JAMIE GOLD ADMITS HE BROKE RULES ON WAY TO CLAIM WSOP POT

[clevfan]

From todays LVRJ Norm column:

TARNISHED GOLD

Jamie Gold, winner of the richest prize in World Series of Poker history, acknowledges that he broke some rules on his way to claiming the $12 million pot.

In his first interview since settling a legal dispute over the winnings, Gold admitted he flashed one of his cards at a competitor and that he tipped off a friend by showing a card.

"I kind of just lost myself, and I regret doing that," Gold told New York Times free-lancer Steve Friess. "And I basically told a friend of mine what I had because I didn't want him to bust out, and that was also really inappropriate. And I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen again. People are just going to have to forgive me."

Gold, a Hollywood producer from Paramus, N.J., was sued by fellow participant Crispin Leyser, who succeeded in getting half the prize money by going to court.

Leyser said he and Gold made a deal going into the poker tournament: Gold would split his winnings in exchange for Leyser's help in recruiting minor celebrities to play in the World Series of Poker under the banner of Gold's sponsor, the poker Web site Bodog.com.

The full interview can be heard at www.TheStripPod cast.com.

[clevfan]

February 24, 2007

Poker
Tournament Winner Says He Was Wrong
By STEVE FRIESS
NY TIMES

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 23 — After resolving a lawsuit over his victory in the World Series of Poker last summer, Jamie Gold acknowledged he had some regrets about his experience at the tournament, although none of them were about his legal issues.

In his first interview since the settlement, Gold, a 38-year-old Hollywood producer from Paramus, N.J., said the lawsuit was not difficult to resolve, although the agreement bars him from disclosing the fate of the record-setting $12 million purse.

But Gold apologized for his previously undisclosed antics during the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournament — antics that might have resulted in penalties if he had been caught.

The most significant admissions were that he flashed one of his cards at a competitor during the main event and that he tipped off a friend about one of his hands.

“You should never flash a card,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘Wow, I’m going to bend the rules.’ I was just so caught up in the excitement of what was happening and I kind of just lost myself and I regret doing that. And I basically told a friend of mine what I had because I didn’t want him to bust out and that was also really inappropriate. And I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again. People are just going to have to forgive me.”

The admissions are likely to stir up new controversy for Gold, whose victory celebration was marred by a lawsuit filed against him by Crispin Leyser that led to a court order freezing $6 million of the prize. Leyser said that Gold pledged to give him half his winnings in exchange for Leyser’s help in recruiting minor celebrities to play in the World Series of Poker under the banner of Gold’s sponsor, the poker Web site Bodog.com.

“The first moment we actually got into a room together, we settled it,” Gold said. “It’s just a misunderstanding and it’s behind me.”

Leyser could not be reached for comment.

The spokesman for the World Series of Poker, Gary Thompson, said the prize money had been dispersed since the Feb. 7 settlement and expressed surprise at Gold’s admissions. “Technically it can be construed as collusion and is clearly a violation of the rules, as is flashing a card during the play of a hand,” Thompson said. Still, he said, “It’s over, it’s done.”

Phil Gordon, a professional poker player and the co-host of Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown, who had been critical of Gold’s conduct at the tournament, said, “It’s refreshing that Jamie can acknowledge that his behavior was inappropriate.”

Gold said his focus in recent months has largely been on his parents. His father was in the final throes of a six-year struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and died in December. Throughout the tournament he spoke movingly about his desire to take care of his ailing father and to provide for his soon-to-be-widowed mother.

Gold, who as a talent agent in the 1990s represented the actors James Gandolfini, Donnie Wahlberg and Felicity Huffman, is also busy creating television shows through his production company, Buzznation. One of its first shows is a reality contest, “America’s Hottest Mom,” which does not have a network yet.

With his father’s death and the legal issues behind him, Gold said he was looking forward to getting back into the games at his home casino, the Commerce Casino near Los Angeles, and gearing up for the next World Series of Poker, which starts in June.

Unlike other World Series of Poker champs who are rankled by the suggestion that they caught lucky breaks en route to their victories, Gold agreed that he had his share of good fortune in those blistering summer weeks in Las Vegas.

“I’m lucky in life, my whole life has been fortunate,“ Gold said. “Every single great thing that’s happened to me I’ve been really grateful. Maybe I was lucky. I don’t know how you can beat 9,000 people without being lucky.”

[StarnetGypsy]

People are just going to have to forgive me

Sorry asshole, but I don't have that much graciousness in me.

[Mr Memory]

What a douche.

[Dell Dude]

Jamie Gold is okay. He's a punkass bitch, but he won the WSOP so he earned that right.

[Uncle B]

what a shitbag.

