My wife was counting on winning this time. She was reluctant to spend so much money for the two of us last time, deciding not to miss any time at work to help finance my venture. That was nice of her.
I felt sorry for the hopefuls who couldn't play last time, but I really felt sorry for my collector/friend that I had signed up using my credit card because he had none. There were multiple phone calls from me and him to the Flamingo, trying to make sure there was no mix-up. Just think how one would feel going to the tournament thinking he/she was entered. The Flamingo should have volunteed one of those VIP's spots to my friend because of their monumental screw-up. The casino did not have one record of any phone conversations even suggesting that I even had a friend, much less one entered. At least he had a room with me one night but we didn't stay the second night because his room "disappeared". He also had a free meal at the banquet and I would have made a big fuss if they hadn't allowed him in.