World Series of Poker sees the return of the Gold Standard; 37th annual event crowns Jamie Gold king with $12 million top prize.

The 37th annual World Series of Poker began Friday, July 28th  with 8,773 hopefuls chasing immortality, the $12 million top prize and the opportunity to wear the WSOP champion’s bracelet fully loaded with 170 handpicked diamonds. For 8,772 players they would have to face the bitter reality that their all-in push would be just a little short. But for one player, that being the former Hollywood talent agent Jamie Gold, the two week tournament would provide the right cards at the right time for the richest prize in tournament history. Late Thursday night Gold turned a pair of queens into a king’s ransom defeating Paul “Kwickfish” Wasicka’s pair of tens.

Gold, a former rep for James Gandolfini and Felicity Huffman, said after the no-limit Texas Hold’em main event “This was the best poker I’ve played in my life.”

Few could doubt that, Gold was responsible for knocking out seven of the eight players that shared the final table with him at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. His sizable chip lead allowed him to dictate hands and play more action than his competitors and it became a situation where everybody else was playing for second and the $6.1 million prize for the bridesmaid.