Jamie Gold

ESPN called it “one of the most dominant performances in sports history”. He played for a solid ten days, 15 hours a day, and beat 8,772 other players, leading the field from beginning to end. His $12 million was the largest in the history of all sporting events, more than winning the Indy 500, Wimbledon, PGA Masters and the Kentucky Derby combined. For Jamie Gold, becoming the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion was a dream come true for a guy who has “been playing poker my whole life,” ever since first learning the difference between a straight and a flush from his grandfather at the tender age of three. Having won smaller tournaments, in 2004 Gold met two-time WSOP Main Event champ Johnny Chan, who inspired him to refine his skill in No-Limit Texas Hold’em, the most popular form of poker today. Gold won his first major hold’em tournament in April 2005, earning $54,225, and during the next year had seven other top finishes. His streak culminated on August 10, 2006, when, at his first WSOP Main Event, he outlasted and outsmarted thousands of other players, many of them far more experienced, to earn the biggest cash prize ever for a sports or television event. Since his WSOP win Gold has graced the cover of numerous worldwide publications. Gold is well represented in over 100 hours of original network and cable programming including; NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and “National Heads Up Championship”, ABC’s “Celebrity Pro-Am”, GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and ESPN’s “World Series of Poker”, making him easily one of poker’s most recognizable faces by mainstream audience standards. “Perhaps the most accurate nickname for him is The Poker Philanthropist as he has been dubbed by several pros and members of the media,” described Bluff Magazine in May 2008, “thanks to his charitable endeavors.” Having attended and/or co-hosted more than 40 charity events since his WSOP victory, Gold has set the standard for giving back as a champion of his field. Among many charitable causes, Gold remains actively involved in the fight against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His beloved Father, Robert, died in December, 2006, after fighting a lengthy battle against the disease. Jamie started his career in the entertainment industry at the age of 16 as an intern with J. Michael Bloom, graduated with honors from State University of New York at Albany, and moved to Los Angeles to become the youngest franchised talent agent at the age of 21. He then went on to co-found Gold Bouchard management company with a client list including; James Gandolfini, Felicity Huffman, Jimmy Fallon and Donnie Wahlberg. He currently serves as the head of production for Buzznation.

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