Re-thinking Jamie Gold...

[Bruno]

I was re-watching the first couple of 2007 WSOP episodes on ESPN the last couple of days (yea, yea, yea....too much time on my hands...lol), and couldn't help myself but to take a deeper look at Jamie Gold's behavior and play (Ok, wayyyy too much time on my hands...).

The first thing that stoodout to me was when he walked up to the ME table the day before he was to play, and had a conversation with Hachem. I could only think he was looking for "face time" on the TV. The applause given to him when he was introduced as he was doing it was minimal, at best. It was more in the vein of three or four claps and "yea, whatever..."

His interview with ESPN was interesting because of his spin on how things went with his partner, who was supposed to recieve 1/2 of his winnings. Anybody else catch his "it didn't take 6 months to get it done, it took one hour" statement regarding getting the other guy his money? Typical for him.... His attempted explantion of why people don't like him, i.e: "i couldn't be the guy Ramer was cause I had other things going on" ignores the simple fact that if he was a "good" guy people would have embraced him even more because of his mother's and father's health issues. He would have been cannonized....Instead, demonized...

His play at the table was, quite simply, attrociously bad. He played several hands horrifically bad: calling with 23 suited to the reraise preflop and on the flop (if he thought the guy had big ace or such he should have reriased on the flop), etc, etc. Haugaard had his number from the opening hand, and he never adjusted his play to that. Some of his verbal comments during the televised portion were so self-defeating ("he's outplayed me all day", "now that's the way to play" when he folded on the river bet by the guy who didn't need his river set) I'm left with the impression that he "knew" he was going to bust early, and he fullfilled that.

Here's hoping that he doesn't show up to the WSOP this year, and if he does that ESPN ignores him....

[rasta]

I think your comments are spot on. The guy is a terrible player in the sense that
he has only one gear. That is, he will push with BS. Did you notice when
another fellow called what he felt Gold was holding? Big tell. The other guy was
spot on. gold won because it was his time. We all have those moments.
Otherwise, he fits right in with the DPT.

[DenverPokerTour]

"Fits right in with the DPT".

You're right. We do produce winners in the DPT.

Let's see...

Francois Safieddine DPT player and winner of 2007 $2500.00 WSOP Tourny for $521,785
Paul Wasika former DPT player and 2nd place at 2006 WSOP Main Event for over $6 Mill
Julie Perla DPT player and dealer and 10th place 2007 Ladies WSOP for over $10,000
Howard Narlinger DPT Player and winner of 2008 WSOP Circuit event in February at Council Bluffs
(I placed 17th in that same event)
Mike Best DPT player and 7th place finish at WSOP Circuit in April at Ceasar's in Las Vegas

and many other plays and cashes in not only WSOP & WPT events, but many others as well.

Out of curiousity, how have you done lately?

Brian Masters
Denver Poker Tour

[rasta]

I think you miss read my post. Gold is your type of player. You're taking it as a
knock. it isn't. But you have to agree that you have folks that win every night
that statistically probably shouldn't. It was just their time. Gold is one
of those folks. as for the
guys you mentioned, all great players. There is no way, though, that I would
put Gold in the same category as Wasika. Wasika has staying
power. Gold doesn't. And from
DPT no less.

As for me, I'm doing quite well thank you. I've found my place on line
and it more than pays my bills and fattens my accounts.

[DenverPokerTour]

"it more than pays my bills and fattens my accounts"

That's what we all like to hear! and have fun of course.

Me and the DPT gang ran across Jamie Gold last year when we were out playing in the WSOP. He came outside for a cigarette and looked like he was a homeless guy right off the street.

We were standing with Annie Duke and Scotty Nguyen and they both commented to our group that most of the pros just don't like him. Not only as a player, but as a person. He seemed to have ruffled alot of feathers and was extremely demanding about how the media, press, news, etc. should treat him. Maybe that explains why there wasn't that much story on him in the major gaming mags. He seemed to be very demanding.

(I did notice however that he didn't get many photo or autograph requests from the public.)

But once again, luck sometimes wins over skill. Just ask Helmuth.


This week, the DPT is sending out a dozen players for several of the events including

#7 $2000 No Limit Hold'em
#15 $1000 Ladies WSOP (Hoping for an even better finish than last years 10th)
#21 $5000 No-Limit Hold'em (We just have 2 players going)

We have a couple of more coming up, and we'll keep you posted on how they do.

Brian Masters
Denver Poker Tour

[rasta]

Best of luck to you and your team. I gotta say, DPT is a great way to learn
the game. I haven't been to Denver in a couple of years so I obviously haven't
played any of your games but what I did learn is how to not get mad when
some drunk playing for the first time sucks out. On the other hand, you do
have some very good players. You mentioned Howard. After thinking about
it last night I recall a Howard whom I played with there on occassion. I think
he was about 100 years old but a hell of a player. Same guy?

