Last night the World Series of Poker crowned its champion. After nearly 14 hours of play Jamie Gold’s off-suit Q9 held up against Paul Wasicka’s pocket 10’s in the final hand of the 2006’s championship of poker.

Here is how the final hand broke down.

Gold raised to $1,700,000 and Paul Wasicka made the call. The flop came Q 8 5 . Paul Wasicka bet $1,500,000 and Jamie Gold moved all in. Wasicka called and showed pocket 10s. However, Gold turns over the Q clubs and 9 spades for top pair. The turn brought 2 blanks not improving Wasicka’s hand giving Gold the 12 million dollar first prize.

In a record field of nearly 9000 entrants, Gold’s dominance of the tournament field was unparalleled in the history of WSOP. Gold the 36 year old former talent agent, now turned tv producer from Los Angeles began the final table as the chip leader and never relinquished the lead.

An avid poker player, Gold grew up in a family of card players, with his mother a longtime poker player and his grandfather a gin rummy champion. Gold plays close to 40 hours a week in Los Angeles-area card rooms and in the 15 months prior to the Main Event had earned just under $100,000 in tournament winnings. Gold has also had the opportunity to learn from one of the game’s most heralded players – 10-time WSOP bracelet holder Johnny Chan. The two men met while working together on a poker television concept. In exchange for Gold’s assistance, Chan promised to help him refine his game. Both Gold’s mother and Chan were at the WSOP cheering him on.

Jamie stated “Its unbelievable, it feels like a dream, I haven’t slept in 10 days and sometimes I really believe that it is not real, cause this is the way I would dream.�

Gold is the 5th amateur in a row to win the Main Event.

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