One-Man Show (2006 WSOP MAIN EVENT)

Jamie Gold Didn’t Just Win The 2006 World Series Main Event—He Dominated It
BY SCOTT THARLER

Photo by IMPDI

SUPERSTITIOUS POKER PLAYERS ARE A LITTLE LEERY of holding a chip lead early in a multi-day tournament. Leading late is a good thing, and being well above average in the chip counts early on is certainly nice, but traditionally, in the World Series of Poker Main Event, those who hold the lead early rarely make it to the end. It’s almost like a curse.

Apparently Jamie Gold isn’t superstitious. He was toward the top of the chip count from the get-go and led everyone from the end of Day Four of the eight-day tournament on, without interruption.

It’s almost unheard of to hold onto a lead like that for so long and ultimately win it all, but then again, not everyone has 10-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan for a tutor. Gold, a former Hollywood talent agent and current producer, had approached Chan in Los Angeles several years ago about doing a reality show. As they began to work together, Chan was happy to answer a few poker questions here and there. And before he knew it, Johnny Chan had a protégé.

Gold took Chan’s valuable advice, along with his own experience having cashed in 15 major poker tournaments, and headed to Vegas. As Gold’s stack multiplied, popular pros fell by the wayside.

One of them was the reigning champ, Joe Hachem, who made an impressive run all the way to 238th place, out of a record-crushing field of 8,773. It might not sound so impressive, but consider the fact that he had to outlast over 50 percent more competitors than he did to win the whole thing in 2005. It wasn’t quite as spectacular as Greg Raymer’s run to 25th place last year in his effort to defend his title, but it was proof of Hachem’s ability just the same.

Just ahead of Hachem, superstar Daniel Negreanu had one of his best Main Event showings in a while, finishing 229th. Annie Duke broke the top hundred with a great run to 88th place. And Costa Rica’s Humberto Brenes skillfully worked his way all the way up to 36th.

Italian Jeff Lisandro, who final tabled one event and cashed in the top 20 in a few others, got all the way up to 17th. But by 2:17 a.m. on Wednesday, August 9, when Fred Goldberg was eliminated in 10th place, there was only one well-known pro left: Allen Cunningham. Cunningham is not Mr. Charisma, but he has been one of the most consistently successful younger poker players in the world.

If Cunningham, last year’s WSOP Player of the Year, could win The Big One, it would give hope to hundreds of pros that it wasn’t just a lottery, a luckfest, a big crapshoot. But Cunningham found himself in a tough spot at the final table: second in chips, at a huge deficit to the leader, and with seven other opponents who’d be more than happy to see Cunningham’s seat vacant.
The Final Table

Seat Player Chip Count

1 Richard Lee 11,820,000
2 Erik Friberg 9,605,000
3 Paul Wasicka 7,970,000
4 Dan Nassif 2,600,000
5 Allen Cunningham 17,770,000
6 Michael Binger 3,140,000
7 Doug Kim 6,770,000

8 Jamie Gold 26,650,000

9 Rhett Butler 4,815,000

Dan Nassif used vacation time away from his job as an account exec in St. Louis to play in this, his second World Series. The 33-year-old’s biggest previous cash was for $80,000. Given that the lowest final table payout would be over $1.5-million, even coming in as the table’s short stack, he was sure to break that personal record and come out way ahead for his Vegas vacation.
This was also the second WSOP for Michael Binger, who just a few months earlier earned a PhD in physics from Stanford. His career ambitions in theoretical physics will take him into a world of subatomic particles. But before philosophizing about quarks and neutrinos, the 29-year-old would have to overcome a huge chip deficit.

Rhett Butler, a 44-year-old insurance agent from Rockville, Maryland, is married with three children. He’s been playing poker for 25 years, since back in his college days at James Madison University. But this would be his first time ever cashing in a poker tournament.

Doug Kim, the youngster at the table, won his way in through a $650 satellite on PokerStars less than a week before the Main Event started. The 22-year-old financial consultant from Hartsdale, New York, recently graduated from Duke University with an economics degree. The economics of the final table, however, saw him trailing five players in the chip counts and needing some cooperative cards to have a shot at winning.

Paul “Kwickfish” Wasicka used to tend bar and manage a restaurant. Although the 25-year-old started playing poker only a couple of years ago, he’d already cashed in six major tournaments, including a near final table finish in Event 30 at this year’s Series. The Westminster, Colorado, resident arrived at the final table in middle chip position, but with slightly more proven abilities than most of his adversaries, ESPN

Pay-Per-View broadcaster Phil Gordon labeled him the darkhorse to possibly win it all.
Erik Friberg’s nickname, “Lilar,” means “gambler” in Swedish. That makes sense, since the 23-year-old from Stockholm plays professionally online. In the past few years, Scandinavia has grown to be a force in the poker world, with the Swedes doing particularly well.

