Lee Davy once again takes a look at the security at poker tournaments and this time asks the players what they are doing to make sure they’re not easy targets?
Do you feel safe when you are at a poker tournament?
I asked this question in my recent article entitled How Safe Are You at a Poker Tournament, and if you haven’t read it then I suggest you do.
So why ask the same question twice?
In that aforementioned article I asked you—the player—to spread my article around your social media circles so the tournament organizers will pay more attention to security.
It worked.
But the poker organization’s security standards are only half of the problem.
You are the other half.
I am in the paying out area waiting to interview Andrew “BalugaWhale” Seidman. I have just watched him crash out of the Millionaire Maker in 31st place and he is collecting his $40,706 winnings.
He looks distraught.
Interrupting our view are two young women and a young man. The man has $40k in cash in his hands—four big bricks. He is so excited. He gets into various poses whilst the women take photographs of him.
John Racener is also collecting his winnings, after finishing in 42nd place, and he takes the camera from one of the girls and they have a group shot.
The trio walked past me, bricks in hand, jubilantly talking about how they are going to spend, what seems to be the biggest amount of cash either of them as ever held in their hands.
Was that a smart thing to do?
Give him a break?
He has just won $40k.
He deserves to be happy, have fun and take a few shots.
Not in this world.
I haven’t been around long enough to know if the poker industry is a more dangerous place than years gone by. But I do know that a crack head would beat you senseless for $10. So imagine what he or she would do for $40k?
According to sources on 2+2, the lad who was allegedly attacked in the Rio car park was drunk.
Is that a smart thing to do?
According to reports on Twitter, a young man had $35,000 stolen from his hotel room at the Rio. A room that is equipped with a safe. A safe that was not used.
Is that a smart thing to do?
It’s all well and good preaching to the tournament organizer’s to improve security, but the buck stops with you. Yes, more needs to be done, but relying on someone else to sort out your shit, is just not a very clever thing to do.
We don’t live in a world of satin and sweets.
Have you turned on the TV lately?
This world is nasty.
People are being robbed, raped and murdered at an alarming rate. That or the presence of the TV is making it appear so. Either way, I know that human beings are getting ever more daring when it comes to taking from others.
So take 100 percent responsibility for your life.
Start making smarter decisions in the same way you are supposed to be doing on the felt.
If you plan to go out and get drunk, then you know that you are going to lose control of your senses. Walking around with heaps of cash on your person, when in this state, is akin to trying to fly an airplane with your eyes closed.
There is a crash coming.
It’s going to happen.
Deciding to leave $35K in your hotel room. In this day and age? Give me a break.
You have to take more care of your belongings and money.
You are being targeted, and it’s time to realize that.
Each room in the Rio has a safe. It has a security code that only you would know. If you have $35,000 to leave in your room, then put it in the safe. If the safe gets robbed or cracked, then so be it. You did the best you could, and it’s time to find another hotel.
If you are worried about leaving money in your hotel room safe, then in the WSOP registration area, you can rent a Safety Deposit Box. Many players use this option so all of their cash is exactly where they need it to be—in the Rio under lock and key.
Did you know that you can also leave money on account in the Rio Main Cage area?
You do now.
If you cash, you don’t have to immediately walk up to the cash desk and get paid out in cash. In fact, with everything that has been going on recently, I would suggest you leave it for a bit.
You can receive your cash via bank transfer or a paper check. You can even leave all of your winnings there throughout the summer and have them wired to your bank account when you get home.
Did you know that?
You do now.
If you are alone, have cash on you, and don’t feel safe walking to your car, then ask the WSOP staff or security for assistance. Don’t take chances with your life. There are desperate people out there, and at the moment, we are lit up like a beacon.
Yes, the poker organizations have to look at security. They know that. But ask yourself honestly.
Are you taking 100 percent responsibility for your life?
Are you doing everything you can to make sure you are not a target?
