Well, I can finally stop imagining a world in which I have the single-day J! record (actual and imaginary scenarios reiterated in spoiler space below).
In my third game, I had $20,600 to my next opponent's $6,800 with two categories left and both DDs still hidden in DJ. I hunted at the $2,000 space. It wasn't there, I didn't know it, my opponent negged, no one else rang in, it was now $20,600 to $4,800. I went one up to the $1,600 clue, and it was a DD. The $2,000 clue scared me, so I want to go easy, plus I already had a runaway; I bet $1,400. It was an instaget. Now I suddenly decided I liked the category and I decided instead of jumping to $1,600 in the other category, I wanted to be sporting, so I went up one again to the $1,200 clue. I didn't know it, my opponent did, he went up to $6,000 and went for the other category's $2,000 clue. Not a DD, he knew it, I didn't, now he had $8,000, he went up one and it was a DD. He bet $6,000, we both knew it, and then the game was open again. I didn't get anything after my DD, and he ended up with $14,400 at the end of the round. Luckily I got FJ right, otherwise my late DJ failures would have been a source of genuine regret.
How I imagine it having gone:
After the $2,000 TS I realize that the category GONE COUNTRY is about countries that no longer exist, and can draw confidence from that. Plus I have plenty of wiggle room in my runaway position, so I bet $10,000 and go up to $30,600. Then I properly jump to the other $1,600 clue and figure, what the hey, I was willing to drop to $10,600 before so why not take that risk again, and bet $20,000. I get it right and go to $50,600. I get blanked on the rest of the clues (as I actually did) and my opponent gets up to $8,400. The FJ category is U.S. PRESIDENTS, a strong subject, I have the record in reach, and so I bet my maximum, $33,799, and take the record with $84,399 (which Roger Craig couldn't have safely cleared in his record game).
(Although even bigger DD wagers could have put me in a position to clear $100k in FJ, $10,000 and $20,000 feel like risks I realistically would have taken.)