As I laid on my Binion’s bed watching the sunlight peek through the moth-eaten curtains this morning, I realized that the dream is over. No main event chance. No big payday likely forthcoming. I think I’ll be a much happier person tonight when my wife arrives and we move into much nicer quarters, but for now I’m pretty down. I’ve not cashed in a tournament on the trip athough I’ve finished in the top 25 percent of most of them (well, all, except the WSOP HORSE debacle).

It remains to be seen when I return home if I will go back to desk work or get enough poker writing work to stay away from the daily grind (I’m betting on the former), but whichever happens I will be ok with. As my wife likes to say, “The 9 to 5 isn’t that bad.” Of course she is right.

In poker there is such a fine line between success and failure. A single river card can make the difference between being broke and winning a million. I never get the right river cards.

It probably gets old to my friends, but this story is new here so I’ll share it quickly. I sat briefly with Leif Force during the 2006 Main Event. He hit a queen on the river to crack kings with his queens and stave off elimination. He went on to finish 11th. Less than an hour later I have kings and lose to aces. No king on the river, no $1.1 million like Force.

OK, enough crying. I’ve dried my tears on the crying towel and am sure I will face the rest of the trip with renewed resolve after a visit from my wife. There’s still some Venetian Deep Stack events to play, still some over at the Orleans Open. Maybe even a Bellagio Cup if I can win a satellite.

Maybe the river cards will be right.