[DenverPokerTour]

Not 100 years old but close. (Sorry Howard.) Some players actually thought he was my dad. We had fun with that for awhile.

He's also going out to the seniors tournament. Last year he cashed in the Seniors event and the Pot Limit Omaha.

Damn fine player.

Brian Masters
Denver Poker Tour

[dvrdave]

Let's see...
Francois Safieddine DPT player and winner of 2007 $2500.00 WSOP Tourny for $521,785
Paul Wasika former DPT player and 2nd place at 2006 WSOP Main Event for over $6 Mill
Howard Narlinger DPT Player and winner of 2008 WSOP Circuit event in February at Council Bluffs
(I placed 17th in that same event)Brian Masters
Denver Poker Tour

Really Brian, trying to claim DPT taught Wasicka...He has stated numerous times that he learned the game playing 5-10 online. I will not say that he has never played DPT, but there is no way you can say he learned how to play poker playing your game.

Look at Francois Safieddine's WSOP record, he's cashed numerous times beginning in 2005, do DPT must have been the first time he's ever played poker.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Howard was a long time professional poker player in Las Vegas before he moved to Colorado with his family. Again, don't take credit where you don't deserve it.

Congrats to Howard for his win and your claim to fame of 17th. Doesn't your website say there were about 100 players, are you proud that you played in a tournament and finished out of the money?

If it makes you sleep better at night thinking YOU created these winners so be it, but I'll give you less credit

[DenverPokerTour]

Hey Dave...

Shhh.... grown ups are talking.

Grow up.

Brian Masters
Denver Poker Tour

PS. At no time have I ever made the statement that DPT taught any of these players how to play. I simply made a comment that these are/ were DPT players who have cashed in BIG.

[dvrdave]

Brian,

I say that you shouldn't claim you "produced" the winners and tell me to grow up. Then you send me this PM titled: "Duel?"

Tell you what... you pick up 4 players and I'll pick up 4 players. We'll play No-Limit Texas Hold'em. You can choose the starting stacks, and blind format. If you or your players win, I leave the DP site. If me or my players win, you leave the site.

Brian Masters

I'm not the one that needs to grow up.
Take care,
Dave

[Bruno]

I thought this thread was about Jamie Gold?

As an aside: I met a nice older guy playing in blackhawk a few days ago. Leo, I think his name was. Someone brought up Gold, and this guy said that, although they weren't close friends, they had done some buisness together and that they were acquaintances. He said that Gold is actually a nice guy and considerate away from the tables.

As for Wasicka, one of the first places he began playing was at Mark's game back in the day over by 82nd and Sheridan. I forgot all about it until Mike Gebhardt brought it up that I sent him broke several times. He got better (lol).....

[rasta]

Bruno - Mark's game at 82 and Sheridan? Mark who and what is the bar?
I too know someone that has worked with Gold. He was her agent a few years
ago. She and I have a business relationship and I was trying to get her into
poker the year Gold won. She was amazed that he was that year's winner.
she did not say anything personal about him but was a bit skeptical of his
winning 12m. I had the sense that she might go to him for repayment of something. LOL

My thoughts on gold only relate to what I've seen from him in terms of play and comments.
As for Brian, we all somehow know something about Brian. He is who he is and he
has built a business that didn't exist before. Good for him. (Gawd I hate to defend him)

[takeittothehouse]

As for Brian, we all somehow know something about Brian. He is who he is and he
has built a business that didn't exist before. Good for him. (Gawd I hate to defend him)

Yes, Brian has built a very strong business with free poker - I don't think anyone is disputing that.

But poker was around long before Brian started free poker in Colorado. I would guess there's a strong chance that some of the above mentioned people (that he says "DPT produced") played poker elsewhere (ie Vegas, Blackhawk, online), and more often than with DPT, and that is where they're skills were developed.

[Bruno]

Bruno - Mark's game at 82 and Sheridan? Mark who and what is the bar?

Wasn't a bar. Was a raked 1/2 NLHE game, with some small tourneys (mostly). I first met Paul at a tourney downtown (art museum, I think). Then he began to play at Mark's game. Mark ran a pretty good game, then dissappeared, leaving town owing some people some money. He just appeared one day, ran a game for a couple of years, then dissappeared....

[rasta]

that's funny. Seems to be alot of that around Denver. What ever happened to
Andrew and Matt? I watched the stuff on their snake oil bit (pun intended) and haven't
seen anything lately. Those guys wanted me in but I had a problem with their
business plan, things like it not making sense.