Posts Tagged ‘2006 WSOP Main Event’

Jamie Gold Busto? Selling WSOP Bracelet

Saturday, May 18th, 2013

People have been wondering for years if 2006 WSOP Main Event Jamie Gold is busto. And the poker world is only going to further buy into this rumor now that Gold is selling his 2006 Main Event bracelet through an auctioneer.

The bracelet is being sold through Heritage Auctions, which dubs themselves as “The World’s Largest Collectibles Auctioneer.” The bidding will be open on July 13th, 2013 and the auction happens from August 1st-2nd. Heritage provides a lengthy description of the product on the sale page, including the following excerpt:

The bracelet features 259 stones including over seven carats of diamonds and 120 grams of white and yellow gold. Rubies are inset to create the red of the heart and diamond suits, while a sapphire represents the spade and three black diamonds the clubs. The clasp is stamped “14K.” Fine condition. An absolutely amazing representation from one of the most talked about WSOP events in history.

It’s hard telling how much this bracelet will sell for. The only true comparison we have is when 2008 Main Event champ Peter Eastgate sold his bracelet on eBay. Scottish millionaire and philanthropist William Haughey bought the hardware for $147,500. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that proceeds from Eastgate’s bracelet sale went to charity, whereas Gold’s bracelet is likely being sold for his benefit.

Jamie Gold first gained international poker fame after winning the 2006 Main Event along with $12 million. The $12 million payout is the largest WSOP ME payday in history, and the second biggest tournament score of all-time. Unfortunately for Gold, he didn’t get the full amount after settling a lawsuit with Crispin Leyser (undisclosed amount) over a Bodog staking arrangement. He also donked off a great deal of money while playing against some of the world’s best players on High Stakes Poker.

One more point worth making is that Gold has failed to earn much additional revenue through poker since ’06. He only has $150k in tournament winnings since winning the Main Event.

WSOP $1 Million Buy-in to break Records

Friday, April 13th, 2012

What began as a vision several months ago has become reality since the WSOP $1 million buy-in tournament is definitely going to happen from July1st-3rd. Dubbed “The Big One for One Drop,” this tourney already has 30 players confirmed with some of the biggest names in poker having made a commitment.

But before we get into the confirmed players, it’s worth mentioning that this tournament is already guaranteed to set two records. First off, the WSOP $1 million buy-in tournament will feature the biggest buy-in ever; the previously largest tourney was the $250k Aussie Millions High Roller.

As for the second record, the 30 confirmed players and interesting prize pool distribution will see the winner walk away with almost $12.3 million of the prize pool. Assuming this happens as planned, it would easily beat the $12 million that Jamie Gold received for winning the 2006 WSOP Main Event.

With such a massive prize involved, it’s no wonder why the top names in poker will be entering this event. Some of those confirmed include Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan, Tom Dwan, Tony G, Dan Shak, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and Jonathan Duhamel.

In addition to this stellar lineup of players, there will also be some prominent businessmen joining the tourney. These guys include Guy Laliberté, Bobby Baldwin (former player too), Phil Ruffin, Andy Beal, Sean O’Donnell, Richard Yong, Paul Phua and Arnaud Mimran.

The Big One for One Drop will see 10% of the buy-ins go towards Laliberté’s One Drop foundation, while a little under $27 million is available for the actual tourney. We still have plenty of time before July 1st, so both the number of participants and prize money could grow before the tournament starts. But even if it stays the same, we’re still in for quite a special event come WSOP time!