Which Poker Player Left $300,000 in the Back Seat of a Taxi?
Yesterday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that $300,000 in hundred-dollar bills was left in the back seat of a local taxi cab. It was wrapped up inside a brown paper bag.
The driver was shocked to discover the bundle of cash. He quickly turned in the money to the lost and found at the taxicab’s main dispatch office. Later, the bag of money was traced to “a prominent Las Vegas Poker player.” Those were the only details given in a number of breaking stories about the highly unusual incident and holiday treasure hunt. In fact, according to the report, this was the largest amount of money ever left behind in similar circumstances. Last year, someone left $222,000 inside a cab and claimed it later.
The escapade all began on Monday morning, two days before Christmas. At 11:45 am, Gerardo Gamboa, a 13-year veteran local taxi driver, discovered someone had left a brown paper bag in the back seat of his cab. When he pulled into the Bellagio main entrance to make what he thought would be a routine pick-up, the hotel’s doorman noticed the lost bag sitting unattended in the back seat and alerted the driver. Assuming it was a Christmas gift left behind, probably “chocolates,” Gamboa guessed, he placed the bag in the front seat and continued driving on. He even went and made another pick-up and delivery.
While Gamboa and his next fare were waiting at a traffic light, the driver couldn’t resist the temptation to see “what kind of chocolates are they.” He discovered something far sweeter inside.
Turns out, six bundles of stacked $100 bills, all neatly bound together was found inside, later tabulated to be exactly $300,000.
Apparently, Gamboa never had any intention of keeping the money. After he dropped off his next passenger, the driver returned to the Yellow Checker Cab office where he reported the most unusual lost item.
Las Vegas Police Department (Metro) was called, and after some swift investigative work, the money was traced to a poker player.
Gamboa recalled his previous fare — and the likely owner of the lost money — was a passenger traveling from the Cosmopolitan to the Palms Place tower. a high-rise condo on Flamingo. He even remembered receiving a $5 tip from the fare. Following that trip, Gamboa drove on to the Bellagio, where the brown bag was discovered.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal report, “The Cosmopolitan, just south of the Bellagio, recently had recorded a $300,000 payout.”
Bingo!
We still don’t know the identity of the “prominent poker player.” Presumably, the money has now reached its rightful owner by now. Poker forums such as Two Plus Two are lighting up with speculation as to which poker player left the money behind. The usual suspects include Phil Ivey.
Let’s hope this honest driver, Gerardo Gamboa, who did the right thing without hesitation receives a nice Christmas present from a poker player who is not only running well but sure got lucky.
The poker player was Jason Koon