A little less than two weeks ago, my attempt to win a spot in the World Series of Poker Main Event via our home game fell short, as I finished in 4th place over the course of a 9 month "season," and only the top 2 players won the $10,000 buy-in for the WSOP Main Event.

So, the dream of playing in the World Series of Poker appeared to be reliant on either Cubs' centerfielder and insideSTL.com co-owner Jim Edmonds wanting to go into business once again and staking me for the $10,000 entry fee in exchange for 50% of any potential winnings...or somehow winning a seat online via PokerStars.

Over the last week or so, Edmonds had cooled on the idea of staking the 10k, saying, "I'm not sure that's such a great investment," and I had become resigned to the fact that I probably wouldn't be participating in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Despite not having a spot in the WSOP, I booked a flight out of St. Louis to Las Vegas on July 2nd and returning July 6th because many of the gentlemen from my poker league---including, obviously, the two guys who won their spots in the Main Event---were making the trip out there, and I figured it would be an amusing time...even if I weren't participating in the World Series.

That flight booking only took place after I cleared this whole operation with my wife. Our fourth wedding anniversary is July 3rd. While I personally was unsure about making the trip to Las Vegas and not being with Isabella on our anniversary, my wife said, "This is what you love to do, so go out there and play and enjoy yourself. The anniversary is just a date. We can celebrate it when you get back."

God bless her.

So, either way---WSOP spot or not---I was shooting out to Las Vegas a week from Wednesday.

I had one option left to qualify for the Main Event: win a spot online.

PokerStars, along with a variety of other sites, has been offering a variety of ways to win a $10,000 buy-in to the World Series of Poker. The tournament I had set my sights on to qualify in was the $650 buy-in Saturday afternoon.

As opposed to paying $650 to buy-in to the qualifier, I decided to play a satellite tournament for $27 (plus $25 rebuys for the first half hour) to try and win my $650 buy-in to the 1:30 $650 tournament.

After spending a total of $127 in rebuys and one add-on at the first break, I was able to win one of the spots to the $650 tournament at 1:30.

When things got underway at 1:30, there were 89 people in the tournament. The way PokerStars handles these World Series of Poker Main Event Qualifiers is that they award a $12,500 prize package ($10,000 WSOP buy-in and $2,500 in cash) for every $12,500 in the tournament pool. When it was all said and done and everybody had registered, there was $54,735 in the prize pool...meaning the top four finishers out of the 89 people playing would win a spot in the WSOP...plus $2,500 in cash. The extra $4,735 ($12,500 x 4=$50,000...total prize pool $54,735) would be divided up so that 5th place through 11th place would receive $650 in cash and 12th place would win $185.

The odds were rather long, but I felt pretty confident going into the whole deal.

And, sure enough...within the first 15 minutes, I had moved into first place. I was fortunate enough to flop a set of 8's in a 3-way pot with an ace on the board. I moved all-in on the turn, and one of the players called with ace-king. My set of 8's held up, and I had doubled up.

When you're in a tournament---especially one that costs $650 to play in---getting out of the gate strong is crucial, and, as mentioned on the size of the buy-in, in Saturday's case, there were many great players participating in it. You don't get too many poor players participating in a $650 tournament, and so to start out with a big chip lead was huge.

It allowed me the flexibility to play more pots and be more aggressive. But, that aggression was penalized when my pocket queens ran into pocket kings, and my chip stack was cut in about half...moving me from the top 3 in the touranment to around 18th...with 50 or so people left.

By around 5:30---4 hours into it---we were down to 2 tables (18 players), and unfortunately, I didn't have many chips left. Any pot I would play would have to be an all-in preflop move. When everyone folded to me in the small blind, and I had A2, it was good enough for me to shove my stack all-in...hoping that I wouldn't get called, and I'd be able to take the big blind.

Unfortuately, the player in the big blind immediately called...and before even seeing his cards, I knew I was in big trouble.

The cards flip over, and my A2 is up against his AJack. Barring one of 3 2's in the deck coming off (without a jack coming off) or a 3,4,5 coming off for a straight, I'm doomed.

The board fired off 9-7-7 on the flop. Death approaching.

The turn came off with a king. No help.

I needed a 2 to pull off a miracle win, or a 9 or king to pair the board and chop the pot. Otherwise, it was all over.

The river came off...and it was a 9.

The board paired, and so that meant we split the pot, because we each had an ace, and his jack kicker didn't come into play...as officially, our hands were 7799A.

I was still alive.

But, barely.

It got down to 13 players, and I was in 13th place out of the remaining 13. At that point, I just wanted to get "in the money," and as mentioned above, 12th place paid $185, and 5th through 11th paid $650. 13th place paid nothing. I didn't want to "bubble," meaning I didn't want to be the guy to finish just one place out of the money after playing five hours of poker. At this point, I was just focused on winning some cash...and the berth to the WSOP Main Event wasn't even something I considered to be possible.

