| LAS
VEGAS (AP) — A former Hollywood talent agent who was part of a
celebrity team of players was battling for the lead in the World Series
of Poker on Sunday with 3.2 million in chips.
Jamie Gold, the
36-year-old former agent to The Sopranos star James Gandolfini and
Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman, amassed a terrifying
stack that helped him command his table.
"He was the table
captain yesterday and he's the table captain today," said a discouraged
Benjamin Logan, a table mate with a small fraction of Gold's pile.
"He's had great hands which he's gotten paid off on. That's the key to
the tournament."
Gold trailed leader Lee Kort, who had 3.3 million in chips.
Gold
said he quit being an agent six months ago to become a television
producer. And then there's his serious hobby — playing poker 40 hours a
week in tournaments or at the "big cash game" at the Commerce Casino in
Los Angeles.
He had his seat paid for by bodog.com, along with
other Hollywood stars Lois and Clark star Dean Cain and ER actor Mekhi
Phifer, who were knocked out on their first day of play.
"I'm all about poker," Gold said. "Every moment I'm not working, I play."
At
about 3 p.m., there were 96 players left in the world's largest poker
tournament, from a record field of 8,773 entrants that began playing
down July 28. Each player who put up $10,000 to play received 10,000 in
dollar-equivalent chips.
By Sunday, the players' stacks were so huge that even $1,000-denomination chips were small potatoes.
After
winning a pot with 1.9 million in chips at stake and three players
all-in, it took the dealer 10 minutes just to count them all and push
the crumbling mound over to Erik Friberg, a 23-year-old online poker
pro from Sweden whose pocket kings won out over pocket 10s and an ace
and king.
"If I have to, I risk everything. But I'm just going to play my game," he said. "With a little bit of luck, this can go far."
The only big name pro still in the running for the top prize of $12 million was Humberto Brenes with 610,000.
Brenes
said he threw away pocket jacks rather than risk calling an all-in bet
from an opponent. "I have time. I'll come back," he said.
Annie
Duke, one of two women left in the room Sunday afternoon, busted out in
tears when she pushed all in before the flop with an ace and three but
was beaten by pocket eights when she couldn't catch another ace. She
started the day with 919,000 in chips.
None of the remaining
players are going home empty-handed. The final 873 finishers in the
tournament ended up "in the money," meaning they win some portion of
the $10,000 buy-in back.
Players going home early Sunday afternoon were taking home a payday of $51,129.
Chris
Back, a 23-year-old poker player from British Columbia, said his
precipitous fall from 416,000 in chips to nothing in about half an hour
Sunday was disappointing.
Considering he played his way into the
World Series with a $16 buy-in satellite on PokerStars.com, though,
"It's a good investment I guess," he said.
"I was really expecting to do a lot better today. But, two unlucky hands and then you're out. Not much you can do." |
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