Tim McKernan On His Way to WSOP

Sportscaster and Internet entrapenuer Tim McKernan is now on a roll after losing thousands of dollars playing poker over the last few years.  McKernan said that he has now recouped all of his losses after a big recent run of wins and he has won a seat at the World Series of Poker Main Event. 

Tim McKernan is the co host of the morning Drive Time show on sports talk station KSLG.  He also owns the majority of insidetl.com and he has now made it on his third try of the year to get into the Main Event.

His first attempt to win a seat was by playing in a yearlong tournament among some his local friends but he didn't win.  Then he thought that one of his business partners, Chicago cubs outfielder Jim Edmonds thinking that he would front the $10,000 dollar buyin.  The $10,000 buyin would only be paid under the condition that McKernan would give Edmonds, who owns 20 percent of insidetl.com half of any winning but McKernan said that he thought "it's a stupid investment."

"But I think if I really would have pushed, it could have happened,'' McKernan said.  He didn't have to push Edmonds though since he qualified last weekend by winning satellite tournaments on a poker site.  He spent $127 dollars and beat out 235 other players to get one of the four spots in the WSOP Main Event.

"For me to win those satellites in order to get to go out there is about as big of a thrill as a 31-year-old, who towers over everyone at 5 feet 7, can experience in the 'field of sports,' if you want to call it that,'' McKernan said.  He said that he has been playing online poker since 2004 and had a horrendous start.

"I was losing so much money — thousands of dollars,'' he said. "If you would look at my checkbook from '04, '05, '06, '07 ... it would be disgusting.''

He is now on a winning streak, he finished third in a tournament at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas winning around $2,900 dollars, a good return on his $220 dollar buyin.  He then cashed out for around $2,000 dollars in three other tournaments over the last month and a half.

He then went on to win the World Series qualifier valued at $12,500 dollars which includes his $10,000 dollar buyin and $2,500 dollars for travel expenses.  He could have just taken the cash instead of the trip but he decided to go with the once in a lifetime experience of playing in the WSOP Main Event, saying "This is as good as it gets.''