With a prize that big, trouble is bound to hitch a ride, and problems did come - right on schedule - for the player who had suddenly become the richest poker professional on Earth.

His former business partner, who claimed that he had promised him half of what he’d win in the main event, sued him because he chose not to pay him a dime. Thus, the prize money got frozen, and until he settled his issues with Crispin Leyser (the aforementioned business partner) he couldn’t even let it generate interest for him.

After his legendary WSOP win, Jamie Gold didn’t exactly manage to keep his image as a poker professional going. He busted out of every tournament he entered fairly fast, and Bodog, (the company he had signed an endorsement contract with) quickly got rid of him too.

Born in 1969, in Kansas City, Missouri, Jamie Gold moved to Manhattan, and then to Paramus with his mother’s second husband. His initial family name was Usher, but it was later changed to Gold after his new father.

He graduated from high school in Paramus, and studied entertainment law later at UCLA. He became a talent scout but found production and talent management much more alluring, so he opted for that. He ended up representing some pretty famous people, like James Gandolfini and Lucy Liu.

His interest in poker started as a child, when his grandfather – a gin rummy champion – often played cards with him.

Contrary to what his defamers preach, he did have some successes in tournament poker before the 2006 WSOP, as he won a NL Holdem tourney at the Bicycle casino in 2005, and finished in the money in several other events that year.

He also has 3 more WSOP money finishes to show besides his legendary win.