On Sunday night, the internettexasholdem.com general board was abuzz with multi-table tournament discussion – not the least bit unusual on what has become the premier night for the MTT online poker scene. However, there was some personal ITH flavor emanating through the online air, as ITHer J Mega made an historic march towards ITH immortality in the Poker Stars Sunday Million.

With oodles of loyal ITHers virtually railing in IRC and General Board discussion, J Mega bulldozed his way through a massive field of some 5,900 online players to collect a five-way chop in the Stars Million. For his magnificent efforts, J Mega set an online standard never before witnessed within ITH. At the end of the night, J Mega was 74K richer following a MTT he will not soon forget.

“I don't think it sunk in until I woke up after three hours sleep that morning,” J Mega said Wednesday, just three days after his memorable night. “I woke up with a huge smile on my face and my heart pounding just as quickly as it was during the final table. 

“It feels absolutely amazing, and [is] such an incredible honor,” he said, in reference to his record-setting ITH performance Sunday. “In no way do I feel that I am the best player on ITH. I played well and got lucky at the right times. There are several ITHers who have the goods to beat this record, and I am positive it will be eclipsed in the near future.”

Humility aside, J Mega was in a league of his own Sunday and, for the time being, he finds himself enshrined in ITH lore. He said his strategy fluctuated from tight to aggressive given the ebb and flow of the Stars Million on Sunday. He credits an early double-up with allowing him to impose his aggression upon the other shorter-stacked players at his table. J Mega put himself in a favorable early position to steal blinds and antes, while adding to an ever-growing stack of chips. As the player pool got smaller and smaller, J Mega zoned in on power approach.

“Once down to the last 500, systematically building my stack while taking advantage of the weak, timid players was my first priority,” he said. “As the field dwindled, I felt I had a great shot at making the final table if I could protect my stack while picking on the smaller ones. This strategy worked out well for me and I ended up making the final table. Once I hit the final table, my confidence was sky high and [I] felt as though I could go all the way!”

With his record-setting score in the Stars Million dominating General Board discussion Sunday, J Mega said he was blown away by the support displayed by his ITH brethren upon logging into discussion following his tournament exit. During Monday morning’s early hours, he sifted through a myriad of virtual well-wishes from ITHers tracking his heart-pounding progress – including poker_Elmo – with whom J Mega agreed upon a mutual 5 percent stake. poker_Elmo also competed in the Stars Sunday Million, and initiated the cheerleading session on the General Board.

“While reading the thread, I broke out in a huge smile,” J Mega said. “It was so heartwarming to see my fellow ITHers so interested in the progress of someone they don't even know – although I did meet several ITHer's at last year’s ITH convention. The support and knowledge of fellow ITHers has been an integral part of my recent success in my relatively young poker career. Even though I have only been playing poker for two years, I feel as though I have grown leaps and bounds. This growth is due, primarily, to a ton of studying, reading, and Internetexsholdem.com and it's amazing contributors.”

On Sunday night, J Mega paid homage to ITH the only way he knew how: by performing magnificently in one of the web’s foremost MTTs. He now owns a piece of ITH history.