the answer to contestants and have them respond with a question.

Has Jeopardy ever reused a question? ›

Executive producer Michael Davies confirmed during the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast that the new season will begin with another Second Chance Tournament featuring Seasons 37 and 38 former players, and reused questions from past games. The new season will start Monday, September 11.

Can you buzz in before the question on Jeopardy? ›

Here's how it works: the buzzers don't get activated until Alex is finished reading each question. If you buzz in too early, the system actually locks you out for a fifth of a second or so. But if you're too late, the player next to you is going to get in first.

How to play Jeopardy at home with friends? ›

How to Play Jeopardy on Zoom (5 Easy Ways)
  1. Create Your Own Game on Slides with Friends. ...
  2. Use an Existing Slides with Friends Quiz Deck. ...
  3. Use Jeopardy Labs to Create a Slideshow. ...
  4. Stream an Old Episode Together – Get Ready to Pause! ...
  5. Use the Official Jeopardy!

How does the button work on Jeopardy? ›

Here's how it works: the buzzers don't get activated until Alex is finished reading each question. If you buzz in too early, the system actually locks you out for a fifth of a second or so. But if you're too late, the player next to you is going to get in first.

How to set up a Jeopardy board game? ›

Make a list of 6 categories with 5 clue-and-answer pairs for each one. Write each category name on an index card and pin them to the top of a poster board in a single row. For each category, write ascending dollar values on 5 index cards (i.e., $100, $200, $300, etc.). On the backside of each card, write a clue.

What are the rules for ringing in on Jeopardy? ›

First the buzzers are not active until Alex has finished asking the question. Then a light turns on to signal that the players can buzz in and then the first to buzz in gets to answer the question. But if a player attempts jump the gun and buzz in before the light then their buzzer gets frozen for half a second.

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