Jamie Gold - Putting Things in Perspective

[thehun69]

I will admit I'm not that much of a Jamie Gold fan. That's no big deal; most of the posts regarding Jamie on twoplustwo have the usual donktastick and luckbox flavour to them. But, I think this issue needs to be revisited and looked under a stronger microscope.

I'll start and end my argument with a simple phrase: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. In looking at Jamie's performance, yes he did have a sick run of cards for a lot of the tournament. In the earlier days it could have been luck, it may not have been, the broadcast really didn't show him all the way through, he became the focus right around day three when he started to charge through and Dmitri Nobles was giving away his chips. So, for the first three days, other than annecdotal reports, it is hard to say the kinds of cards Jamie was getting. Perhaps it was skill that got him to day three where it seemed that he was outrunning all sorts of trouble and would constantly spike miracle hands. But looking at that final table again, he simply bullied his way through a few key spots that could have changed the course of history had it gone the other way. He bluffed Cunningham off of a huge hand, when Alan had 10's but was worried about overcards. He bluffed the guy that came in third, whatshisname, in that infamous hand where he flipped over the Jack to show the guy, in the middle of the hand. As well, the biggest move of them all was the hand that will haunt Wasicka for the rest of his life where he folded his 78s when Jamie went all in after the guy in third pushed with his A10 and hit the ten on the board. Straight draw, flush draw, and Paul pusses out. It doesn't matter that there was a guy behind, you know that you are a favourite in the hand.
I bring up these hands to show that 1)it wasn't all luck but more importantly 2) the players in the tournament have no one to blame but themselves. Poor reads and poor decisions are why they finished where they finished and not only because of miracle hands. Yes, if Jamie busted you and you were the huge favourite and the miracle card spiked, then that was simply bad luck, you made the correct decision. But there are many many many instances where Jamie forced the other players to make extremely LOUSY decisions. If Wasicka would have called (hich is a frieking no brainer, even if he suspected Jamie with two pair or trips, it's still a call) history may well have changed right there. But he folded. Why? Jamie pushed him out of the hand. These players need to take repsonsibility for that. While Jamie did have moments where the cards were cold decked in favour of him, a lot of times he played a big stack powerfully as opposed to Dmitri Nobles.

Now, I'm not saying I endorse Jamie, or think that he is a great player. I don't think he is a player of superstar calibre, and his demeanor at the table was horrendously asssaholic. However, to CONSTANTLY in every post keep calling him a luck box and using that as a rationalization as to why others or yourself may have busted to this guy is pawning off responsibility to the wrong thing.

At the end of the day poker is about choices and decisions and trying to make the best ones given the incomplete information that is presented to you. Only one person makes that choice..YOU. Take responsibility and stop blaming or pointing to bad luck as to why other people became champions.

Let the flames begin.

THE HUN.