|
Jamie
Gold Wins WSOP
Press Release
LAS
VEGAS, Nevada -- Bodog.com-sponsored poker player Jamie
Gold has won the largest and richest game in poker history,
the Main Event of the 2006 World Series of Poker. 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.
Gold, a
former Hollywood agent turned television producer from Malibu,
Calif., amassed a commanding chip lead during the first eight
days of the tournament and sat down at the final table with
a whopping $26,650,000 in chips - $8.88 million more than his
nearest competitor.
Gold, who
had held the lead in the tournament since last Friday, won the
first pot of the day and knocked out Dan Nassif shortly thereafter,
setting the stage for a dominating performance to close the
two-week event. After an exciting 14 hours of play, he knocked
out the rest of the field, including top poker pro Allen Cunningham.
Gold's $10,000
entry into the Main Event was provided by Bodog.com, the online
gaming giant and leading digital entertainment brand. Today,
he competed against the eight players who remained from a field
of 8,773 for a record first-place prize of $12 million and the
coveted gold championship bracelet.
After winning
poker's largest ever tournament and its prestigious 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."
Gold's two-year
endorsement deal with Bodog.com not only includes the standard
tournament buy-ins and promotional appearances, but also a $1-million
television production deal. The deal also includes a Jamie Gold
table on Bodog.com, where Gold will play frequently, enabling
other Bodog players to go up against the WSOP champ.
"Jamie
truly epitomizes the Bodog spirit. We are incredibly proud of
his achievement and thrilled by his performance in the tournament,"
said Calvin Ayre, Founder and 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."
More than
500 players qualified to the various WSOP tournaments by playing
poker online at Bodog.com. 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
heralded 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."
Do you have
the skills to become next year's WSOP champion? To learn more
about qualifying for major poker tournaments, including the
WSOP 2007 Main Event, visit Bodog.com.
|
