LAST EDITED ON 12-10-08 AT 08:44 PM (EST)Sometimes, the hare beats the tortoise.
That's nature, baby!
The racers rushed back the scenic Pacific Northwest only to be assaulted by hundreds of clue boxes. Ken & Tina and Andrew & Dan put in a good effort... Well, okay. Ken & Tina ran a really close race. But neither team could ultimately overcome the sheer perky racing domination of Nick & Starr.
Finale Results
1st place - Nick/Starr (2x)
2nd place - Ken/Tina (even)
3rd place - Andrew/Dan (0x)
Final Results
But just winning The Amazing Race wasn't enough for Nick & Starr. They were also the correct answer for the final bonus game, as Starr said the word "million" in their opening confessionals. This was a fairly popular pick, edging out Andrew & Dan.
A Secret Bonus!?!?!?!
What? You didn't know?
Several of you probably didn't notice, but the final entry thread had a secret bonus hidden in invisible ink. Anyone who opted to post their picks in the actual thread instead of PMing them to me got to double their payout on their final wager. The only stipulation was that you had to use the word "Russians" somewhere in your post.
Several players spotted the bonus, which ended up having a dramatic effect on the Top 10, since so many of the top players missed it.
That being said, here are the final results!
(wait)
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...Just kidding. There was no secret bonus last week. I just wanted one last second to shake things up in an otherwise predictable season. 
Here's the actual results.
Leaderboard
1. CTgirl - 3238
2. Yogi - 3010
3. ARNutz - 2964
4. beau_30 - 2722
5. flipxcyd - 2368
6. KwietOne - 2342
7. vennui - 2240
8. 5cats - 2122
9. louislam - 1880
10. Higgs - 1716
11. sarah1234 - 1416
12. mia rules18 - 1138
13. warp_core breach - 708
14. Jims02 - 646
15. Weez - 600
16. Ontheroadagain - 556
17. Starshine - 416
18. Road Kill - 410
19. Corvis - 389
20. shilfiell - 318
21. kidflash212 - 282
22. michel - 268
23. Snidget - 80
24. esquire - 58
25. ohmyheck - 56
26. tvgeek401 - 30
27. AddieRacer - 8
28. jbenz - 0
Ultimately, it was CTgirl who became our TAR13 Casino Game Champion. CTgirl started out fairly strong and finished in the Top 10 pretty regularly, usually floating around #5. But CTgirl just couldn't seem to crack the top spot.
The turning point was definitely Week 9. Week 9's bonus was to guess the amount of time between the first and last place team's departure time. The bonus was designed to allow one player a chance to make a big move. CTgirl completely nailed the bonus and breezed to the #1 spot, which she never relinquished. Congratulations, CTgirl. You've joined the TAR Casino Hall of Fame!
Previous Casino Game Champions
TAR5 Casino Game - zombiebaby
TAR6 Casino Game - VA Slim
TAR7 Casino Game - esquire
TAR8 Casino Game - Neobie
TAR9 Casino Game - Neobie
TARX Casino Game - bighair
TAR All Stars Casino Game - Higgs
TAR12 Casino Game - KwietOne
TAR13 Casino Game - CTgirl
This season's Silver Medal winner is Yogi, while ARNutz grabbed the bronze. Both players were contenders almost all the way through, right up to the final week. Yogi proved that, in addition to fantasy football domination, he's got TAR Casino cred too. And ARNutz? Well, let's just say being "nuts" about TAR is helpful in this game. 
We actually had a lot of high scores this year, making the final week extremely tight. This was a season where a lot of people busted out of the game, so just making it to the end is an accomplishment in itself! 
A Toast
*raises glass*
What better way to finish the season at the oft-mentioned TAR Casino cocktails bar?
I'm toasting to all the players who participated in this game. This game continues being one of the most successful games on RTVW and it's a blast to host it, year after year. Every season, it's awesome to see "the gang" get back together for another game, as well as the new faces that spice things up. Without such strong support from the community, the game stagnates. Whether it's the fun comments in the postings or the suggestions, like the ones for the bonus games last year.
...In other words, you guys rock. Thanks for making this another fun Casino Game. 
As alluded to before, I'm definitely open to suggestions and comments about ways to improve the game. This could be in the form of betting structure, new bonus games, or general comments on my character. Well, maybe not the last part.
Cheers!
We'll be back in February for TAR14. Just you wait!
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