Richard Lee found himself as one of the more formidable stacks at this, his first-ever final table, with almost $12-million in chips. Although born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the 55-year-old investor now calls San Antonio, Texas, his home.
Having earned his fourth WSOP bracelet this year, 29-year-old Cunningham has quietly and steadily become one of the most accomplished and respected professionals in poker. Cunningham came to the table with almost $18-million in chips. But despite his strong reputation and chip position, he couldn’t be called a favorite. Along with carrying the burden of representing all of the world’s poker pros, Cunningham also had to overcome the big stack at the table, who had 50 percent more chips than him.

With over one-fourth of the chips in play, overwhelming chip leader Gold was on a mission, and had the stack to achieve it. The 36-year-old Malibu, California, resident had dedicated himself to winning the world championship for his dad, who’s afflicted with ALS. But even $26-million in chips and Chan’s tutelage don’t make for a walk in the park. Gold knew everyone at the table would be looking to take chunks out of his stack. To win, he’d have to mix up his game, keep the pressure on his opponents, and stay focused on the task at hand.

The final table action kicked off shortly after 2 p.m. Las Vegas time on Thursday, August 10, starting at Level 32 with the posting of $20,000 antes and $80,000/$160,000 blinds. On the very first hand, Kim raised it to three times the big blind. Gold re-raised a million more, took down the first pot, and the carnage began.

Just four hands and 17 minutes later, short stack Nassif made his move, raising pre-flop from the button with Big Slick. Gold called and checked in the dark the flop that came 2-3-5. Nassif went all in, and Gold called instantaneously and turned over his pocket deuces. To beat Gold’s ducks, Nassif needed a four. Instead, the turn brought an ace, the river a ten, and Nassif became Gold’s first victim of the day.

Cunningham, meanwhile, was playing like the pro he was, building his stack by winning smaller hands. The first time he played out of the blinds was from the button into what became a five-way limped pot. The flop came 8h-9h-9d, creating all sorts of possibilities. Gold bet a million, and Friberg and Cunningham both called. Cunningham bet $2-million each on the turn and river, and Gold check-called both. Cunningham turned over 9-7 for trips, and Gold flipped up 9-10 for trips with the better kicker and took down a pot worth about $12-million. That was the kind of tournament it had been for Gold.

Partway through Level 33 ($20,000 antes, $100,000/$200,000 blinds), the young Swede Friberg found himself all in before the flop with jacks up against the chip leader’s queens. Not only did the board not help Friberg, it unnecessarily hurt him with a queen on the river. Just over three hours into the action, Friberg became Gold’s second victim.

Shortly after, Binger doubled up through Cunningham. Cunningham remained his normal composed self, despite having lost a couple of big confrontations. Binger was doing a nice job building his way up, until … He found himself all in pre-flop against Gold, who turned up pocket kings. The crowd gasped, but then roared as Binger showed pocket kings as well. Two hearts on the flop gave Binger a backdoor flush draw, but running clubs dashed the chance for a monster suckout and the two split the pot.

After having won a bunch of pots—including several from Cunningham by attacking his big blind—Kim went all in with nines after a 4-4-3 flop. He got a call from Wasicka, the pre-flop raiser, who had queens. And two cards later, after a big up-and-down battle, Kim was out in seventh place.

Just a few hands into Level 34 ($40,000 antes, $120,000/$240,000 blinds), Cunningham and Binger clashed again, this time in a battle of the blinds. Cunningham had gone all in from the small with pocket deuces. After a couple minutes in the tank, Binger (who was covered) made the call with A-6. Binger flopped top two pair, dodged a gutshot draw on the river, and doubled up again through Cunningham, who couldn’t seem to win a big pot.

A short time later, Lee found himself in the small blind in a raising war with Gold in the cutoff. Eventually, Lee went all in, and Gold called. Just as had been the case when Gold busted Friberg, Gold had pocket ladies to Lee’s pair of jakes. The queens held on, and Lee—who had been the second biggest stack and was assured of a lot more prize money if he’d played more conservatively—walked out in sixth place.

That gave Gold a stranglehold on the lead, with over $51-million in chips, more than all four of his remaining opponents combined. Meanwhile, Wasicka had fought his way into second place, just ahead of Cunningham. Binger was in fourth place, and Butler, who’d done little more than post the antes and blinds the first seven hours of play, was down to just over $3-million.

Lee’s departure left Wasicka in first position to the left of the dealer, so “Kwickfish” decided to move over. He promptly doubled up Butler. But then a few hands later, the unthinkable happened: Wasicka handed Gold his first big loss of the night.

Wasicka had raised Gold’s big blind. After a flop of K-Q-2, Gold check-raised Wasicka, who came over the top for all his chips and quickly got called. They both had top pair. Unfortunately for Wasicka, his king came with a 10, whereas Gold had been slowplaying Big Slick. When the 10d hit on the turn, the crowd erupted. No ace or jack came on the river, and Wasicka doubled up to around $18-million.

