Poker Legend Jamie Gold

When Jamie Gold represented Johnny Chan in his Hollywood debut, he had no idea that he would be in the same position as Chan a few years later.

Jamie Gold shot into the limelight when he won the main event of the 2006 World Series of Poker Championship, and the whopping prize of $12 million. Gold was a previously unheard of player whose striking success took the poker world by surprise. Stories of unknown players suddenly winning big are what make the poker industry the exciting one it is, and the story of Gold is no different.

Jamie Gold was born in New York City and was educated in New Jersey. He earned a BA the New York State University and further studied entertainment law in UCLA. Gold had his eyes set on the world of entertainment and after an internship at age 16, he decided to follow his dreams and set up a talent agency. The agency soon branched into management and productions and Gold represented and nurtured the careers of some top Hollywood stars.

One such 'star' that Gold represented was Johnny Chan, when he starred in a movie about himself as a top poker player. Gold befriended Chan who begun mentoring the previously casual player. How could a new player go wrong with the knowledge and experience of Chan behind him? Gold began playing in small tournaments and found that he was doing very well for himself. It was then that he decided to try for the big time tournament and vie for a seat in the WSOP 2006 tournament.

Entering the 2006 tournament as a member of the Bodog Team, Gold was literally going for gold. Gold had a unique strategy which included holding about 30% of the chips going into the final table play. Gold had built up a fair amount of live experience, as opposed to others at the table and this might have given him an advantage. Fighting until the end, Gold finally defeated Paul Wasicka heads up by placing a Q and 9 to form a pair on his Q, 8 and 5.

However, winning the 2006 WSOP has not been all joyful for Gold. His $12 million win is currently being contested by his ex-partner, Bruce Leyser, who claims that he and Gold entered the tournament on a joint ticket and that Gold promised him half of his winnings. It is clear that Gold never thought that this promise could end up being one of the most expensive in his life - $6 million at that!

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