The new World Series of Poker champion is Jamie Gold following a
tough 14 hour slug-out at the final table that culminated in the early
hours of Friday morning Las Vegas time in a heads up between former
movie star agent Gold and Paul Wasicka. According to Gold, the money
he has won at the Main Event will go toward making his sick father
as comfortable as possible.
Gold had amassed a chip armory 7 times larger than Wasicka's in his
aggressive and skilful journey to the top, and just seven hands into
heads-up play, Gold raised to $1.7 million preflop and Wasicka called.
The flop came Qc-8h-5h, and after Gold checked, Wasicka bet out $1.5
million. Gold moved all-in, and Wasicka hesitated for a moment while
Gold tried to goad him into a call. Wasicka seemed to read Gold for
weakness and made the call with two tens, while Gold showed Q-9 for
top pair. The turn came an ace, and the river a four, offering no
help to Wasicka, and Jamie Gold was the new World Champion.
Winning the $12 million grand prize of the largest and richest game
in poker history is just the start for Gold, who has signed a two-year
endorsement deal with gambling group Bodog.com which not only includes
the standard tournament buy-ins and promotional appearances, but also
a $1-million television production deal. The agreement additionally
features a Jamie Gold table on Bodog.com, where Gold will play frequently,
enabling other Bodog players to go up against the WSOP champ. He joins
a Bodog sponsored "A Team" that includes David Williams,
Josh Arieh and Evelyn Ng.
"Jamie truly epitomizes the Bodog spirit. We are incredibly
proud of his achievement and thrilled by his performance in the tournament,"
said Calvin Ayre, CEO of Bodog.com. "This was the most
exciting and dominant performance since the WSOP has grown to its
current size, fueled by poker's ever growing popularity."
Gold's dominance of the field was unprecedented in the history of
WSOP. He was the chip leader for the event's final four rounds, which
lasted an entire week with a starting field of 8 773. By skilled and
bold play he amassed a commanding chip lead during the first eight
days of the tournament and sat down at the final table with $26 650
000 in chips - $8.88 million more than his nearest competitor.
At one stage in the game he won a pot worth more than $35 million
and eliminated 55-year-old investor Richard Lee from San Antonio,
Texas, in the process. Lee was in second place at the time.
The new champion's $10 000 entry into the Main Event was provided
by Bodog.com, and after winning poker's largest ever tournament and
its prestigious gold champion's bracelet, an elated Gold said, "I
can't believe it, I am very happy. It started off tough, but once
I felt in control, I realized that if I continued to play my game,
I would be very hard to beat." He added, "This
wouldn't have been possible without the support of my friends and
family along with the members of Team Bodog."
The huge impact of online poker on the WSOP was never more evident
than this year. More than 500 players qualified to the various WSOP
tournaments by playing poker online at Bodog.com alone. Gold was among
the 400 Team Bodog players participating in the Main Event.
Originally from Paramus, N.J., the 36-year-old former agent has represented
a number of A-list celebrities, including James Gandolfini, Felicity
Huffman, Lucy Liu and Brandy. Gold quit being an agent six months
ago and is now the head of production at Buzznation, a branded entertainment
media and production company based in Los Angeles. Gold is currently
in development on a branded reality television series.
An avid poker player, Gold grew up in a family of card players, with
his mother a longtime poker player and his grandfather a gin rummy
champion. Gold plays close to 40 hours a week in Los Angeles-area
card rooms and in the 15 months prior to the Main Event had earned
just under $100 000 in tournament winnings. Gold has also had the
opportunity to learn from one of the game's most respected players
- 10-time WSOP bracelet holder Johnny Chan. The two men met while
working together on a poker television concept. In exchange for Gold's
assistance, Chan promised to help him refine his game. Both Gold's
mother and Chan were at the WSOP cheering him on.
But even with his poker pedigree and legendary mentor nearby, it was
the person who could not be with Gold in Las Vegas who provided the
most strength and motivation for him - his father.
Gold's father, Dr. Robert Gold, has ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's
Disease, which makes him immobile. According to Gold, the money he
has won at the Main Event will go toward making his father as comfortable
as possible.
"He's not well and unable to travel,'' Gold said
of his 76-year-old father. "This is all for him."
The final outcome of the grueling contest was a disappointing but
not totally unexpected finish for Wasicka, who faced a monumental
challenge going into heads up play against an incredibly aggressive
opponent who had a huge chip lead. Wasicka finished with $6 102 499
for his second place.