Legendary Editor and all around poker god Michael Caselli has offered to help me launch The Jamie Gold Foundation in London at Poker in the Park. I am truly honored to be a part of what I have missed the last 2 years and though we are only 2 weeks away I know my friends will come together to make this happen. Peter Eastgate is going to co host it with me, Michael Greco my closest friend out there is helping us get celebrities, Tony Jones and Poker Icons are all pitching in to make sure it is a great event. We are lucky to have donated prizes worth the price of admission 500 pounds, and really cool auction items. The Casino Empire (where the WSOPE takes place) has donated the VIP room and staff and it seems this will be a great way to launch. PokerStars has even put up a main event seat to EPT London as a prize…we are very well supported. August 13th, Thursday, I will speak at Poker in the Park in the square there, as will Peter and Michael and many others (www.pokerinthepark.com). Bluff is really going all out to make this even bigger and better than last year and it’s free to attend the seminars. Having the current WSOP champion is an honor and I know how lucky we are to have all the support we do. Melissa at Lyceum is working like mad to get the word out, she booked us on Sky TV and has 4 different television outlets covering the event not to mention the red carpet work and all the magazine and print coverage, it’s not an easy thing to do. This is a great way to announce the foundation to the world. Now if we can get our website up and running we will really be official. We have a great team. It’s alot more work than I had ever thought. The last 70 charity events seem like a walk in the park compared to the first official one for our foundation to support all the causes we believe in the most. The pressure just doesn’t compare, but I need to feel I am really affecting positive change in the world so this is most important and rewarding. I look forward to sharing more soon.

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I sincerely apologize for not checking in all month. I have been working hard with my team on the launch of our charitable foundation, it is coming along with a lot of effort and more than we expected in terms of set up. It will all be worth it once we can look back as we support such great causes on a yearly basis. Coupled with developing a new way to have poker on television this summer has not been as much about poker as I would have liked but I am content with splitting my year between work, poker, and charitable endeavors. Someday before the end of the year I hope to take a much needed vacation!

So I got back to Vegas for the 5k 6-Handed event and to play in the main event. I am so proud of my friend Michael Greco for placing 3rd and so close to winning his first of many bracelets this year in the 1500NLH. It really is more exciting when you have no pressure and can root for someone you care about. Felt really bad when he didn’t win as I know how much he wanted that to happen. He deserves it for sure.

Having a day free, a trusted friend thought I should meet the online player of the year for 2008 David “The Maven” Chicotsky as we have some things in common and a similar outlook on ways to give back to the world and the poker community having had a certain level of success. I must say I was most impressed with him, his business and his commitment to continually learning everything he can about tournament poker. He learned first from Ari Engel, which led him to other online greats and the creation of a system that has proven high returns for his students. I spent some time coaching with him and knowing that there are more new online players all the time making deep runs in major tournaments it was important for me to be aware of as much as I could of this system he was teaching. I played 3 tournaments in Las Vegas one in LA and 2 online. I cashed in 3 and made one final table so I would say it helped my game. The game is ever changing based on how those we play against are acting, and I needed to change along with it. The main event wasn’t much of a test as I ran into set over set in the first level crippling me and never recovered. I am inspired by my time with David though and look forward to adding my own knowledge of live play and bluffing and tells to the system. We are discussing a way to bring this information to the masses which would be very exciting.

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The great moments in my life are often sharing in the milestones of those that I care about. My dear friend Todd put his heart and soul into “The Hangover” movie , and it was amazing! This is surely a highpoint of his life and career and to be able to share in it was the best. This is one of the funniest movies ever made, beautifully shot, and will obviously be a worldwide hit. For Las Vegas it will surely boost business, and certainly won’t hurt the poker community. Todd is a top level poker player himself, and I hope he can make it to the Main Event to play at the WSOP if he gets a minute off from his world tour to open the film. I am so proud and excited for him I am going to see it for the second time today, it’s really that good. You will laugh your butt off. My prediction is that it will make over 100 million dollars in it’s initial domestic run.

