Mike Maloney, a Chicago blogger, took fourth place in the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments II last night. Does anyone know how it feels to get so close -- fourth place -- and miss out on the big trip?

Ding! Roll back the clock to July, 2006. Poker.com sponsored a blogger tournament season. Winners and a few other qualifiers made it to the big event with a trip to the WSOP Main Event on the line. Surprisingly, this rookie blogger made it to the final table and finished fourth.

In retrospect, I had no business being at that final table. I played my way in in the end of the season qualifier, and really was overmatched by almost everyone in the final event. This is how I described the event:

"Although I am disappointed at not winning the trip to the WSOP Main Event, I must say that I am pretty proud of my fourth place finish. Yeah - I am pretty sure that I could have slipped into third if I wanted to, but I really didn't want the third place prize anyway. And besides - I was playing to win this thing!

This tournament, played at Poker.com, was excellent. Long rounds with slowly increasing blinds helped a player like myself wait for those premium hands and favorite hands on which to gamble.I was getting no cards at all and just treading water, but when I got the cards ... POW !! Pocket Queens quickly followed by pocket Aces that held moved me from the middle of the pack to the front. I was as high as second place and was sitting in good position for much of the last half of the tournament.

Unfortunately, I just didn't seem to get the right breaks when I needed them most at the end. No complaints from me, however, as I took no bad beats nor gave any.

It was great to be playing with two players I highly respect, Shark Hathaway, leader of the Shark Army, and Mike "imjusthere4thebeer," prez of checkrayz.com. These two gentlemen have been most influential in helping to rid me of any donkeyness still within me.

A special thanks to my buds at the OnlinePokerTour - SeaWeed, shaggytrav, murrythecat, and pokerbrat89, who made for one hell of an online cheering section in the OPT forum. I owe y'all a big one!"

Shit - that was one hell of an exciting moment for me. If only I had the experience then that I had now, I might have taken it down. In all actuality, it was the first time that I ever had so much riding on a poker game and had no concept of end game play.

Now, my problem is playing good enough to get in the position to win. I just did miss getting into last night's final when I lost a tough heads up hand at a Riverchasers tournament two weeks ago. The heads up part of the match lasted only one hand: my 9-9 vs actyper's A-Q offsuit. We were all in pre-flop. If actyper doesn't spike a Queen on the flop, or if I spike a nine for a set ...

Ah well ...