Hey Jamie!  First off, let me say thank you for taking the time to stop by and talk with us.  How has the WSOP been treating you so far?

Thank you for having me, I appreciate it.  I am having a great time at the WSOP this year.  I am not running particularly well so far, but I feel like I am very happy with the way I am playing.  I am getting a lot of business done, and I have a ton of friends out here who really make things enjoyable.

We all know you love to play No Limit Hold’em, but are there any other games you are focusing on more these days?

My favorite game for fun is PLO.  Whenever I play cash games now I play half-NLH and half-PLO.  It seems a lot of other people are excited about that game.  I hope that it is the game of the future.

I know, it seems like everyone is addicted to PLO right now.

When I have the time to play it, you can say that I am one of them. 

What do you feel is the biggest difference between PLO and NLH?

NLH was explained to me when I first started playing as hours of boredom, with moments of terror.  I actually think it is much more interesting and there is so much to learn about the game, that I love it, but I understand why someone might say that.  PLO is explained to me as the most action packed, frustrating and least boring game that you could play and I agree.

Since you have been at the WSOP, have you done any crazy prop bets?

Not this year, but I do love them.  If I do any good ones, I’ll let you know.

Can you give us an example of your best prop bet yet to date?

It was between Phil Hellmuth and I at the Bellagio Five Diamond.  After I had bluffed Tuan Le off of his Kings, on a random dead board with 5 high, Phil told me I could never bluff Tuan Le again.  Phil bet me $1,000, and then kept moving the stakes up.  I believe I did it four more times in the next couple of hours and walked away with $6k.  I am not even in Phil’s league though.  He is a truly amazing poker player.

Being a World Champ, what are the positive and negative aspects of it?

Well, I never have to wait in line…..No, in all seriousness, I am fortunate enough to be invited to some of the most exciting events in the world.  The people you meet along the way are so amazingly interesting, that life is never dull.  On the opposite side, I can be misunderstood in the press.  It doesn’t bother me as much as it does for my family, who has to read about things.  It bothers me when it bothers them.  But overall, my life has been amazing and I am thankful. 

What is the biggest misconception about you?

The biggest misconception is that I am not a kind or generous human being.  The people that really know me, they would tell you I am just the opposite.  However, I know that when you don’t know someone, it is easier to be misled.  It takes a little effort to get to actually know someone, and find out the truth about them. 

You are involved in many charities and giving back is important to you. You are becoming a big “poker philanthropist.”  Who have you been working with lately, and who do you plan on working with in the future?

I am very excited to be a new celebrity spokesperson for the MDA, ALS Division (http://www.als-mda.org/).  It is Lou Gherig’s disease that my father suffered from ,and I want to spend the rest of my life helping the MDA find a cure.  One of my dearest friends, Montel Williams, has MS, so I will continue to support his foundation.  Also, my new hero, Michael J. Fox, is doing some amazing work to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.  I believe it will lead to so many other cures, through the legalization of stem cell research.  I am excited to take part in the Ante Up for Africa event tomorrow at the Rio, here in Las Vegas.  It has become one of the premier charity events of the year. 

We need more people like you who go out of their way to give back to charity.  Speaking of Ante Up for Africa, give us some details about that.

Annie Duke and Don Cheadle have put together an amazing event that brings poker players, celebrities, and media together for an outstanding cause.  Proceeds from the event will go to charities that provide aid and assistance, to the survivors of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.  It will support activism dedicated to resolving this crisis.

Outside of poker what takes up most of your time?

The charity work I love, and I am still very involved in television production.  Personally, I am on an extremely healthy diet, where I have cut out processed sugar, caffeine, meat, wheat, gluten, diary, anything artificial, and very little alcohol.  I am on a quest to find the purest water, and a truly natural energy drink.  I am trying to find the kinds of foods and supplements that can reverse the toxic chemicals and pesticides, that I feel are the causes of most of the diseases that we have.

Give us an example of your daily diet.

In the morning, I have wheatgrass, along with fresh vegetable juices.  I add in omega fatty acids such as aloe vera juice and vitamin complex.  I then have my own protein combination, which usually starts with quinoa.  Midday, I will have coconut water and fresh fruit juice.  Sometimes, I will eat sushi or a piece of salmon.  Late day, I have fresh vegetable juice again, a big salad, and avocado or another piece of fish.  That is my basic diet, but of course I add in other things.   You know I add in a bowl of blueberries everyday as well.  I am doing as much research as I can to figure out what the best diet is for me, which hopefully will help a lot of other people!

You mentioned you’re still heavily involved in TV production, why have you not produced a High Stakes Show for us?

I think Mori does a great job.  I hope to come up with a show that is different, from any show that we have seen before, poker wise.  For now, I am just excited to be a part of the current slate of shows. 

What TV productions are you working on at the moment?

They are all in development.  It is a long process.  I hope by the next time we talk, I will have more to report. 

Very impressive sir!  How do you balance poker, charity, family, and business?

Things are easy to balance when you love them all. These four areas are the four loves of my life, and I can’t get enough of any area.  I am able to balance them all, because I love them all so much. Things don’t get too hard when you love them, so it’s easy to balance.

Jamie, lets say you are arriving at the red carpet premiere of a movie you produced, and you are pulling up in a stretch limo, who is in the entourage?

You never know, but I hope that my closest friends, family, and the people that I work with, would all be there to enjoy and support it with me. 

Jamie, it was a pleasure talking with you and best of luck in the future.

Ryan, thank you so much, lets try and do this again soon.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. Jamie Gold Signs With Online Poker Upstart 2006 Main Event winner Jamie Gold has signed on to...
2. Former World Champ Jamie Gold Signs With Poker Icons Jamie Gold has new representation after signing on with Poker...
3. Deja Vu: Jamie Gold Faces New Lawsuit Over 2006 WSOP Winnings Jamie Gold, the controversial 2006 World Series of Poker Main...
4. A.M. SCRAMBLE: Royal Flush Girl Quits, Jamie Gold Signs On, The Micros Go Exclusive Well, Monday is out of the way and that’s always...
5. Jamie Gold Leading TCI Tournament Jamie Gold, the recent winner the Main Event of the...