The champion of the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Jamie Gold, has signed with ACED Poker, which makes its home on the Merge Gaming Network. Poker News Daily has confirmed the signing with officials from the online poker room and an official announcement is expected on Thursday. Gold triumphed over Paul Wasicka in the largest WSOP tournament ever held, a field of 8,773 players, and pocketed $12 million.
According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Merge Gaming Network ranks 18th in terms of cash game traffic with a seven day running average of 345 players. Its seven day peak is 542. The Network’s flagship site is Carbon Poker; other sites include Poker Nordica, IronDuke.com, Rumble Poker, Jam Poker, Spin32 Poker, Reefer Poker, and G2G Poker. The parent company’s software package allows its rooms to take advantage of a variety of features including rabbit cams, exposing one card, running boards twice, and a Quick Start option.
Brandon Berndt, Poker Room Manager at ACED, told Poker News Daily, “We are extremely excited to have Jamie on board, not only because of his obvious value as an ambassador for us within the poker world, but also for the unparalleled enthusiasm, insight, and creativity he brings to the ongoing development of our brand.” Gold, a former Hollywood talent agent, has had a roster of clients that included “Sopranos” actor James Gandolfini, “Saturday Night Live” superstar Jimmy Fallon, actor Donnie Wahlberg, “Sex and the City” star Kristin Davis, “Desperate Housewives” actress Felicity Huffman, and radio host Rodger Lodge,
As part of his duties with ACED Poker, Gold will be found playing on the site, representing the brand at major live poker tournaments, “pushing forward with philanthropic pursuit on behalf of himself and ACED, and working alongside our team to make sure each and every ACED player has the best possible experience.” Gold also brings the Merge Gaming Network an established high-limit player, which should ultimately help build out this part of its brand. It accepts customers from the United States, although it recently announced it would not take new customers from Kentucky due to the ongoing legal battle.
Gold has appeared on a bevy of poker television shows, including NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” He’s one of the top poker personalities in the industry today. In fact, his image sits high above the Amazon Room each and every year as a former WSOP Main Event winner. He coasted to victory in the Main Event, calling his stepfather upon the tournament’s conclusion. He has served as a panelist for the Sundance, Toronto, and Hollywood Film Festivals.
In January, ACED held its Luckbox promotion, which was an opportunity to earn money by accumulating Comp Points on the site. Upon reaching predetermined levels of Comp Points, players were faced with three “Poker Boxes of Luck.” Up to $6,000 could be won; the amount of money at stake increased as more Comp Points were earned. The site is in the midst of offering players “Outs.” As part of the promotion, ACED awards points to members upon accomplishing certain accolades such as placing a bet of at least $1,000, winning three hands in a row, playing their 100th hand, and hitting a two outer on the river.
Cash game Outs vary from five points for winning two hands in a row to 50,000 for playing their one millionth hand. Tournament Outs range from 20 for building a chip stack to 100,000 to 2,500 points for winning 10 heads-up sit and gos in a row. Players must submit the proper Hand IDs in order to receive credit for these accomplishments. Points can then be exchanged for loyalty bonuses and tournament entries.
The Merge Gaming Bad Beat Jackpot for Texas Hold’em stands at a healthy $1.2 million. ACED proudly spreads Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, and Draw Poker.