| 15 Outs ... One Time! |
| It's Shronk Daddy. It's 15 questions. It's all the poker knowledge you can handle |
| Featuring : Jamie Gold |
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JustinShronk : Jamie, it's been almost two years since your main event win; in a few sentences, what have the last two years been like?
JamieGold : The last few years have been a learning experience for me. I now realize what is most important in life for me, which is my family and friends, giving back, and trying to affect the world in a positive way.
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JS: If 2008 Jamie could go back and talk to Jamie Gold right after he won the Main Event, what would the present Jamie say to his former self?
JG: It is time for you to take a vacation. |
JS: Do you have any regrets from either your run in the 2006 Main Event, or your poker career since then?
JG: I regret that I hadn't known more about the rules of the game, and some of the ways I acted at the time – looking back, I wish I wouldn't have acted that way. Also, if I had known the tax liability protocol with splitting my poker winnings with another person, I never would have been so misunderstood and had all those misperceptions surrounding me. |
JS: You've done a lot of charity work since winning the Main Event, what draws you to this type of work?
JG: It feels really good to give back. I am in a very fortunate position that I have the time, energy and resources to do it right now. I hope that I can continue to focus on this way of living for the rest of my life. I have recently committed the bulk of my time to the MDA ALS Division, which is the organization that helped my father the most. I am proud to be a celebrity spokesperson for them and will continue to be as intimately involved as possible for years to come.
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JS: You got a pretty bad rap for the "lawsuit" that went down between you and Crispin Leyser. I know you're probably not allowed to talk about most of it, but is there anything you'd like to clear up about the situation? Anything that you feel most people might still be misunderstanding.
JG: I didn't think there was anything left to clear up these days. I thought everyone knew the truth by now and that I hadn't done anything wrong. |
JS: Who are some of the people you've met through poker that you think will be life-long friends? In particular people that you probably wouldn't have met if not for poker.
JG: I love this question. That is one of the things I love the most about winning the World Series of Poker: the amazing people that I have met, that will be friends of mine for life. The list is a little long for me to spit out, but I love that question. There really are so many great, great people. |
JS: You've stated that you want to become "the best bluffer ever" – do you still think that goal is do-able, and if so, how far along do you consider yourself and what else do you need to do to get there?
JG: I am not sure if I can ever obtain the status of "best bluffer ever" but I am working to be the best bluffer that I can possibly be. |
JS: You won the biggest poker tournament in history. Are there still other goals and things you want to accomplish in poker? Or is everything else gravy at this point?
JG: Of course winning the biggest prize in poker was great, but what I want to accomplish now is away from the poker table. I want to expand the game of poker so it’s legal online everywhere in the world, and I want to work towards raising as much money possible through charity/celebrity poker events to cure fatal diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s, and MLS. |
JS: If you could choose the player to win the Main Event this year, who would you pick and why?
JG: I would choose my mother, Jane Gold, to win it. I could never love anyone more, and I know it would make her the happiest person in the world to win it. |
JS: Who has taught you the most in poker?
JG: My friend, Jeff Grau, taught me the basics in Texas hold’em. I worked out hands and theory together with my friend, Eric. I read as many books as I could get my hands on. Took away a little something from every book.
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JS: Who has taught you the most in life?
JG: My mother, by far. |
JS: Who is the best NLHE tournament player in the world?
JG: You have to say Phil Hellmuth. Look at his results. But I think there is an amazing group of people. It is hard not to give it to Phil though. At the end of the day, he has really earned it. |
JS: If, for some reason, you couldn't play poker for the rest of your life, but you could stake five players, who would you stake?
JG: If we are discussing both tournament and live play, my stable would include - in cash games: Gabe Thaler and Kenny Tran. In tournaments: Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, and my mother, because it would be satisfying and exciting. |
JS: In thirty years or so (assuming you've moved on from poker), when your banner hangs inside the Amazon Room and some kid points at it and asks, "Who is Jamie Gold," how do you want people to remember you?
JG: At the end of the day, I want people to look back and see me as a guy who raised so much money for charity that it helped lead to cures for diseases such as ALS, Parkinson's, MS and cancer.
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