I hear that my name sometimes gets thrown around at the poker table. I’ll ask someone, “How was the game?” He’ll say, “Some guy Jamie Golded me.”
Yeah, that’s what it means. (1) I’ve got to tell you, though: At some tables, I didn’t say a word. I was quiet for all 14 hours. Television made it look like I never shut up. They had to make me out to be something different–and to be the luckiest guy in the world.
Most people realize the edited version (2) shows about 10 hands out of 10,000. It looked like I got lucky every single time, but if you break it down, maybe only one time I got in (3) without the best of it. If I think I’m in a coin flip, I normally don’t play it.
Someone reported that I said I was the best player in the world. What I said was: I know I’m not the best player in the world, but there were some dot-dot-dots in the quote. And then that got picked up by 10 other journalists. It distressed me because there’s no question I’m not anywhere near the level of the top guys. I’ve only been playing for 10 years; that was my first World Series.
I don’t know if it’s good or bad to achieve your goal in the thing you love the most the first time out. A friend of mine compared it to winning gold in the Olympics. What do you do after that? I’m trying to find other things that get me excited in the game of poker, and “High Stakes Poker” (4) is one of them. But I’d be happier if it weren’t on television. It affects people’s play.
Believe it or not, I’m not a huge gambler. When I risk my money, I feel like I have to have an edge. I don’t do a lot of sports betting, and I didn’t grow up as a gambler. I grew up as a competitor. My grandfather played gin rummy four or five nights a week and then all day Saturday and Sunday. I sat on his lap and learned how to count cards.
I stopped being a talent agent years ago. We have a TV studio, Buzznation, with Jeff Greenfield and Mark Hughes, who wrote the book “Buzzmarketing.” It’s required reading at Harvard and Stanford business schools. Right now we’re editing a reality series called “The Hottest Mom in America.”
I have 16 years of experience in the entertainment business, and my opinion is valuable to my partners. Last year I was on my cell phone during every break. (5) I didn’t want to be recorded, so I talked to ESPN and got an agreement from them. I was very distracted a lot of the time, but the last few days I was totally focused.
I never had any legal trouble; that was a mistake. (6) The first time we sat down together, we settled it immediately. He was always going to get his money. It was just a tax issue, and we fixed it.
I feel like I have a better shot to win it this year than last year. The odds just came out. I would absolutely take me at 500-1.
I’m getting better at getting a read on a player just based on how he looks at his cards. Johnny Chan told me that one day it will come to you or it never will. Once you have that skill, you get to a place where you can really compete.
I love Chicago. My girlfriend is from Lake Forest, and I’m friends with Jim DAmbrosio. (7) He goes by Jimmy D. He’s really outspoken, and he gets excited when he’s playing. He jumps on chairs.
My prediction: He will be the No. 1 poker player out of Chicago within the next year. I’m training him, so he’s gonna be the best.
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1. Using “table talk” to get your opponent to make an incorrect call or fold.
2. Of ESPN’s World Series of Poker telecasts.
3. To the pot.
4. Season 4 of the Game Show Network’s “High Stakes Poker” is scheduled to debut in September. Season 3 repeats Mondays at 8 p.m.
5. Of the World Series.
6. A fellow TV executive had claimed that Gold reneged on an agreement to split his $12 million in WSOP winnings.
7. A Chicago nightclub owner.
