Imperfect but more than acceptable...aka Many Mistakes but The Captain earns his title...aka Finding that Elusive Score

Quick Edit: Thanks to lucko and smokkee for directing me to this. My final table play is reviewed in CardPlayer! Yeah, ok, not all that favorably, but so the fuck what! I can honestly say my online poker life and pokerblog have far exceeded my wildest expectations. Who knows where (if anywhere) we go from here.

I have no real understanding of the perfect storm of suckouts, decent reads and nice looking hands that coallesced and resulted in this. I am truly a little amazed, because all I can recall are the many errors I made along the way: trying to steal blinds holding 46c against a super-shortstack who HAD to call with anything! [fuck did I look like an idiot], folding 77 when I meant to resteal because I timed out trying to calculate the bet size, playing very low pairs from very EP when I know my game does not have me calling the huge reraises that inevitably follow. Showed cards when there was no logical role for image [and despite smokkee pleading with me for about a month to cut that shit out]. Let my M dwindle way too low a couple of times looking for my spot when it was clear I was playing too tight for my stack.

You get the idea: fourth = Puhlenty of room for improvement.

Aside from that, I managed to get my money in bad (dominated bad twice) on several pushes, and managed to suckout to keep going. I actually like my push in each of those situations but ran into a lot of optimistic AJs who were soundly taught why that hand can break your heart in about a hundred different ways.

ATo on the other hand is gold.

If you were predisposed to be a crank about it, you could use this finish as evidence MTTs don't measure skill so much as act as a late night donkey census. The 4th last quadraped standing was given 12k for his efforts last night.

He's pretty happy about it.

And all self-deprecation aside - it feels great. My confidence in my MTT game is very, very strong. It has been evolving nonstop for months and hopefully will continue to do so, owing along the way more than a little debt to the people who stop by here and share their insights.

I want everyone to know I am genuinely appreciative of the amazing support I received during this hobgoblin of a run.

Waffles, lucko, smokkee, D, Jo, JJ, Mookie, Michael, Mike, Fastpitch - it was truly helpful and totally standup of you guys. One unknown observer started cheering for me because, in his estimation, if this many people wished me well I must be an ok guy. I hope he's right. On the other hand, another observer was intent on ejaculating on my virtual breasts.

Aren't we all?

Anyway I hope I get the chance to do the same for each of you [rail you, not the other thing] in short order. It should come as no shock to anyone who reads this that I am trying to move my game (esp. my endgame) closer to smokkee and lucko's. I am far from achieving that goal, but I do feel progress is being made.

Fuel, you're timely insights were lifesaving. Looking forward to partying like the aging rockstars we clearly are when we hit Vegas next month.

And lastly, I have to say a special thank you to a guy I am constantly pointing to as my big inspiration. The HammahPlayah was busy making the money in this thing too, but took time to keep me off mega-tilt when I took a riverflush up the ass in the midgame. After he exited playing his own bold style of chip accumulation, he hung with me to the not-at-all bitter end, offering analysis and advice that was exceeedingly helpful.

Really what can I say? Hoy is mah boy.

Thanks to all of you for hanging - and for God's sake if I missed anyone - call me on it immediately! It's 5AM as I write so forgive me, but correct me.

I wrote recently that the only thing better than success is success with your friends there to enjoy it with you. I know when I remember this tournament years from now it won't be the score that stands out so much as waffles seducing/tilting my table in the chat, lucko BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMing his occasional approval, and smokkee giving his regards to the Captain's antics while Hoy and I steadily climbed the ladder.

Good fucking stuff.

Nap-time.