I made it out to the Rio just in time to participate in the Champions Invitational, and what an impressive group of poker players and real gentleman there were. I was glad I finally got to meet a couple of past winners that I had not previously, and reconnect with some that I don’t get to see often enough. My friends from Affliction brought 2 limited edition beautiful jackets that were graciously signed by every champion there for us to auction off for charity. I must say launching my foundation has been more work than participating in every other charity event over the last 3 years but it will be well worth it.

Back to the 5 minutes I actually played in the event…I was seated with Carlos, Dan, Johnny, Robert and Greg (absent as he was at the final table of the 40k). Carlos and Johnny and my mom and I were telling stories of the Turks and Caicos Island tournament we all spent a week at 3 years ago which was a blast and second hand I get JJ late position with just Carlos behind me I raise he reraises which if you know him he could have absolutely nothing so I called. The board came low so I bet he called and now I think something is fishy and I might be in trouble. He would however do the same thing with top pair, underpair, AK etc. Turn gives me a straight draw with my JJ and now I feel a bit stuck, I check he bets I call. Blank on the river and I check he puts in a small value bet I tell him now I know he has QQ and I am stuck to call the 2k or so into 14k pot and he shows KK…aahhh well I could have played it better but Dan Harrington and Johnny both agreed it’s Carlos after all and the only bet I could have saved was the last bet. So I am real short now and get q10 on the button Johnny in the big blind calls the 150 and it comes q high…flash to end of hand and somehow I didn’t go broke he had aa in the big blind 5 handed oh well…last shot was on a flush draw against Dan and I missed for my last 750…it was a very fun 5 minutes.

I look forward to playing my first bracelet events this weekend, then back to LA for work and hope to get back once before the main event.

Over the weekend I met one of my favorite basketball players who wants me to coach him for the Main Event so I am excited to help and now have a small group of people depending on me to get them past day 1…we shall see, it will be a fun challenge.

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After a brief trip to NYC to spend Mother’s day with my mom, it was off to Zurich and then Nice for the Cannes film festival in France. Joined by two of my oldest and closest friends, my first time there was sure to be an adventure. The main reason for going was to co-host and emcee the charity event at the Hotel du Cap, which was a poker and live auction tournament for the Sunflower Children. Helena Hudova founded this wonderful and important organization that supports children with little to no resources globally. I was honored to take part for the second time, as we have another event planned for the fall. Bluff magazine will soon be advertising the event as one of it’s generous sponsors. We were lucky to have some of the most famous and respected celebrities, artists, icons and captains of industry in attendance. Maybach was the presenting sponsor and the cars donated were incredible. Worldwide press seemed most excited when Paris Hilton arrived, as did Emile Hirsch, Malin Ackerman, Willem Dafoe, Lawrence Bender, Adrian Paul and a host of names and faces we all love. Behind the scenes a team of people worked tirelessly day and night for weeks (some months) to make this happen…Lane, Omar, James, Tommy, Uli, Jutta and the whole team were exhausted by the final table which was exciting and crowned our gracious winner Monique McDuffie
which will get coaching from me for the main event and a very generous prize package from Everest Poker! She will be flown out to Vegas, put up and bought into the main event. I will continue to help her through the breaks and give her a shot at the next championship. She has just begun playing, may be her first time in a big tournament, so anytime she lasts will be impressive.

I want to say a special thank you to my friend Phillip Baker for emceeing with me as well as acting as auctioneer. He came in at the last moment from Ireland to help out and was a champion. What a hard working professional, total class act. My new European agents, Poker Icons came through with the Everest deal, flew out to support the event, and were invaluable in their commitment to me. I am very fortunate to have them working with my amazing manager Sean and brilliant attorney Les. As we are in the process of launching our first event for my charitable foundation, I have to thank Angelica and her team for her tireless work for the cause. Finally, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lisa, you are just the best.

I am looking forward to the Invitational event which will be my first event at the WSOP. This year I am planning on playing a few events, most excited about the main event!

Have a big movie premiere in Los Angeles to support a good friend (and a hell of a poker player Todd Phillips) so my first trip to Vegas for the summer will be cut short.

