[Barry]

After much poker, I'm finally checking back in.

At any rate, I had a few good levels after the lunch break, mostly at the expense of Paul Darden who sat to my right for about 2 hours.

When we got down to about 16 players I had about T70K which was among the chip leaders.

One hand when at the 3K/6K level,I open raised with 55 in MP, the BB is the only caller, I flop a set with 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], on board and the river is a [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] giving the BB a flush so I went to the final table with T55K about in the middle of the pack.

After getting no joy with AQ [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and losing when my 99 lost to TT, and some blinds, I was down to T9K at the 4K/8K level and 2 players already busting out.

I pick up 97 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] UTG and with only 2 BB's left I figured that this was the best that I was going to see and raise, the next player (the same one that hit the flush on me) 3 bets, all fold and I toss in my last 1K chip.

She turns over A6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. As I'm contemplating my post-tourny activities, the dealer spreads the flop. Before I can even focus on it, the player to my right who is a FW's regular, says "Oh my god, he flopped the stone cold nuts!" Since my opponent was a woman, I sat up and looked at a 568 flop. I'm alive again!. The dealer burns and turns an 8, then she burns and turns and my right hand neighbor says "Oh my god!", I look at the river and it's another 8 and my nut straight loses to 8's full of 6's. Oh well, I was happy, first that I survived the first break, then the dinner break, then the fact that I made the money, then delirious that I made the final table, but was very dissapointed that I checked out of the final table with mearly a whimper. It's funny how you can be happy that you made it so far, but sad that you didn't go further.

Oh well, not too bad for a mediocre poker player. It will be the $1K buy-in limit tourney on Wed that's next for me.