Jamie Gold(credit: wikipedia)
Jamie Gold is the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. A controversial player, he continues to divide his time between the game and business endeavors.
Jamie Gold was born in Kansas, MO as Jamie M. Usher. He moved to Manhattan while still relatively young with his mother. His name was eventually changed to Jamie Gold after being adopted by his mother’s second husband and his stepfather. Later on, Jamie moved with his family to Paramus, NJ. In 1987 he graduated from Paramus High School. Then, he went on to get a bachelor’s degree from the Statue Univeristy of New York (SUNY) at Albany. He also studied entertainment law at UCLA.
A former talent agent for clients such as Lucy Liu and Jimmy Fallon, Gold caught he poker bug early. His mom, Jane, was an avid poker player. When the TV producer began working on a project with WSOP champions Johnny Chan and Chris Moneymaker, Gold jumped at the opportunity to improve his game. He became the mentee of none other than Johnny Chan.
At that point, Gold’s poker successes began to accumulate. In April 2005, at the Bicycle Casino, he won his first Texas Hold’em tournament. In 2006, he dominated the final table with his aggressive play and controversial table talk, which upset many an amateur and professional alike, winning the event after defeating Paul Wasicka heads-up.
Since winning in 2006 and facing a difficult battle for his WSOP winnings, Gold has divided his time between business and poker. He did attempt to defend his title in 2007, but was eliminated on Day 1. He has also appeared on TV series’ such as Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. Much of his poker playing to date has been for charitable endeavors despite the fact that Gold was the first player to exceed $10,000,000 in tournament earnings.
Summary: Jamie Gold continues to straddle two careers – one in poker and one in television production – successfully despite the fact that he’s come under fire as a poker player for various reasons.