57TH ANNUAL WORLD SERIES OF POKER

News

WSOP HIGHLIGHTS POWERED BY POKERGO -- 2006 WSOP MAIN EVENT TOP 5 HANDS

PokerGo recaps the top 5 hands from the 2006 WSOP Main Event
May 17 2021 04:02 PM EST
WSOP HIGHLIGHTS POWERED BY POKERGO -- 2006 WSOP MAIN EVENT TOP 5 HANDS

The 37th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from June 25 to August 10, 2006.

The 45-event schedule was highlighted with the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship that was the largest in history with 8,773 players. The staggering prize pool of over $82.5 million would pay the top 873 players with first-place prize set at $12 million.

Jamie Gold of Malibu, California, steam-rolled the final few days of the tournament before eventually defeating Paul Wasicka of Westminster, Colorado, to win poker’s largest prize at the time. Gold features in three of the hands in the 2006 WSOP Main Event Top 5 Hands video on PokerGO.

The countdown begins with a monster laydown from Hank Azaria with pocket kings, while the next hand is one that happens on the final hand of Day 1 when Joe Hachem of Melbourne, Australia, turns quads.

Prahlad Friedman of Richmond, California, is featured in the next two hands with Gold. The first sees Friedman call Gold’s hand exactly, but incorrectly folds, while the next sees his eventual elimination in 20th place. The final hand on the countdown sees Gold, Wasicka, and Michael Binger of Las Vegas, Nevada, play a huge three-way pot as the only players remaining in the Main Event.

Watch PokerGO’s 2006 WSOP Main Event Top 5 hands now to see where each hand ranks.



About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $3.29 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest-running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970.  In 2019, the event attracted 187,298 entrants from 118 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and awarded more than $293 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent of WSOP Europe in 2007 and the WSOP Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series in 2015. All WSOP events are subject to the then-current and applicable WSOP tournament rules. For more information, please visit www.wsop.com.

 

© 2026 Bracelet IP Limited. WSOP is a registered trademark used under license by Bracelet IP Limited.
Unauthorized use is prohibited.

If you've ever watched the World Series of Poker and thought that could be me, you're not alone. Since 1970, the WSOP has been the place where that dream lives. Most people know the summer series in Las Vegas, where the $10,000 Main Event turns ordinary players into legends. But the WSOP calendar has grown well beyond that. WSOP Europe and WSOP Paradise now bring bracelet competition to international destinations, and dozens of Circuit events run year-round for players who want serious competition closer to home. Whether you're grinding a Circuit stop or taking your shot at the Main Event, the hardware means something. Winning a gold bracelet or Circuit ring is more than just a trophy. It's a permanent record that you are a champion. For players in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, WSOP Online has become something worth paying attention to. It's the only platform in the US where you can win a poker tournament for official WSOP gold bracelets without leaving home! The WSOP also offers deposit limits and self-exclusion tools because the best poker rooms have always known that keeping poker players healthy keeps the game healthy. From your first Circuit event to a final table in Las Vegas, WSOP is still where you go to prove something.