Vegas Dream Alive for Long Island Poker Player After Jamie Gold Poker Giveaway

Will Shillibier Managing Editor

Jul 05, 2025 3 min read

Winning His Way to Vegas
What is MyStandard?

Anthony Mattera, a longtime poker player from Long Island, New York, has won his way into the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event, thanks to a unique contest hosted by MyStandard in partnership with 2006 WSOP Champion Jamie Gold.

Mattera, 39, earned the coveted $10,000 seat through a giveaway hosted by MyStandard and supported by poker table brand BBO Poker Tables. While this will be his first time playing the Main Event, Mattera is no stranger to the WSOP felt, having competed in other series events over the years.

"I've been playing poker since I was about 19 years old, so about 20 years now," Mattera shared. A regular at MGM Springfield and Rivers Casino, Mattera is primarily a cash game player, often sitting in at $5/$10 and $10/$20 no-limit hold'em games. "The biggest pot I've won in the last couple years was over $20,000," he said.

Winning His Way to Vegas

Mattera previously lived in Las Vegas in 2017, grinding professionally for about a year. But it was a casual online moment that set him on the path to the WSOP Main Event.

"This past couple of weeks, I had been just playing some table games, and then just happened to look online for this giveaway, and I entered," he said. "I got an email that I won. All of a sudden, the email turned into a phone call and a text message, and Jamie called me and I was like, 'What the hell is going on?'"

Gold, who famously won the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $12 million, hasn't just handed Mattera a ticket—he's offered his mentorship as well.

"Him and I have had about two coaching sessions so far, about a half hour each," Mattera said. "The information he's been giving me has been really, really helpful. He takes it very seriously. I've been told what to do, what not to do."

Among Gold's tips? "Make sure to get plenty of sleep the night before to be mentally ready for the Main," Mattera said.

What is MyStandard?

The giveaway was part of a broader promotional push by MyStandard, a platform aiming to merge poker and lifestyle branding. According to MyStandard co-founder Josh Sklut, Jamie Gold joined the team in a business development and brand ambassador role.

"We reached out to Jamie, he's now become a member of our team," Sklut said. "He heard about our project, we sat down and talked about it over dinner, and he was blown away with what we're building."

As part of the contest, BBO Poker Tables also gave away a fully customized poker table to another lucky winner, a prize valued at over $5,000. The custom table, like the Main Event seat, was part of an effort to bring more players into the poker lifestyle through meaningful partnerships and real-world opportunities.

For Mattera, the opportunity means more than just the shot at millions. It's a chance to test his skills on the biggest stage in poker.

"I'm ready," he said. "Let's see what happens."

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Will Shillibier Managing Editor

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

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