I wish everyone the good fortune I have had in life and at the WSOP this year. Keep putting out positive energy in the world and give back when you can, time or money, it feels good and makes the world a better place.

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What a weekend…

I made a promise to a friend that I would attend an event on Friday night, thought I could go for an hour and it turned into 6. It was a charity event for the Children’s hospital and I ran into so many old friends that I just couldn’t leave. Turns out a few people I watch on TV every week that I have never met are actually fans, it always surprises me when that happens but I do feel most fortunate. This was a whole weekend event and I had to miss the Saturday festivities as my friend Hank was hosting his charity event on the beach down the road from my home. It was beautiful and star-studded as expected. This was a poker event giving away two seats to the WSOP so people were a bit competitive but very friendly and generous. Some events are a bit more expensive than others but I am constantly impressed with the amount of people willing and able to donate their time and hard earned money to these events. This one went into the wee hours of the night/morning, and I had to miss another charity event in Beverly Hills Saturday night, took some heat for it but life is about choices, and I just didn’t feel right leaving early. Sunday plans were moved to early in the week so I could take a much needed rest…

My foundation is coming along and we are planning some really exciting things which I hope to share soon.

A reminder for anyone that is planning on attending our event May 17th in Cannes…you need to sign up in advance so you don’t get shut out. It’s for a great cause, will be an incredible night as we have worked very hard the last 3 months putting this on. We are honored that Edward Norton is hosting and Bluff is one of our sponsors!

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I must say the Irish Open was a blast! Anywhere you can still speak about the contents of your hand when heads up has my total respect and admiration for allowing poker to be played the way it should live… as a psychological game. All of the people from Paddy Power Poker were so accommodating every moment and a special thanks to Eric and Noel for constantly going out of their way to be the most gracious hosts. Liam “The Gentleman” Flood took us out for a wonderful meal in Dublin and it was more than kind. Philip came over from his office at Bluff in the UK, and I really appreciated spending time with him. Bright and warm, wise and down to earth, I look forward to more time spent!

My good friend Ciaran O’leary made sure we saw some of Dublin’s pubs, and as always made the trip most worthwhile. Phil Laak arrived just in time from a world tour with Jen, and couldn’t believe that it took the Irish Open for us to spend time together. I miss them, especially the “theory of the universe” talks Phil and I get into sometimes. He is one of the most interesting, wise and kind souls on the planet. We did get seated at the featured table on day 2 after I played about as well as I could on day 1. This was a lot of fun as always, still wondering if he had me beat when I laid down the JJ preflop…either way I hope we gave some great TV for the production which they deserve… I don’t see how I could have played worse on day 2, really just gave my chips away and was very frustrated…oh well live and learn. I moved on and took 6th in the final tournament on my last day there going completely card dead at the final table, played well though, so the trip was a success all around. I plan to make the return trip as often as I can, love the structure and the rules, moreso the people are warm and lack the materialistic views so often coloring life here at home.

Unfortunately couldn’t play in the Bellagio, had business get in the way at the last minute but looking forward to the WSOP. We just announced our Cannes event which looks to be very exciting on May 17th in France.

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Made it out to Vegas this past weekend to support my friends that put on “Dream Team Poker” at Caesars and it was a blast. Houston, Ashley and I played for TEAM ACED.com and Houston was the chip leader for a while, while I went up and down, Ashley stayed pretty much solid through dinner. We outlasted all the other teams to have all three of us still in down to the end of day 1 then Houston went out around 65th. I must say it makes you play much more conservatively when you don’t want to disappoint your teammates, so when I had a couple of opportunities to double up and make a run for the win I decided to coast along and wait so we would have the best chance of winning the team prize. By day 2 Ashley and I were somewhat short stacked and decided we would play carefully knowing that if 7 people of the remaining 22 busted we won no matter how we finished. My first hand I look down at AQ and usually that would be an automatic push with 2 big blinds left but I was patient and it paid off. With a bit of luck and some solid coaching of Ashley when it was needed we both made the final table, I finished 9th pushing with a terrible hand but the blinds and antes dictated that in my blind I had no choice with any two cards. The big blind had AK and a big stack so easy call. I ended up with a lot of outs on the turn, my 6 cards for a pair and open-ended 8 outs so there was a shot there but no cigar. Ashley played near perfect poker the whole tournament, made some great very tough calls and never went in behind so we were most proud of her. Seven years of watching me play and listening to my philosophies on specific hands had led her to this very impressive showing. TJ Cloutier and Tom McEvoy gave her the greatest of compliments, and I am proud to share the win with her, Houston and ACED. Her last hand in the small blind ran into AA in the big, after running into KK just before 4 handed. So no luck when she needed it there but no worries. Her big cash and in this economy who doesn’t appreciate a nice win?

