Like you Dennis, I made the final table my first convention also. A few years later, I'm walking down the aisle on the borse floor and some called, "Hey Mtanker!" It was Jim Episale who was the very first chipper I ever met at a convention. He had saved for me an item that he knew was right up my alley on many different levels and proved what we all know in this hobby that the chips are great fun but the people in the hobby are as great too!

I remember the convention that I arrived at broke and disheartened and the event was just the tonic I needed. I'd just spent $6000 trying to cure my cat of cancer and had several life-plan setbacks. I wasn't looking for chips that convention but I knew that my chip friends would make things better and of course, they did.

The last convention is still a daily factor in my life. Brian asked me when I walked up to the Splashbar how it was going. Great, I said, I've been in the state about 20 hours, I'm up $125 and two beautiful women have hugged me! I met several folks for the first time that I'd always admired and guess what? They wanted to meet me too! I had pretty fair success on the tables which paid for every chip I acquired during the convention. Honestly, it was a touch melancholy at the start of the trip but by the time I got home, I was ready to take on the world. I plotted, gamed and managed to hoop a lady that I'd been pursuing for quite awhile. The well-being I call "The Chipper's Life" had been the impetus to make the difference. I invited her to accompany me this year but alas not this time. She's gonna be a great fit with the club as she embodies many of our ideals. She's too dignified to scan but you all will meet her eventually,she's going to be part of this chipper's convention booty for quite awhile.