An Incredible Story: Making the Cash

This is a true story.  I am changing the names to protect the individuals in the tournament.  I had stumbled upon a guy during my Day 1 wanderings who loudly proclaimed how happy he was to be at the Main Event.  You see, he had freerolled his way from one of the online sites into sitting in Las Vegas, but getting to his seat was a tough challenge.

I’ll call him Rob just to make the story easier to tell.  Rob was from the Northeast, an older gentleman in his 50′s who had lived a tough life.  He was unemployed and had been so for who knows how long, and his job history looked like the kind of resume he must have detested from his hippy days:  managing a fast food store, carpentry, booking concerts; on and on he went.  His sleep apnea  meant he wore oxygen through the night, but it is hard to imagine how he found the funds to do so.  He made it through Day 1 about where he started, $10k in chips and some change, and through the next few days he would find me and talk about a variety of things.  He told me he was staying at his brother’s house, but twice I found him sleeping on a bench here at the Rio.  On Day 2 he had an incredible run, moving from $10k up to $140 by the end of the day.  I mentioned his story to a pro who happened by and didn’t think anything of it.

After I had prepared for my conference call yesterday around 6:00, there again was Rob.  He posed a question that then spurred me onto alot of the analysis I’ve shared with you:  what do I need to do to make the money?  I worked with him for about an hour, looking at a variety of different scenarios.  I needed to get into final preparation for the call, so I sent him on his way.  I told him to get cleaned up a bit so that he didn’t scream to the world that he needed the cash.

I was planning to check on him this morning, but he beat me to the punch:  he called me after I woke up last night to tell me that the pro had offered to by his action.  He would pay $14,957 up front, guaranteeing that he hit the money, then a sliding scale would come into play.  If Rob got deep, then the pro’s percentage declined the deeper he got.  He also would coach Rob.  I told him it was a no-brainer, strongly consider the deal.  He wanted to cash, so the pro was giving him the cash.  He then could play it out.

I came to the Rio to interview Michael Lynn, then walked to the poker room to see if anyone I knew was in the $1k event.  So there is Rob, looking a bit frantic.  “I gave (the pro) a ride to the Bellagio, and he told me the deal he would make.  I called two friends who told me not to do it, then called you and a couple of others.  You and the others who know poker told me to go for it, but I couldn’t find him.  He’d left.”  He told me the pro was staying at Caesar’s, and I was planning to go there to meet Pauly.  I rode with Rob, valet parked the car, sweet talked a front desk lady into sending a text message to the pro, then left for the poker room.  I told Rob he needed to go to sleep.

After an hour, he called me.  “(The pro) called me back and told me to pack my things and come to the Rio.  He had a room for me, and we’ve done the deal.”   Rob called me this morning from his room.  “I’ve been in the Jacuzzi, and I’m waiting for room service.”  For Rob, $15k will change his life in the short term, and I’m hoping it turns into alot more.  Just an incredible story from the World Series, one of the many that are out there waiting to be found.  I’ll give an update and photos at some point.