I want to thank Bluff for wishing us luck and thinking that we deserved this one after how they busted me out of the last one…and for including me in the 40 greatest WSOP players in history. I hear that they put me on the cover of Bluff Europe, would like to see it…they have been very kind and fair to me in the past, actually reporting facts and not getting caught up in ridiculous rumors. I am honored and look forward to a fun and maybe successful WSOP! I think I am playing my best tournament poker since 2006, we will see after a few more tournaments how I am feeling.

I have agreed to be a part of 6 more charity events in the coming months, two of which I am hosting so I will update on those that include poker like the event we are doing at the Cannes film festival in France which should be most rewarding for The SunflowerChildren.org

On to Ireland…

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I really look forward to playing the heads up event every year on NBC. The producers and executives behind this event make it very special and a lot of fun. It is a bit more of a gamble than a regular tournament structure, but still a lot of fun. One of my idols, Orel Hershiser, was cheering me on with my Aced.com team and even let me wear his World Series championship ring for luck! This was a great moment in my life as I have been a die hard Dodger fan my whole life and he was particularly exciting to watch as he had near perfect seasons…now I consider him a friend and cannot believe how lucky my life is sometimes.

So we drew for match ups and I drew Scott Fischman again! Last year we met in the 2nd round and had one of the best matches only to have the blinds get so high on us while nearly even we agreed we were just flipping for it…he came out the winner and this year looked to be a great match as well. Wouldn’t you know it we played each other brilliantly again to get to the same climax, this time we really laughed about it and understood we were a hand or two away from having to flip again, the blinds too high for our stacks and had to push with any decent hand, or call with any decent hand. He came out victorious again and I must say I wasn’t too upset, I really like him and he’s a great player who worked hard for it so I wished him truly well and went to spend time with my Aced team while in Vegas. I hope everyone is enjoying the site, I know I haven’t been able to play on it as much as I will in the future but you have to love the software, features are very cool and different…

So on to Bay 101. It was my first jaunt up there and though there wasn’t much around other than the tournament it was an interesting and different structure which made it very cool to play in. Along with 50 other poker pros, I had a 5k bounty for knocking me out which puts a little more incentive in calling me (as if people need another reason). Matt Savage and the group put on a first class event, and I felt for the first time I can remember in a tournament since I had that incredible run back when that my tournament game was at its best. I had a couple of unfortunate hands, flopping a set getting all of the money in and getting hit by running cards to beat me, that kind of thing but still felt great about how I played. I look forward to playing more when I have time this year; next one is the Irish Open after some fun with Dream Team poker this weekend.

Team Aced will be there to support my friends that created this new and innovative concept where it’s not about you, it’s about your team.

On the charity front, which consumes most of time these days (thank you Aced.com again for pledging to support my endeavors and allowing me the time to continue to help affect change in the world, your understanding even though you have invested a lot in me matters and thank you) I have agreed to host an event at the Cannes film festival in May. Look for our billboard in Times Square NYC! The charity is Sunflowerchildren.org and it is one of the causes I work for regularly and was honored to co-host their event in NYC last Thanksgiving with Russell Simmons and Helena Hudova. This event will be an incredible one, with Maybach as our first sponsor signed and one of the most influential celebrities in the world has agreed to fly there with me. More in the next blog, and information on our next event in April in Los Angeles for LOVECURESCANCER.

