Week 3 means WSOP Champs and Jamie Gold...

By Dan Gati

Week 3 promises to be quite a week on Poker After Dark. Why? Because this is the first time in history (though I could be proven wrong) that all six players at a six-handed table each have a World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.

Chris Moneymaker (2003). Jamie Gold (2006). Johnny Chan (1987, 1988). Chris "Jesus" Ferguson (2000). Doyle Brunson (1976, 1977). And Carlos Mortensen (2001).

Over the last six months, no player's game has been more discussed and more analyzed than Jamie Gold's game. He's the defending champ, and his game is under intense scrutiny.

Ever since Jamie Gold won the Main Event this past year, he's developed his fair share of critics. Putting his pending lawsuit aside, people close to the poker world have called Jamie lucky and annoying, and those are some of the nice things said about him.

I happen to fall in a different camp. From what I saw of Jamie in this year's World Series, I thought he played exceptionally well. Did he get lucky? Of course. No one wins the Main Event without getting lucky. It's impossible. But his unique style - talking at the table and often telling the truth - really confused some of the best players in the world. He pulled off nice bluffs at the final table and actually made Allen Cunningham look foolish on at least one hand.

Having worked on a number of poker shows, including High Stakes Poker and the Pro-Am Poker Equalizer, I've seen many hands that Jamie has played, not just the ones included in ESPN's WSOP broadcasts. While he often gets himself into some difficult situations, Jamie is an excellent player. I think time will prove that Jamie is not a one-hit wonder.

At the Pro-Am Equalizer, Jamie should have won his table. Had Huck Seed and Jeff Madsen not outdrawn him repeatedly, Jamie would've made the final table and had a shot at $500,000. I can't get into too much detail on how Jamie played on High Stakes Poker 3, but suffice it to say, it wasn't the crowning achievement of his poker career.

Jamie has so many haters because it's easy to hate on the champ. Jamie certainly caught a lot of cards at the Main Event, but he knew what to do when he was catching cards. Not too many people can do that, and he did it to perfection. He led the field at the end of Day 3 and never let go. That is unprecedented and should not be overlooked.

So, how does Jamie do on Poker After Dark? Well, watch this week and you'll find out.