Jamie Gold had been in the chip lead for the last four days of play in the 2006 WSOP main event. After 14 hours of final table play, nine players had been reduced to only two, Jamie Gold and Paul Wasicka.

When the last hand started, hand number 236 at the final table, Gold had picked up the two last pots without contest on interesting boards with possible straights and flushes. On this last hand, Wasicka was in the big blind, Gold called and Wasicka raised to about four big blinds, or 1.7 million dollars.

Gold called and the flop came Q-8-5 with two hearts. Gold bets $1.5 million into the pre-flop raiser, an amount slightly less than half the pot. Wasicka spends a long time thinking the position over, and finally calls. The call is for all his chips, which means that if he loses the hand, he loses the tournament.

The players turn over their cards. To Wasicka's great disillusionment, Gold is far ahead in the hand, and Wasickas chances are very slim. He basically needs one of the two remaining tens to show up, or else he must pray for a runner-runner hearts flush or an exotic straight that would require exactly a J and a 9 as the last two board cards.

When the last cards are dealt, nothing of the kind occurs. The turn and the river is an A and a 4 in various suits that are not hearts, and Gold's pair of queens hold up.

The World Series of Poker is over. The main event is over. Jamie Gold is the winner of the 2006 WSOP championship event. He is the biggest prize winner ever. And he is a very tired but extremely happy 37 year old TV producer from Malibu, California, who recieved a large addition to his bankroll.

For those who missed the live final table broadcast, or saw it and missed the hole card cameras, the final table will be cabled in six episodes starting on August 22nd. With hole card cameras.

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