The Walker

Garrett is playing in a ring game (for real money) while I'm getting
killed in a super satellite (a tournament to win an entry into a bigger
tournament), both at the Horseshoe.  After I get eliminated, I find
Garrett and it seems he's been busy.

There was a woman who was spending most of her time walking around and
not playing hands.  A lot of players get irritated by this, since fewer
players in the game means less action and the blinds (forced bets) come
around more often.  They felt this person was abusing her right to leave
the table.  Since there was a waiting list for the game, as there always
is during the World Series of Poker, someone with a little more interest
in playing could undoubtably be found.

The rule about "walkers" works like this.  Every time a new dealer comes
to the table (about every twenty minutes), they put a No Player button
wherever a player isn't in their seat.  The buttons are cleared whenever
the person plays a hand.  If a spot accumulates three No Player buttons,
their chips are picked up (and held by the floorman) and someone is called
off the waiting list for that seat.

The problem woman would apparently come back right when she was getting
her third button, play a couple hands, and then go off again.  Someone
complained to the floorman, but he said there nothing he could do as
she was technically within the rules to do this.

Garrett was beside this woman, and the man on the other side of him
apparently decided to take matters into his own hands.  He gets up before
the next dealer change so that *he* would get a No Player button as well
as the woman.  When he sits down again, he hides it behind his large stacks
of chips.  Many people see this, and do nothing.

The man then silently flicked the chip over to Garrett, and looks at
the chip, her seat, Garrett, the chip, her seat...aha!  Garrett takes
the chip and watches the dealer.  Seat 1 is looking on with horror in
his eyes ("they're going to catch us and beat us up"), but he pitches
in, asking the dealer a question as she deals past him.  Garrett flips
the chip into position.

The dealer passes over the empty seat and frowns.  Wasn't there just
one chip there before?  Now the entire table vehemently agrees that
there were two chips there.  Everyone is now in on the conspiracy.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't have a happy ending, as the woman came
back right at the next dealer change.