Anyone else?

[studiopet]

I apologize if this has been discussed before.

I'm sitting here in a hotel in Iowa (lovely exciting Iowa) watching the WSOP FT. Am I the only one here who finds Jamie Gold incredibly f*cking annoying???

If I didn't know any better (him winning) - I'd be wishing he donk'd all his chips just 'cause I think he's more annoying than finger nails on a chalk board.

Am I wrong or just insanely jealous?

[PShabi]

I've never seen the WSOP FT.

[nflchad]

If you think he's bad at the table check this out:

[bdawg31]

All the grandstanding and blowhards and self-promotion - thrown in with all the bad beats - turns my stomach. Throw in the melodramatic feature stories of the players with the narration rambling on while they show them sitting at a table all contemplative and what-not - and i am done with it.

I used to really enjoy watching it on tv - i might have watched 10 minutes of ESPN coverage this year. If i see Danny N. as i am flipping through - i watch.

The only thing i watch now is High Stakes Poker on Gameshow Network.

[Dodoubled]

Yeah, I found Gold to be really, really obnoxious. But you know what? I didn't really mind it as much as I minded that Eric WhatsHisName kid. The posturing worked really well, I thought, for Gold's game, and he never crossed the boundary of insulting another player's game.
In my mind, you can think what you want about someone else's play. But the second you bring it to public light, then you've crossed the line. From what I saw, Gold -- as obnoxious as he was -- respected his opponents. He just happened to pretty much catch every single card and every single opportune time. Personally, I've never cared if you're cocky, as long as you can back it up. Every time Gold opened his mouth, he gave himself the chance to stick his foot in it. A few times, he did. But with those cards, I'm not sure God Himself could have beaten him.

[Reel Deal]

Unbelievable... I don't know if I've ever heard anyone more in love with themselves.

"I won six weekly tournaments in a row at the Hustler Casino... people started calling me the best of the minor leagues."

[Talking Poker]

Listening now. Wow... what an idiot.

It would be funny if it wasn't so annoying.

Man, it really does get worse and worse, doesn't it?

This is the direct link, btw, instead of digging through two other sites first:

[Talking Poker]

OK, I can't stand this man.

I mean, I'm sure this guy was on some sort of "high" after the big win, and that's reasonable, but this is ridiculous.

[robthedlphin]

I haven't seen the final table, but I've seen all the other episodes. I think he should've been penalized for talking about his hand with more than 1 other person still playing that hand.

[Dodoubled]

True ... the most egregious violation he committed, however, was showing one of his cards on purpose early during a live hand.

That said, what are the specific rules for table talk? I know, for example, that you can't point out specific possible hands, and you can't say, "I folded pocket 4s" when there's a 4 on the flop ... and all that stuff. But outside of general etiquette and respect, what are the hard-and-fast, "this'll get you in trouble" rules?

[Akverno]

"Norman Chad said by far the greatest display of poker talent in the history of poker"

I haven't seen the final table yet, but what a fuckin moron (both of em). Be it Norman Chad for saying that, or that idiot for actually believing it.

[Quint]

...'cause Norman Chad never says anything sarcastic.

[Kurn]

You da man!

Seriously, if Gabe Kaplan said the same stuff Chad says, people would be falling all over each other to praise him. The more I listen to Chad, the more I like him.

As for Gold, well. I'll just say he got better cards than Varkonyi did in '02.