Jamie Gold Dropped from Team Bodog

It has been a bittersweet few months for Jamie Gold. Sweet because of the $12 million he won after besting record field at the 2006 World Series of Poker. Bitter because of the tumultuous lawsuit between him and Krispin Leyser over half of his winnings. And now the other shoe has dropped. Bodog, the online gambling site that paid for his spot in the World Series, has booted him Gold from its team of poker pros.

Curiously, however, the reason that Bodog cut him does not make any sense, considering the likes of Josh Arieh, Evelyn Ng, and David Williams are still part of Team Bodog. Said the company in a statement released today:

"In light of our decision to cease all offline marketing initiatives in the U.S., and instead refocus our efforts on growing our entertainment brand in Europe and Asia, Bodog has ended our business relationship with Jamie Gold. Bodog has enjoyed our association with Mr. Gold and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

Yeah…that makes sense. It couldn’t have anything to do with Gold’s lawsuit. Or the fact that his table antics have made him almost universally despised by poker fans. Or that is recent appearances on Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker have made him look completely outclassed by high stakes pros.

Nah, couldn’t have anything to do with any of that.

Originally published 5:22 PM Thursday, January 25, 2007