[StarnetGypsy]

His manner of play during WSOP was totally unprofessional, and I've read statements by several pros that his backing out on paying that guy who got him the stars to wear the BoDog T-shirts broke a cardinal rule of poker players. Poker players are an honorable group, and when they make side bets or say they're going to pay this or that, they're obliged to do so. The one thing they truly have is their word ... actually, that applies for all of us.

I really think he should be banned from play for at least one WSOP based on his admission of cheating.

[pokerjoe]

He didn't mention his frequent announcing of his hand while in multi-way pots, which is also cheating.

These things, they're relatively low-level cheating moves, not nearly of the magnitude of swapping in higher-denomination chips (acquired at later stages in other tourneys) or dumping of chips to compadres (some people think that means having members of a team feed a leader, but actually, more intelligently done, it's to balance stacks, because chip values increase as they vary from zero).

But fighting cheating is like fighting fascism: you can never start too early, or do it too much. You don't want to end up with slacker creep, with a slow erosion of the rules.

Watching Gold on TV, he struck me very much, by his language and table-talk and such, as a live one on a truly great rush. I've seen it before, and it's effect on people, and how they can just become alive with confidence and play, not just lucky, but actually good. If, even by luck alone, all your decisions turn out right, it becomes easier to make good decisions, because all your fears evaporate, because...all your decisions turn out right.

[StarnetGypsy]

Originally Posted by pokerjoe

Watching Gold on TV, he struck me very much, by his language and table-talk and such, as a live one on a truly great rush. I've seen it before, and it's effect on people, and how they can just become alive with confidence and play, not just lucky, but actually good. If, even by luck alone, all your decisions turn out right, it becomes easier to make good decisions, because all your fears evaporate, because...all your decisions turn out right.

Well said, Joe!!

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Gypsy:

What ever happened to Dutch Boyd? Does he still owe Millions to people?

[Dell Dude]

Gold is okay. I probably would have tried to stiff the guy too. $12 million is twice as much as $6 million. And I've seen much worse poker manners. Bottom line is he won against almost 9000 people and always showed his hand when he said he would. Good job Jamie.

[StarnetGypsy]

Originally Posted by ChuckyTheGoat

Gypsy: What ever happened to Dutch Boyd? Does he still owe Millions to people?

Don't know, Chucky. Do know his site PokerSpot owed about half a mil to the players when it went tits-up. And I don't recall him winning that much to pay it back, if that's his intention?

You know how it is Chucky. There's allot of guys in the industry that're honorable folks, some are just crappy businessmen, and then there's that 20% (?) of scumbags that screw it up for everyone else ...

I wont name names, but I've run across my share of the scumbags in the few short years I've been involved w/poker. Really looking forward to being settled back down in Vegas again, and undertaking redoing my website to get it current again w/re reporting on poker and the stars of the game. Finally got the camera I had in mind to get quality shots at WSOP in July ... which reminds me, I have to write off for my press pass now, so that I'm not left out in the cold like last year.

"24" & "Prison Break" is coming on here shortly. Talk later amigo!

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Nice, Gypsy. Sounds like a cool site.

You can get some cool interviews from Dannenman. Seems like the coolest guy on tour.

If you can get video-tape of the Hellmuth-Grizzle fight, I'll pay $100 to see Phil duked out.

[StarnetGypsy]

lol .. yeah, you an me both!

ayep. I talked w/Steve an Jerry when I was down at WSOP in August. Got a pic of him, Jerry, an me. Fantastic guys! And tall too .. lol

[Minnow]

That was brassy... basically admitting to cheating in the wsop. And why is anyone still noting that he was an agent to Hollywood stars when that story has been shot down all over the place.. looking it up -

ok- Las Vegas Blog: Jamie Gold Lies About Resume? Archives

When I was covering the WSOP championship, the PR guys at BoDog put out a bio sheet for Jamie Gold. They highlighted that he was a former TV producer who also was a manager and agent. His clients included James Gandolfini and Felictity Huffman.

According to Defamer.com, Jamie Gold lied about his work in Hollywood. He was nothing more than a glorified assistant and his biggest client to date was porn star Ron Jeremy not Tony Soprano. Gold also claimed that the character Ari Gold on HBO's series Entourage was based on his exploits, when in fact they were centered around super-agent Ari Emanuel.

Also, Jame Gold inked a two year sponsorship deal with BoDog.

"Jamie truly epitomizes the Bodog spirit. We are incredibly proud of his achievement and thrilled by his performance in the tournament," said Bodog CEO Calvin Ayre.

[Crony]

YouTube - Jamie Gold - Top/Top

example hand of douchebag colluding to help friend.

[pokerjoe]

Crony, that one should get him shot.

[jimmy the greek]

Did anyone complain, rules are meant to be broken lol