Jamie Gold saw his 2006 WSOP Main Event record $12M score officially topped on Monday as Daniel Weinman made quick work of Adam Walton and Steven Jones to win $12.1M and the title of Main Event champion.
While many in the gaming and athletics world are disappointed when their records are finally broken, Gold was beyond thrilled for Weinman to take his crown.
“I’m so excited, I’ve been waiting for this for 17 years. I wanted it to be broken the year after I won,” Gold said. “Unfortunately, Black Friday shut down all the online poker sites and crushed those dreams.
“I want it to be bigger every single year. No offense to Daniel (Weinman). He’s awesome, and I’m sure he agrees that we want it to be bigger next year. Every year. We want poker to grow every single year. I hope there’s never a 17-year record ever again. I hope that in 10 years that it can be at least $25 million because, by then, I think there will be between 25,000 and 35,000 people playing.”
Gold enjoyed a return to the WSOP after four years away from the tables battling illness. He cashed five of his 11 events this year, notably making Day 4 of the Main Event, cashing for $17,500 after finishing 1082nd.
“Playing again was fantastic,” Gold said. “I was down for a few years from some really harsh Covid. I was in the hospital on and off for two years and I’m perfectly healthy again, except from losing my voice this week. I’m just so happy to be back, to cash five of my 11 events and, most importantly, cashing on Day 4 in the Main Event. For any poker player, it (cashing the Main Event) means a lot.”
Gold even admitted that he felt like he could win the Main Event for the second time.
“I believed that I could (win again) but, like the sob story goes, I got it in really good. Not on the last hand, I had three big blinds, but on the hand that would’ve propelled me to the top 10%. I had queens against jacks and I just couldn’t hold. I felt like I had a real shot,” Gold said. “But just to be back and to be able to play again was so much fun. The players are so much better now than they used to be. You have to study a lot harder, and while you don’t have to use GTO, you have to understand GTO in order to play against the players that are really solver-heavy. There are so many great players nowadays. Back in the day, it was tough to find a great player. You’d be amazed if there was a great player at your table. Now, you’re amazed when there’s not.”
What’s Jamie Gold going to do now?
Gold isn’t done at the WSOP. In fact, the 53-year-old feels reborn and is eager to go play events all over the world.
“I love live poker. I’ve been playing a lot online because I was sick and it really got me through my hospital stay,” Gold said. “If I didn’t have online poker, I don’t know what I would have done. You could lose your mind being in the hospital that long. But poker really kept me sane and sharp. Now that I’m playing live again, I realize that I’m much happier playing live. My game is much better suited for it. They just announced (WSOP Paradise series) The Bahamas and I know that WSOP and GGPoker are working on all-new stops for the WSOP Circuit. I’m just really excited.
“I’ve never played the Asian Poker Tour, I really want to do that. I haven’t been to Europe in so many years. I’ll go just about anywhere I’m invited. Sometime in the next 12 months, I would love to go to Brazil and play poker. I’ve made a lot of new friends who are Brazilian players and in the Brazilian poker media and I hope I get invited to some of those events.
“My long-term goal is to win another bracelet here at the World Series of Poker. I’d say my short-term goals are to just have fun and to try to win a tournament here and there. But mainly I just love playing tournaments and cash games where I’m meeting people and having fun and being social. I just want to have a great time. I’m really looking forward to having a lot of fun.”
