Former Hollywood Agent Psyches Out Competition to Win $12 Million Poker Showdown

By
AL MANCINI
August 11, 2006, 5:29 PM ET
2 min read

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 11, 2006 — -- After 14 hours of play at the final table of the World Series of Poker, a former Hollywood agent pulled off the performance of a lifetime, walking away with $12 million in first place winnings.

Jamie Gold -- a 36-year-old former agent to "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini and "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman -- edged out eight other players to win poker's coveted championship bracelet.

Gold won in dramatic fashion, taking the unorthodox approach of talking about his hand with opponents -- often telling the truth about what he was holding. It was a strategy of reverse psychology and reverse-reverse psychology that apparently worked.

"I was in a zone where I just felt I could manipulate people," Gold said. "But, you know, who knows if it'll ever happen again. But I was on a good run, and I had people confused."

While Gold held a commanding lead going into Thursday's final round, many experts favored 29-year-old Allen Cunningham, who holds four championship bracelets.

'I Got Lucky'

"I think I protected myself well," Gold said. "But, of course, I got lucky, and I just feel really fortunate that things went my way."

Earlier in the tournament, Gold had told the media that he would use any prize money to help his ailing father, who's suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Now that he knows how large that prize is, he says he'll also use some of it to repay friends who have supported his poker career.

Gold's mother came with him to Las Vegas.

Shortly after winning, Gold tried to call his dad, but wasn't able to reach him.

He told the crowd that he wasn't bothered, because he was just happy that his dad was able to sleep through the night and that he'd get the news in the morning.

The World Series of Poker began July 28, with 8,773 hopefuls, including the top-ranked players in the world, all buying a $10,000 seat at the competition.

Thursday's action began with just nine players. Dan Nassif, a 33-year-old newspaper ad sales executive from St. Louis, was the first to be eliminated, busting out in the first 20 minutes of play.

Nassif jokingly apologized "to everyone back home who ordered the Pay-Per-View."