$12,000,000 MAN! Last year when Joe Hachem won the World Series of Poker and $7,500,000 worth of actual one hundred dollar bills in a wheelbarrow with a shotgun escort I predicted the 2006 prize would be $10,000,000! I was wrong. As we know now it turned out to be $12,000,000, one of the most spectacular one man prizes available in sport. With a winning name like Jamie Gold you could be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was pure Hollywood. It wasn’t. It was pure Vegas! Well done, Jamie Gold.
SO HOW DID HE DO IT? Throughout the long and drawn out contest against eight thousand seven hundred and seventy other players, Goldfinger patiently built a monster stack which frequently topped $60,000,000. From that point onwards, Jamie played a classic, textbook, bully-boy game that took no prisoners and never really looked like producing a serious competitor. The only stack anywhere near his in the final run up was a mere $30,000,000. Gold simply out-gunned everyone. His run of cards in the last few days was described by various professional players as “incredible” and “almost unbelievable”. Alan Cunningham had looked throughout like the only man really capable of melting Gold down. However, with only four players left at the final table, Cunningham used a pair of tens to go all-in against Gold who was holding King- Queen suited. The flop brought another King and Gold had finally kicked the guts out of the last of Cunningham’s brave confrontations. Michael Binger and Paul Wasicka were the only two players left in and Gold almost removed them both at one go. A pre-flop raise didn’t prevent any of them from all seeing the flop. The flop in question delivered the Ten of Clubs-Six and Five of Spades. Wasicka checked, Binger bet big time and Gold went all-in. Wasicka mumbled, “This is sick!” and folded, later revealing he had Seven-Eight of Spades for an open ended straight-flush draw. Binger showed top pair and top kicker while Gold had the dummy end of the straight draw. Gold hit his straight on the turn. Wasicka’s flush would’ve been completed at the river had he called and not folded. He would’ve won.
THE SHOWDOWN Binger was dead meat in the water and Wasicka was so badly wounded he hardly stood a chance in the showdown and was easily mashed. $12,000,000 of pure Gold: Ch-Ching! In a scene straight out of Deadwood, the steel wheelbarrow rolled forward with its gargantuan greenback cargo, the glint of shotgun barrels a warning to George Clooney and the boys if they were in town for Ocean’s 23 or whatever heist number they’re up to by now. Some wise arse might be tempted to tell Jamie Gold and his family, “IT’S ONLY A GAME OF CARDS!” Not anymore isn’t. If you’re an online poker player my prediction for 2007 is $15,000,000 to the winner, so start looking for a satellite WSOP entry right away: They’re Gold dust.
