Shaun Deeb Almost Loses $10k in Protein Bar Mixup

A case of dumb and dumber almost cost Shaun Deeb $10,500 recently after a friend passed him a wad of cash hidden in a box of protein bars – an unsuspecting Deeb leaving the box behind for the cleaners to throw away!

The near-miss happened recently at the WSOPC Turning Stone stop, the New Yorker explaining to PokerNews that his friend and fellow pro DJ McKinnon was involved in the mix-up.

“He (MacKinnon) did me a favor holding some money for me from someone who owed me money in Buffalo,” said Deeb, but was caught out when McKinnon failed to explain his plan for returning it.

“He comes up and says ‘Here, have some protein bars’, and puts a box of protein bars in front of my stack,” explained Deeb, who was getting a massage at the time.

Deeb replied: “I'm not going to fucking want that! And he's like ‘Whatever’ and he just walks away.”

So far, nothing unusual, Deeb not known for his healthy approach to food – although a $1million prop bet with Bill Perkins agreed earlier this week should hopefully change that.

The big problem, though, was that McKinnon had put the $10k+ of cash inside the protein bar box!

“I offered the masseuse the protein bars, she's like 'nah’,” Deeb later recalled, putting the bars at his feet and later, after busting, walking off without them.

It wasn’t until dinner with McKinnon later that the truth of what had happened was revealed, PokerNews relating the exchange:

McKinnon: “Do you like how I paid you the money?”
Deeb: “What money?”
McKinnon: “In the protein box. I put the money that I was holding for you in there.”
Deeb: “You're fucking joking.”
McKinnon: “No.” MacKinnon said as his smile left.
Deeb: “I fucking left it on the floor. It's probably thrown away.”
McKinnon: “Haha, you're joking.”
Deeb: “No.”

“So we have five minutes of arguing with each other that we're joking and I realize he's serious because he's starting to sweat, and I'm like, 'Oh fuck’,” Deeb revealed.

Deeb then headed back to the casino floor, only to find the box had been cleared away by staff. Fellow players were aghast that McKinnon hadn’t explained there was money in the box.

Matthew Wantman, there when the protein bar box was handed over to Deeb, said: “That's the dumbest way I've ever seen someone fucking pay money. He didn't say a word, why the f*** would you ever think there's money in that thing?”

Another exchange revealed why Deeb didn’t expect to be paid in protein bars:

MacKinnon: “Why would I just give you a box of protein bars?”
Deeb: “Because it's a fat joke!”

Having by now asked staff to look out for the now-missing box, Deeb then received a call that the box had been found, cash intact, in a garbage bin.

He was told by the janitor: “You were so lucky because in a few minutes he was going to take it to the big dumpster outside and you probably would have never seen it [again].”

With a $500 tip/reward to the janitor for saving the day, Deeb’s luck well-and-truly turned as he then went on to take down the Main Event for $275,916 and his first Circuit ring.