“Make alot of money, give back what you don’t need to those in need”

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As I continue giving away money on Aced.com-which I’m more than happy to do-the principles at Aced are in the process of setting up my public tables where I will always have a reserved seat. However, as I mentioned last week, the only way you will be able to play with me is by signing up directly through Aced.com. Last week for a 33 dollar buy in one player knocked me out and got the 1000 dollar bounty on me, and another knocked out my mom and got 250 dollars. I was playing from the Oscar party which was kind of interesting, but made it go much faster for me as the Oscars tend to go a little long. Before, you could play with me via the Merge Network but within a week that ability will no longer be available. Table stakes will range from $1 to $100,000 so I will be able to play with everyone. I have been playing at all levels, in sit-n-go’s, tourneys, and having a great time. The features are very cool and make it more fun than usual. I think we are going to put a straddle feature on next month, it’s just getting better and better.

I was planning on having the LAPC at the Commerce Casino be my first major event with Aced.com but an opportunity came up to join Daphna Ziman and the team that put together the after-party for the Oscars at the Beverly Hilton benefiting CUN (Children Uniting Nations), a hugely successful foster care organization that has raised tens of millions in support of an incredible cause. Amazingly, less than 50% of American children are graduating high school these days and one of CUN’s programs-utilizing trained mentors- increases that percentage by a staggering margin, to over 95%. If you figure that 87% of America’s incarcerated have come from the welfare system, this program will have an enormous direct impact on society by not only lowering the crime rate but by presenting those less fortunate with options they previously would never have enjoyed. Jennifer Aniston, Nancy Pelosi, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Pierce Brosnan and the Black Eyed Peas are just some of the hundreds of celebrities, icons and influencers that support this cause.

When it comes to charity, you can donate your time or you can donate your money and I think it’s really important that every one of us do either one or the other. That said I was truly happy to help them put on a last minute poker tournament in conjunction with their event and it seems like we were able to pull it off in high style.

Of course, I wasn’t alone in my charitable efforts-some friends from the poker world also supported the cause.

Lisa Wheeler, the guru of poker marketing and an awesome human being, came though in an unbelievable way by bringing us her wealth of experience and contacts including Matt Savage, former WSOP tournament director, current LAPC tournament director and founder of the Tournament Director’s Association. Matt not only did an incredible job at the event-he even went so far as to shut down the LAPC by 8:30 PM so any and all that wanted to support us could make it. And make it, they did-some of the poker world’s biggest stars took part, including: Phil Hellmuth, David Williams, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, David “Chino” Rheem, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Ali Nejad, and Layne Flack.

Former super-model and absolute sweetheart Amber Smith from VH1’s “Sober House” not only took part but actually finished 3rd-and it was her first time playing! She knocked me out, Chris Ferguson, Layne, and I think Phil, or at least crippled him if I am not mistaken. My good friend Kasey Thompson made a last longer bet on her behalf against Phil Hellmuth, and so he went home very happy. Phil and all the guys were most generous with their time, made it fun for all their fans and participants, and I can’t thank them enough! Our poker community has always supported each other and I think it’s a very special thing that doesn’t always exist in business communities.

Although he didn’t play, Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau-with innumerable film roles to his credit including the kind-hearted judge who saved Mike McD’s bacon (played by Matt Damon) in Rounders-dropped by to say hello, one of many Hollywood heavyweights in attendance. How cool to have an Oscar winner from the movie that sparked my epiphany leading me to where I am now…

The tournament’s winner received an incredible WSOP package, including the $10,000 WSOP main event buy-in, airfare and hotel accommodations, and private coaching from me prior to the event, all courtesy of Aced.com. Jeffrey Pollack and the World Series of Poker were supportive of our last minute endeavor and we thank them for that as well.

Second prize was no slouch, either-a $10,000 diamond ring donated by my friend and fellow philanthropist Dan that owns Who’s Your Daddy Energy Drinks. This went to Kelly Griggs who flew down from San Francisco at the last minute to lend a helping hand.

