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"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is the well-known slogan for one of poker's mainline cities. What the public relations or marketing blitz from Las Vegas won't admit is that for most of us what usually stays in Vegas is our money. And it can even happen to the pros, of course.
Such was the case for Justin Scott, who flew into Vegas to soak in the 2006 World Series of Poker but immediately lost his entire bankroll at a baccarat table. Another one bites the dust? Not this time.
Scott, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Detroit, pulled himself out the bottomless pit and worked up enough for a $2,000 buy-in for the No Limit Holdem championship at the WSOP. Scott ended up besting an almost tournament record-setting, monster-sized field of 2,050 players. After 2 long days only 9 players were left, and Justin was one of them. Almost equally amazing was that these finalists on the Rio poker stage were virtually unknown players – not one in their track record had a WSOP gold bracelet before this event. Scott by now had shaken off the pain and near trip-ending loss at the baccarat table, and was enjoying the pressure in the final, which ran 7-hours (under the cameras of ESPN to boot).
When the lights finally dimmed, Scott walked away with a Gold Bracelet and a winning of $842,262 after jumping out to a decisive chip lead. The man from the Motor City proved he could walk away from a crash at the baccarat table and still keep his motor running through a demanding poker tournament.
You could say Justin didn't stay in Vegas, but he sure made it happen there.
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