Racer beats Runner: Drake Kemper captures Slow Poker

If anyone was ever going to catch Slow Poker, the Vegas books probably would have made Drake Kemper the favorite. After all, Kemper's Hendon Mob profile has a bunch of cashes ($80,000 so far in 2024), but most of his successes prior to this year have happened at speeds poker never sees.

Look back at news over the past decade and you'll see Kemper on the top of podium again and again.

Monday night, Kemper was the first to the checkered flag, catching Slow Poker just before 9pm as The Runner tried to sneak his way into the Resorts World poker room (shortly after putting himself on the wait list as "U. Bolt").

Drake Kemper and Slow Poker, just after the capture

One day run ends with practice lap and finish line burnout

Slow Poker's 2022 cross-country run frustrated Bounty Hunters for three weeks. While a couple of searchers had security video of Slow Poker in the early days, no one managed to run down the Runner before he crossed the finish line at the Wynn.

This year, PokerOrg announced Slow Poker's identity in advance, reduced the run to one day, and confined the entire thing to one metro area. To win, Slow Poker needed to complete six hours of live play within one 24 hour period. 

Beginning around 10am Monday, Slow Poker slipped into Southpoint Casino's poker room where he played for 45 minutes before getting spooked. He later reported that the man sitting beside him told him he looked a lot like this guy on YouTube named Slow Poker. 

From there, Slow Poker hopscotched around Las Vegas, dropping videos of where he'd been and cryptic clues about where he might end up next. He landed next as "Carl" at the Golden Nugget before making his way to The Strip and an hour as "Jackie" at the Horseshoe.  Less than half an hour later, he walked into the Aria poker room and cashed out an hour later without ever being recognized. 

A little after 8pm, things began to get tense at Resorts World.  Slow Poker's video outside the Aria was less than subtle, and Bounty Hunters were on the lookout with several stationed in and around the poker room there.

In a moment that we'll show you in a video later, Kemper chased yours truly in a cat and mouse maze through Resorts World corridors before realizing the man under the hoodie was PokerOrg's Editor-In-Chief and not Slow Poker. This turned out to be a practice lap.

A few minutes later, Slow Poker tried to slip in from another way, but Kemper was ready.

"He intercepted me the second I slipped through the side door," Slow Poker said.

And so, U. Bolt didn't get to take his seat. The Runner became, once again, Slow Poker, and Kemper, the fastest man on the track and in the Resorts World poker room, earned his $5,300 seat in the NAPT Las Vegas Main Event.

Thanks to all the Bounty Hunters who put a scare into Slow Poker, and congrats and good luck to Drake in the Main Event.

Standby for more details...

Drake Kemper and Slow Poker, just after the capture

Runner, Slow Poker has just filed his latest report.

With just.a little more than four hours left to play, Slow Poker has to finish two hours and 15 minutes more table time to finish his run. 

With six hours remaining in the competition, Slow Poker has logged only two hours and 45 minutes of his required playtime. The feeling at this point is that there will be barely any delay between his exit videos and his next appearance.

Slow Poker just posted the video below from what is certainly the Horseshoe on the Strip. He booked an hour of time there before bolting.