The post-Oscars CUN event was the first test of my new relationship with Aced.com, as it forced me to choose between playing in an event that is very important to them and participating in an extremely worthy charitable endeavor. As it turned out, Houston, Xander and Brandon at Aced not only championed my decision, they supported it financially, physically with tireless efforts and even donated my buy-in by supplying the event’s top prize.

I should mention, no one involved with putting on the tourney was paid for their services-volunteer efforts all around-and the continued efforts by the poker community to give back, even in this troubling economy, is really heartwarming. I have been very careful never to accept money when donating my time, but don’t expect others to be able do the same. It’s amazing to be a part of it. Special thanks to Steve Thomson and his company, Creative Developers, without whom this never would have come together. Juliette Harris at It Girl Public relations was an incredible powerhouse coming through at every turn with tireless round the clock “make it happen with class” attitude. Daphna Ziman has a beautiful spirit and should be applauded for her efforts.

I’m really looking forward to next year’s pre-Oscars charity poker tournament; the night before the Oscars, open to the public, this way everyone will be able to attend. We’ve already started on the arrangements and with a whole year to put it together I’m certain it will be the place to be in Hollywood prior to awards night.
Next on the calendar is WPT’s invitational this weekend and then NBC’s heads up tourney which is always a lot of fun. I hope you get to come play with me on Aced and have as much fun as I am having, without having to play against the best players in the world

Until next week…

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I’m happy to report that we have made a decision to play exclusively at Aced.com.

In addition to being an upstart poker site with enormous promise, Aced.com shares my sensibilities by giving back to great causes and I’m looking forward to representing them. As such, they are paying me enough money so that my family and friends should not have to worry about anything for a long time.

I started playing on Aced.com before the weekend in the biggest games they currently offer-$50/$100 NL and $25/$50NL with a $10,000 buy-in-and I quickly bluffed off somewhere in the realm of $80,000! It took me the entire weekend to win it back and I’m happy to report that I’m now ahead-for the moment, anyway. I’m genuinely excited to play with at least $50,000 a day on Aced.com and look forward to mixing it up with a wide range of players.

One of the things I love most about the site is that they really listen to players’ feedback. Anything that is good for the player they see as being good for them and are happy to implement it if it makes sense.

I am so excited to have six of my own tables being created this week with games ranging from $1/$2 NL to $10/$20 half-and-half (PLO/NLH) with no max buy-in all the way up to $50/$100 NLH with no-max, which I’m sure will be going quite often.

Aced.com has some additional amazing features that I really love and I’m learning about more about every time I play. The Running It Twice feature can be very helpful and it cuts down your risk a little bit; it shows you the percentages when you’re all-in and how they change when each card hits the board. I also love being able to show one card instead of both. And when players talk it comes up in a bubble over your avatar instead of in a chat box so it feels like we’re really talking to one another. Finally, Aced.com has live customer support 24 hours a day. Being able to speak to someone over the phone really helps as I’ve been frustrated in the past by not receiving return e-mails to my questions and concerns from other larger, less personal poker sites.

My welcome tournament was a lot of fun and I was actually lucky enough to win it. Even better than winning, my mom and her best friend were in the final three with me. Of course, nobody cashed in on the $500 bounty that was on my head so for next week’s $100 tournament, the bounty has been increased to $1,000. However, once my tables are set up this week, the only way to play with me is by signing up directly with Aced.com. Before, you could play with me via the Merge Network but that will no longer be the case. Similarly, the only way you can play in my weekly bounty tournament is to sign up with Aced.com. The weekly Sunday tourney kicks off at 8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific. Starting with the next tourney, there will also be a $250 bounty on my mom. And speaking of my mom, she will be the next player that Aced.com signs.

I wish I wasn’t inundated with so many other projects (TV, film, charity) so that I could have played in the recent PLO or the Head’s-Up events but I will definitely make the LAPC Main Event and the WPT Invitational at the Commerce Casino.

I am looking forward to making many new friends at Aced.com, as well as playing with some of my old friends. Rest assured, we will definitely have one of the most entertaining and exciting big games anywhere in the world-but please keep in mind that I will now only be playing at Aced.com.

Until next time…

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