Jesus had his Mary at the Final Table
Preston McEwen had family in the front row for the first time.
“Flapjack Jebus,” “The Tall Hippie,” – I’ve even heard him called “The Machine” at a table once – but whatever you call him, call Preston McEwen a treasured friend. He played his way to the final table of the World Series of Poker $2,500 Freezeout event, cheered on by a rail of friends during the final Day 1 flight of the Main Event.
Three days wasn’t enough, and he returned for a fourth day to play against a lineup that you’d find in a movie. One, an industry billionaire with $40 million in tournament earnings, a Brazilian pro who brought a rail three people deep and an unknown wildcard with a career-high cash of $4,496.
There was a major difference – his wife, Mary, was in the stands watching him play for the first time. It’s not something she’s seen before; when he’s on the road churning out tournament cashes, she’s at home holding down the fort.
“This is fun and very exciting,” she said from the front row of the final table. “I’m meeting a lot of new people, it’s kind of hard to keep up with all the names.” As one of the most personable players on the Circuit, it’s not surprising she’s overwhelmed.
“Today was way different than waking for up Day 3,” said McEwen. “I knew I had $155k locked up no matter what and that took some of the pressure off. We came back Saturday with 25 players and only $15k in the bank.
I went in without any nerves at all,” he said. “I had a big score for the summer locked up and I was ready to play poker – just on the wrong end of a cooler.”
McEwen returned second in chips but 30 minutes into play he went to a flop of Ad Jh 4c three ways. He got his chips in with Ah Js for aces up, but Jaehoon Baek had two black aces in the hole. McEwen was eliminated in fourth place for $155,010.
McEwen’s grief was short-lived. Twenty minutes after busting he was smiling in the hallway with Mary and a couple of friends. “I wasn’t even going to play this event,” he said. “A friend told me I could still max late-reg and I had a good feeling about it.”
“It’s a huge blessing because I shouldn’t have even been in there,” said McEwen. “While it’s heartbreaking not to win, I feel like it fell into my lap.”
Midway through Day 3 familiar faces from the Circuit gathered at the stanchions as the field played down from three tables down to two. When the final table moved on the Feature Stage, his rail was packed with family and friends.
Over the last few weeks, Mary finally got a taste of the WSOP after taking six weeks of vacation. They even brought the kids for a while. “They’re at his mom’s house in California now,” she said. “The whole family has been keeping up with the table.”
“I see all the work that goes in behind the scenes that others don’t,” she said. “It’s very rewarding to see him find success because of how hard he works.”
McEwen’s rail grew as the table diminished. His rail’s volume increased proportionally to their drink service; they even started The Wave with the Brazilian fans. All of the emotion was on the crowd side of the rail, McEwen showed little emotion at the final table.
“Man, it was awesome,” said McEwen. “It felt like an old school Penn & Teller Theater Main Event final table. I don’t know how many people there were, but it felt like hundreds. The Brazilian rail was so much fun; their chants are so energetic and rhythmic, we couldn’t help but dance with them.”
“He’s fun, but usually pretty calm,” said Mary. “He’s level-headed and easygoing at home.”
He doubled up in a huge hand when the table was eight-handed. He got his stack in holding trip nines, walked to his rail of supporters and said, “That’s Southern poker baby!”
McEwen plans to take a much-deserved afternoon off, but he’ll be right back at tables on Monday for his crack at the Main Event.
Photos courtesy of PokerOrg.