In Level 35 ($50,000 antes, $150,000/$300,000 blinds), Binger found himself all in again against Gold. And again they turned over the same hand—in this case K-10—and split the pot. After that, nothing terribly exciting transpired for a while, until it was Gold and Butler in a battle of the blinds. Gold had limped in from the small, Butler raised all in, and Gold called. Butler’s pocket fours had the lead over Gold’s K-J, until a jack flopped. A tiny gutshot hope was squelched on the river, and at 12:45 a.m., Butler walked out in fifth with his first tournament poker paycheck, more than $3.2-million.

Down to four-handed, the players switched up their games. Wasicka took some pots. Cunningham was up and down, taking big pots from Gold, but then making tough laydowns to Wasicka and Gold. Over the next couple hours, Gold just seemed to be streamrolling the other three—in quirky ways, folding out of turn and holding out his cards suggestively when it was on his opponents to act.

Just after 2 a.m., Gold limped in from the button, Cunningham raised the rest of his $6-million all in from the big blind, and Gold, seeing an opportunity to vanquish his most imposing adversary, called. It was Gold’s K-J of diamonds up against Cunningham’s pocket tens—a fairly close race, until Gold flopped a king. Cunningham’s whole tournament life and all the expectations of a known pro possibly surviving a Main Event field of thousands were snuffed out by blanks on the turn and river.

Just like that, Gold vaulted to over $62-million in chips—essentially, all the chips of every player from all 208 tables in three out of the four flights from Tournament Day One.

As three-handed action got underway, Binger and Gold seemed to enjoy a fairly steady banter back and forth.

That is, until Gold bluffed Binger out of a pot on the river. Binger appeared visibly rattled. Gold continued to win a few pots, occasionally showing a card or two. Meanwhile, Binger got aggressive, taking stands and winning pots out of position.

With Gold and Wasicka having limped ahead of him, Binger raised his own big blind and got two calls. The flop came 10c-6s-5s, Binger fired in $3.5-million, Gold declared all in, Wasicka thought long and hard and folded, and Binger called. Binger had A-10 for top pair, top kicker, and Gold had 3-4, an open-ended straight draw. When a seven fell on the turn, the crowd reacted as if they’d been punched in the gut. Binger, who was drawing dead on the river—which happened to be the queen of spades—went out valiantly in third place just after 3 a.m.

But it was the hand Wasicka folded that was more intriguing than the one Gold won with or the one Binger lost with. Wasicka revealed that he’d folded a 7-8 of spades—for an open-ended straight flush draw—that would’ve turned into a winning flush on the river. Had he called, he would have had more than 40 percent of the chips entering heads-up play. Instead, he was down 7-to-1. But as Wasicka said afterward, he was just looking to get heads up with Gold, no matter the stack sizes, and try to outplay his opponent and win it.
Wasicka’s bid lasted seven hands. After he won the first, it was all Gold. The eventual champion was relentless.

On the final hand, Gold limped, Wasicka raised to $1.3-million, and Gold called. The flop came Q-8-5,

Wasicka bet out $1.5-million, Gold announced all in, and then he talked Wasicka into calling. Wasicka turned up a pair of tens. Sure enough, Gold had the queen and he triumphantly turned it up, along with a nine. After an ace on the turn, a four on the river, and about 131/2 hours of poker, Wasicka went out in second and Gold became the new world champion.

Gold had personally ousted everyone at the table but Kim. He played aggressively while rarely putting much of his big stack at risk. And after he won, he admitted that he was relieved to have beaten Wasicka, because he was the only one Gold felt he couldn’t figure out.
Did he mean the only one out of his eight foes at the final table, or the only one out of the 8,772 others in the entire field? The way Gold dominated, from early in the tournament until the very finish, he very well might have meant the latter.

WHERE THE MILLIONS WENT
1st Jamie Gold $12,000,000
2nd Paul Wasicka $6,102,499
3rd Michael Binger $4,123,310
4th Allen Cunningham $3,628,513
5th Rhett Butler $3,216,182
6th Richard Lee $2,803,851
7th Doug Kim $2,391,520
8th Erik Friberg $1,979,189
9th Dan Nassif $1,566,858
10-12 $1,154,527
13-15 $907,128
16-18 $659,730
19-27 $494,797
28-36 $329,865
37-45 $247,399
46-54 $164,932
55-63 $123,699
64-72 $90,713
73-81 $65,973
82-126 $51,129
127-189 $47,006
190-252 $42,882
253-315 $38,759
316-378 $34,636
379-441 $30,512
442-504 $26,389
505-567 $22,266
568-621 $20,617
622-666 $19,050
667-720 $17,730
721-774 $16,493
775-819 $15,504
820-865 $14,597
866-873 $10,616