Jamie Gold was, quite simply, unstoppable on Day 4 of the Main Event.
He was either bluffing people out of their money or busting them out of the tournament with the stone cold nuts.
He was impossible to miss. Players hated him and the crowd loved him.
Naturally, we had to be the first to talk to him about his remarkable run through the 2006 WSOP Main Event
Jamie Gold Crushes Day 4
The Day 4 chip leader gave an exclusive interview to PokerListings.com just moments after play ended for the evening.
PL: How are you feeling right now?
Jamie Gold: Incredible. It's been unbelievable today. I started the day at $385,000 and I'm up to $3.7 million.
PL: Did you ever imagine your day would go this well?
Jamie Gold: Not at all. I've been 0-5 in races until today. I never got lucky, and I still managed to build my stack up to one million. I called my mom and said, "If I can get some luck, I'm going to destroy this whole thing." All of a sudden I got a few lucky hands, and I started wiping people out.
PL: Was today all luck, or was there skill as well?
Jamie Gold: Well, I got on a run of luck, but I also pulled off some huge bluffs for about $500,000. By that time people were scared to play against me and I used that.
PL: How would you describe your style as a player?
Jamie Gold: I change it up depending on who I'm playing with. I don't have a style. All I do is react to who I'm playing with.
PL: What's your poker experience like?
Jamie Gold: I play at the Hustler, Commerce and Bicycle casinos in L.A. I've been playing for about two years, but I learned a bit from Johnny Chan.
I was working with him on a project, and he helped me. My mom is a great poker player, and my grandfather was a Gin Rummy champion.
We were always competitive in my house.
PL: Have you always been a live player or do you play online?
Jamie Gold: I'm not much of an online player. I like to read people and I really get a sense of who I'm playing against.
PL: Where are you from?
Jamie Gold: I live in Malibu, Calif.
PL: Who was your toughest opponent today?
Jamie Gold: Daniel Negreanu. I got involved in a hand with him, and he took it up $40,000. I tried to bluff him and told him I had top pair. He went all-in over me.
I had absolutely nothing. He's amazing. I don't compare to him, but I am learning. I'm getting much better, and I've won six or seven smaller tournaments. I won Stars and Stripes at the Bicycle for about $60,000.
PL: Do you play poker for a living?
Jamie Gold: No, I'm a TV producer. I used to represent celebrities. I used to be a manager for Donnie Wahlburg and Brandi, but I quit to produce TV shows.
PL: This is a bit of a change for you. You might be a star of your own pretty soon.
Jamie Gold: Yeah, but that's not why I'm doing it. I really love the competition and I have a really great mind for it. I've read every book I can get my hands on, and I get better every single time. I play the big cash game at the Commerce, which to me has the best players in the world. I've learned so much from them. I've lost a lot of money there but it's a great education and it's worth it.
PL: Do you have any poker players you look up to?
Jamie Gold: Yeah, Daniel Negreanu and Johnny Chan. I don't know the game enough to know all the other players. There's a guy I play cash games with named Bobby Hoff. He may be the best player in the world, but he's not a tournament player so you probably wouldn't have heard of him.
PL: So what kind of strategy do you have going into Day 5?
Jamie Gold: It all depends. I'll watch how everybody is playing at my table and then I'll play against them. I just want to make sure I can outplay everybody at the table and see what they're doing.
PL: Hey congratulations on your great day and good luck tomorrow.
Jamie Gold: Thank you very much.
Ed. note: Jamie Gold went on to win the 2006 WSOP Main Event in astounding fashion! Check our recaps and interviews with him here:
