Have you heard of Arthur Chu? I hadn’t until recently. However, if you’re an avid fan of the gameshow Jeopardy, you probably have. He is, quite simply, perhaps the most polarizing champion of that show’s long history, and when his 11-show winning streak ended on March 12th, his winnings of around $298,000 stood at the third-highest total ever. You may be thinking, “Fine, so he won a lot of money. That’s great, but how does that mean he has a superpower, and why does that make him so polarizing?” The answer may surprise you.
Arthur Chu is so controversial because he used his superpower to win, and here’s the kicker: his superpower is nothing more than math. Yes, math. As in, that subject you always knew your teachers in school were lying about when they promised it would come in handy one day, and time has, up til now, probably done nothing to disabuse you of that feeling. But if it can help you make some big money, that may make it interesting indeed. So how did Arthur Chu use math to be so successful at Jeopardy?
In short, Chu used game theory, a mathematical model of decision making that is particularly useful in economics, psychology, and biology, as well as for, you know, winning games. Namely, Chu skipped around the larger-value squares in the game, looking for Daily Doubles and denying them and the higher awards to the other players. He also, at one point, made a final round wager that tied him with an opponent instead of the more common wager to win by a dollar, because game theory favors that strategy when a player is unsure of their answer. These tactics are against the social mores of the game, and were what made him so controversial, yet also so successful.
But how does this help you and your business? After all, you’re unlikely to get on Jeopardy any time soon. You can, however, still use math to help your business. Don’t know how? That’s okay, here at The Click Experts we do, and we can help! From managing your PPC campaigns effectively with mathematical models to using statistical analysis on your website traffic to ensure the efficacy of your SEO and content, we have the know-how to make the superpower of math work for you! In the same way Arthur Chu optimized his winnings and reduced his risks by following the appropriate mathematical models, and the same way the Oakland Athletics revolutionized baseball by playing Moneyball and became successful despite revenue woes, we can put your business at an advantage in online marketing without costing an arm and a leg by using math to ensure our strategies are rigorously effective. Contact us today for a free quote, and put us to work making your business’ online presence the best it can be.
Watch Arthur Chu in action:
