In my 50-year career, I have never witnessed so much love among poker players and staff. Players were coming by tables and dropping off tips to dealers as a gift and saying thanks for the memories. Some, including me and my wife, waited hours for a seat. I have never seen a room that size with hundreds of players waiting to get on the tables. The poker room was sold out that night with some games having a hundred players on the waiting list. I listened and watched as players were in tears saying goodbye to dealers, staff and friends they had played with for decades.
The poker room had been a part of the community for over 30 years. I was playing in the San Manuel poker room the night the final hand was dealt at midnight I certainly hope it’s not the last. It felt like the poker industry lost a family member on April 30.
