Jamie Gold is now $12 million dollars richer after winning this year's World Series of Poker's Main Event (Associated Press). But Gold never wanted to win, as he explained to ESPN.com's Steve Rosenbloom during his run to the championship. The former Hollywood agent even told Rosenbloom he was considering losing on purpose to avoid the spotlight. "I know what fame does to people," Gold said. "It's not that I can't handle it; I don't want it." Right. Starting after submitting to an interview for that lengthy profile, Gelf assumes. Now that we know he was bluffing on that point, let's look at one other claim Gold makes in the article:

Entertainment Weekly put out a story that that character [of Ari Gold in HBO's Entourage] was originally called "Jamie Gold," but they changed it for legal reasons. I actually went to college with the creator of the show [Doug Ellin], so it's not far-fetched that it would be true. I have no idea. I've never asked him. He and I haven't spoken since college. But people keep telling me that character was written about me.

Gelf searched through the EW archives—and archives of lots of other publications—and was unable to find an article that mentions Jamie Gold as a possible influence, or even name, for the brash agent played by Jeremy Piven. As Wikipedia—the last bastion of truthiness—points out, Ari's character is much more likely based on agent Ari Emmanuel. The Times of London and the New York Observer also have said as much. (Weirdly, and on a not-particularly-related note, a real life Ari Gold plays in a band with actor Adrian Grenier, who plays Vincent Chase on Entourage. That Ari Gold isn't that happy with the coincidence (Filmstew).)

So maybe Jamie Gold isn't as humble as he tells us he is. But what else should we expect from someone who goes out of his way to brag to Rosenbloom about his 5th-grade SAT scores?