WSOP 2005 Part 4 - Departure

I wake up around 11:00 AM since checkout is at noon. I get ready, pack up, check out, and leave my bags at at the bell desk at the Gold Coast. My flight is at 5:40 and it's 12:00 now. Satellite winners receive a voucher for $10 which can be used at the Rio. I wanted to check out the buffet, but the line is too long. Instead, I get a fantastic hamburger at the All American Bar and Grille, then go to the convention center to check on the progress of the main event.

Most of the tables are now empty. There are five tables remaining in the main event. Marcel Luske busts out. Mike Matusow, Greg Raymer, John Juanda, and Phil Ivey are all at different tables, which could make for a great final table. The announcers say that the next person to bust out will earn $174,000. There's not much happening at the 4-8 cash tables, so I head back to the Gold Coast to decide what to do. On the way out, I see a handsome, very tall man in a nice suit signing autographs. I ask someone who it is, and it is Luske. I didn't even recognize him. I see someone wearing a very cool t-shirt that I haven't seen all week, that says "Participant" on the back, so I go to the WSOP shop and buy a few more shirts, then go back to the Gold Coast.

I check at the bell desk for information about the NBA summer league. There is a game at 3:00 and it is now 2:20. I check out the poker room, but there is a list for 4-8. Instead, I play blackjack, and plan to head over to the NBA game in a little while. That never happens, and I play blackjack until I go to the airport.

I count cards while playing blackjack. It's been 9 years since I've done that, but it comes back pretty easily. They are only using 3 decks, and dealing about 1/2 of those cards. Counting does me absolutely no good. Several times when the count is really bad, I am dealt blackjack. And every time the count is really good, and I double my bet or play two hands, or both, I lose. I keep checking the time and leave around 4:20.

My cab driver is from Wisconsin and we chat a bit. The cab ride is only $12, and I tell him that I paid $20 when I arrived! He asks if I went "way around on the highway" and I say that I had. He just says "mmm hmm". So if you go, tell your driver to take the shortest route. The trip is uneventful (warm nuts, hot towel, free drinks, ah, first class is nice). No supermodels this time. As we disembark, I notice an extremely tall guy get off the plane. He's at least 6'8", probably taller. I think it might be Jared Reiner of the Bulls. The next day, I check the summer league schedule, and sure enough, Reiner was on the Bulls roster, and he had played in the 1:00 game in Las Vegas this afternoon, and that was the Bulls' last game. His photo looks like the guy that I saw, so I'm convinced it was him.

I take the tram to remote parking (only had carry-on, boy that makes life easier), get my car, and drive home. I get home around 12:30 AM. My wife has waited up for me! She probably regrets it as I talk her ear off for 3 hours. I get up with the kids at 6:30, so this is actually the least amount of sleep I've had all week. It's great to be home and be with my family.

It's been a fantastic trip, one that I plan to take every year. Thanks for reading!

- schneid