The new World Series of Poker champion is Jamie Gold following a tough 14 hour slug-out at the final table (see previous bulletins) 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.
Gold had amassed a chip armoury 7 times larger than Wasickas 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 gruelling 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.