10. Jamie Gold
Nickname: None
Age: 37
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $12,092,758
Background: He is a former entertainment agent, rumored to have represented talents that range from Brandy to James Gandolfini, but Jamie Gold is one of poker’s most hated personalities. Why? Because he trash-talked his way to the largest tournament purse in the history of poker. In 2006 he took home $12 million dollars after winning the World Series of Poker main event, which consisted of a record 8,772 players. As soon as Gold won the event, the internet was buzzing with negative publicity about Gold. Some rumors said that he stiffed poker legend Johnny Chan, who was coaching Gold during the final stages of the tournament. Others said that he owed half his prize money to a partner and was refusing to pay. On the final day of the event, he was surrounded by his own security. I would compare Gold to be the 50 Cent of poker--he hit it big and because of his cocky attitude, the poker world hates him. His poker playing skills are routinely questioned and it’s been said that his cash game play is absolutely terrible. I’ve sat with players who played with Gold and told me that he is one of the worst players that they’ve ever played with. But one thing is for sure; he stays in the poker headlines and gives every amateur player hope that they can win poker’s most prized possession.. You can find his website here.
Why I think he’s good for poker: In the poker world, Gold plays the bad guy role perfectly. Every script needs a villain, someone that everyone roots against, and in professional poker, his name is Jamie Gold. At face value, poker is supposed to be a game of integrity and honor (amongst thieves) and Jamie Gold seemed to defy those principles on his way to the WSOP championship. Even though very few people are fans of his, his name attracts attention across the poker world whenever he does something, whether it’s playing in a high stakes game or final tabling a tournament, he draws attention. If not for the way he plays then for the raw, ugly reality that he brings to light: bad guys can finish first.
9. Gus Hansen
Nickname: The Great Dane
Age: 32
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $3,461,846
Background: Gus Hansen has built an image of being a crazy-loose poker player. He’s known to play any hand and has a reputation for being a high-stakes action player. From what I’ve heard, he is routinely the life of the “big game” at the Bellagio in Vegas. I’ve gone over there at 4 a.m. and witnessed Hansen playing head’s up with Eli Elezra for stakes I can only dream of. He also plays incredibly high stakes online and while everyone says he is a big loser in all of these games, he has remained one of poker’s elite players for the past five years. He’s in his early 30’s and the draw to his personality is that he does not play like any other player. He can switch his game up at all times and has become the benchmark for loose play amongst big name pros. When someone is playing a loose style, they are often compared to Hansen. I think that poker players admire him for the fact that he remains in the biggest poker games in the world and plays a wild style of poker. You can read his blog here.
Why I think he's good for poker: Gus Hansen proves that a poker player can play an unconventional method of poker and still prove successful. He provides entertaining TV because he has the uncanny ability to perplex other pros. Even against the best card readers in the world, it's nearly impossible for pros to put him on a given hand. He plays dangerous poker and everyone loves danger. Of course, he can also be viewed as a complete donkey for playing the hands that he does...but who knows, maybe that's good for poker too.
8. Scotty Nguyen
Nickname: The Prince of Poker
Age: 44
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $7,147,697
Background: Scotty Nguyen is pure entertainment. His personality was made for television and he has a great story as he was a Vietnam refugee at the age of 14. He was kicked out of school in the states, started playing cards out of a necessity to make a living and never looked back. The reason he’s so magnetic is that he seems to have balls made of ice-cold granite and is never scared to make a move on one of his opponents. He has a Vietnamese accent that is quite comical and he talks trash with the best of them. He won the 1998 World Series of Poker by telling his opponent straight up: “You call, you lose, baby.” Sure enough, his opponent fell for the trap and called. It would be good if Nguyen would start finishing on some televised final tables so that he gets more exposure, as he's had minimal TV time in the past year.
Why I think he's good for poker: This guy is cocky, arrogant, brash, and sometimes appears to be drunk with a Corona in hand--just about everything that would seem unattractive, but with Scotty, it is somehow funny and personable. It's almost as if he's supposed to be drunk. His crazy Vietnamese accent makes his trash talking seem like it's non-stop fun and you can only laugh at his antics as he coaxes his opponents into folding or calling while he is usually telling the truth (see video clip). If someone could choose the best final table for television, Scotty would undoubtedly be present.
Here is a good clip of Nguyen bluffing another character, Umberto Brenes:
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