Fortunately, an aggressive short-stacked player made an all-in move with A7 and ran into AK, didn't get any help on the board, was eliminated, and I was in the money. At the very least, I knew I was going to win $185 (which meant I'd be up $60 for the day...since it cost me $125 towin the satellite way back at 10:30 in the morning earlier in the day).

After just grinding and grinding...and folding and folding even some good hands...another player was knocked out in 12th place, and I was guaranteed $650.

At that point, I felt like I had "won," even though the goal was to win a $12,500 package to the World Series of Poker when I started. But, after grinding it out short-stacked, just surviving and winning $650 felt like a victory.

And, that mindset was important, because I no longer played tight...instead I went balls to the wall going all-in with dogshit hands just to steal blinds. The logic was that I was playing with house money, and if somebody called me and beat me, so be it. But, I wasn't going to get "blinded out," and I felt like I had nothing to lose.

The plan was working, and I was moving up the leaderboard. However, there were still 7 players left, and I was still on the outside-looking-in of the crucial top 4...which would win a spot to the World Series of Poker.

That is...until the 2nd place player made a big mistake. I had pocket kings in the big blind, and the 2nd place player raised pre-flop from the cut-off position, just to the right of the dealer. Naturally, I re-raised him all-in...not necessarily expecting a call, because based on the relatively small preflop bet he made, I thought he may have been just trying to steal the blinds.

To my surprise...and my delight...he called. The cards turn over, and he has pocket 7's.

The cards peeled off, he didn't catch a 7, and I went from 7th place to 2nd place just like that.

All of the sudden, winning a seat to the World Series of Poker (and another $2,500 in cash) had become a real possibilty...and I'm basically pissing myself.

About 15 minutes later, we were down to just 5 players. Once the fifth player was knocked out, the tournament would be over, and the remaining four would have won the $12,500 prize package.

It's within my grasp. I'm in second place still, but just one bad hand---with the blinds the size they are at this point in the tournament---can turn it all around.

Finally, the short-stack 5th place player goes all-in. I don't have shit, so I fold. But, another player does call.

The 5th place player has moved all-in with a dogshit 8Ten. Unfortunately, the other player had an even shittier hand of 46.

But, sometimes things just work out.

When the turn came off, the short-stack 5th place player was done, because 235 had come off on the board, giving the bigger stack a straight...and me a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event and $2,500.

Quite honestly, it still seems surreal.

I recall exhaling and putting my head in my hands in disbelief. Six hours after this tournament had started...and nine hours after playing in the satellite to even get in the qualifier...it was over. $127 had turned into $12,500.

My wife, who has put up with my obsession with poker since it began in October of 2004 and who has put up with me being a losing player really until the last few months, celebrated with me by enjoying a feast at Cafe Napoli...and then finishing off the evening as so many people who dine at Cafe Napoli do...by going to Malle's in South City. 

Despite the fact that I could just take the $10,000 cash and not use it to buy-in to the World Series, Isabella encouraged me to go out to Las Vegas and give it a shot.

Once again, God bless her.

So, a week from Wednesday, I'll fly out to Las Vegas and play on my favorite game's grandest stage. Players have the option of playing the first round on one of four days: Thursday July 3rd, Friday July 4th, Saturday July 5th, or Sunday July 6th.

My plan is to play Thursday...and if I survive the first day, I won't have to play again until Tuesday July 8th...which means I'll have the whole weekend to be a creep with my St. Louis friends who will be out there either playing in the World Series...or just having numerous glasses of booze. If I get knocked out Thursday, I'll fly home Sunday...and still have the weekend to hang out and have numerous glasses of booze with my counterparts.

So, that's why I'm angling for playing Thursday instead of the other days.

As you may imagine, I have no expectations. Last year, more than 6,300 people played...and only the top 650 or so got paid. While those that observe poker from the sidelines just consider it to be a game of luck, I'll happily argue the other side of it, while conceding that, without question, luck is a factor...but I think it's less of a factor than skill. Despite that, at some point, I'll need some luck to stay alive. It's inevitable. The goal is to just go out there, somehow ignore the circus-like atmosphere and TV cameras surrounding the event, and play the same game that got me there in the first place.

It'll all start next Thursday...and it may all end Thursday, July 3rd. I can't help but think it's too much of a coincidence that the whole thing will happen on our wedding anniversary...because without a legitimately cool and understanding wife, it wouldn't have happened in the first place.

You're more than welcome to log-in and post your comments below, or you can email me at tmckernan@insidestl.com.