Profile: Jamie Gold

Name: Jamie Gold
Hometown: Malibu, California
World Series of Poker:
Bracelet(s)  1
Money finishes  1

Jamie M. Gold is an American television producer, poker tournament player, and formerly a talent agent, based in Malibu, California. He is the reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion.

Gold's mother Jane was a keen poker player, and his grandfather was a champion gin rummy player. Gold began working with former WSOP main event winners Johnny Chan and Chris Moneymaker on an upcoming television show, and Chan began to mentor Gold in poker.

In 2005, Gold began regularly playing in poker tournaments. In April 2005 at the Bicycle Casino, he won his first major no limit Texas hold 'em tournament, earning $54,225. Over the next twelve months, Gold had seven more in the money finishes in California tournaments.

Gold is a member of Team Bodog. He is a neighbor of 2000 WSOP main event winner Chris Ferguson. Gold has confirmed that despite his poker success, he will continue to work his regular job, and just play poker in his spare time.

2006 World Series of Poker

At the 2006 WSOP, Gold maintained a significant chip lead from Day 4 onwards to win the World Series of Poker Main Event (No Limit Texas hold 'em, $10,000 buy-in), outlasting 8,772 other players. Excluding 4th place finisher Allen Cunningham, Gold had more casino tournament final table finishes than the rest of his final table opponents combined.Gold eliminated 7 of his 8 opponents at the final table. Paul Wasicka eliminated the other finalist, Douglas Kim.

Gold defeated Paul Wasicka heads-up, earning a record $12,000,000 when in the final hand his Q♠ 9♣ made a pair with the board of Q♣ 8♥ 5♥. Wasicka held 10♥ 10♠ and did not improve with the A on the turn and 4♣ on the river.

Gold ate blueberries during the play of the 2006 WSOP main event final table and joked in a post-tournament interview that the blueberries were "brain food" and the reason he won.

Gold's WSOP win was marked by an uncanny ability to goad his opponents into either calling his bets when he had an unbeatable hand or folding to him when he was weak. He consistently told his opponents that he was weak or strong, telling the truth sometimes, and sometimes lying, with the net result of successfully deceiving his opponents most of the time. Gold had compiled a solid record in big-stakes tournament poker and was mentored by poker legend and previous WSOP champion Johnny Chan.

Gold also received criticism for his tendency to tell opponents his actual hand during play, contrary to common poker rules. In one case at the final table, Gold actually flashed one of his hole cards to an opponent (a face card), creating enough uncertainty that his opponent folded the better hand.

As a result of the WSOP win, Gold's total live tournament winnings exceed a record $12,000,000, and he became the first person to eclipse the $10,000,000 mark in tournament poker.

Immediately after his WSOP win, Gold called his father, Dr. Robert I. Gold, DDS, who could not attend as he had suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease. Gold pledged to use his winnings to make his father more comfortable. His father died four months later on December 13, 2006.

Winnings controversy

Half of Gold's $12 million purse is currently frozen in a Clark County trust account. On August 22, 2006, Chief District Court Judge Kathy Hardcastle froze the payment of the funds as part of an ongoing legal dispute between Gold and Bruce Crispin Leyser. According to Leyser, during the tournament he and Gold reached a deal wherein Leyser would, through advertising, assist Gold with procuring celebrities to represent, and in exchange would receive half of any of Gold's winnings from the tournament. The court matter is ongoing.