I'm Not Cherry

PokerStars Tournament #5286077, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
588 players
Total Prize Pool: $5880.00
Tournament started - 2005/02/19 - 03:15:00 (ET)

Dear JoeSpeaker,

You finished the tournament in 5th place.
A $323.40 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

That is not a mis-print. My first Final Table.

They say you need some luck to make it that far in these tournaments, but I really didn't. Not until we got down to three-tables, anyway. I'd only been able to maintain my stack through much of the third hour. And then I took a hit, my AQo running into AA. Suddenly, I was the smallest stack left in the tourney. And Lady Luck kicked in.

I don't remember the exact specifics, owing to the late hour and the liquid courage (and foraging through the hand history is not something my sleep-deprived brain wants to do). I know I caught a runner-runner straight to make my smaller pocket pair a winner. I know I caught a 3-outer on the river to stay alive. My tablemates and some railbirds started coming up with nicknames for me, nearly all of them good-natured.

But really, that was nothing.

I made it to the final table and watched three get knocked out quickly. I and a couple others had the smallish stacks. Then the hand: I re-raised a 4x opening raise for more than half my stack with 55, hoping to win it right there. He came back over the top and I was stuck. Fold and I've got enought for maybe two orbits. Call and hope for a coin flip. I chose the latter. I didn't get my coin flip. He showed 77.

Flop came all clubs, no improvement. I don't have a club. He does. Rag on the turn. I'm down to one card, one out. The five of hearts spikes on the river. The table/rail go friggin' insane. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I wasn't the only drunk guy.

It was at this point, I thought tonight might be my night (this morning might be my morning). I could never, in a million years, be able to adequately explain how I felt when that card fell. Now, I'm closing in on the chip lead.

Alas, it was not to be. I got AKo in the BB and re-raised the button, who calls. The flop is a fairly enjoyable KQ9 and I bet about a third of my stack (half the pot). He comes over the top, all-in.

I think his name was sdgamer. Or something like that. He was the recipient of my runner-runner beat earlier. He took it like a man. He was a heckuva player. He got his revenge, flipping J10s when I called.

I've only had four hours sleep. I'm hungover, my head is pounding, my hands a little shaky.

I feel great.