(apologize, just feel like rambling )

Probably played the best poker of my short career today, even though it didn't result in a prize. We have freeroll tourneys around here that get capped at 50 entrants and I can play every other day. Gives me a little bit of a chance to work on my game, especially live so that I could try the casinos without being so apprehensive.

Well, we get 1000 in chips to start, and 25/50 blinds. Early on, I see someone call an all-in bet on the flop with A/4, (A89 flop). The other guy had AQ... but they wound up splitting the pot when it came 8K on the turn and river. So when I get AJ the next hand and he's in it, I play. Flop comes A46... I bet small, he reraises all-in, and I have to call. He has A/4 again... for two pair. Argh! But the flop comes K6 and we split the pot also. Lol... shook me up a bit, but I still wasn't on my game yet.

About 4 hands later I have AQo. I bet 175 and get one caller. The flop comes K high... but I feel like he's got something. We check to the end... and he bets out 300. For some reason I just have to call, and he has pocket Jacks. Ouch... there goes half my stack or so because I didn't trust my read. Well, I decided that wasn't going to happen again.

The rest of the day I got just about no cards. All day the AQ or maybe KQs were my best hands. No pairs higher then 8's... didn't hit any flops very hard. Yet by playing the people at the table, I managed to do very well. When the table was weak, I was all-in with any pair or ace, and was collecting bets... but laying 'em down in the face of strength since I didn't want to be all-in against a bigger stack without a big advantage.

One hand I really liked, after I just had a conversation with the guy next to me about how I laid down Q-9 after I called the blind and two people went all-in behind me, instead of pushing with my KT, I just called... and goaded him to push on an outright bluff (24o) since he figured I'd lay it down. Got a nice little double up there (hit a boat too lol) ... I had been down to 800 chips with the blinds at 100/200, but was starting to come back now. I continued to get my chips in and collect bets... only got called down once, by a guy whose stack had dwindled to a little smaller then mine, and my A8 was good against his K5. I just survived to the final table, and then the pots I was collecting started to be pretty big, and I realized I was about 3rd in total chips with 5 people left! I was in blind trouble pretty much from the first time I paid them, but I had built up a stack of about 5000, without having to show down more then 2 or 3 hands, and the blinds were only 300/600.

The guy on my left (who doubled me up on that bluff earlier, and was now down to 2800) pushed UTG. I had KQs, and I KNEW that he had an itty bitty pair (I guessed 5's, but the 3's that he showed down fit my read). Two folds, and the SB calls a bit tentatively... he's now the second smallest stack with about 4000 total. I look at things, and realize this is my chance... I've allready got 600 in the pot, and I am SURE that all my outs are going to be good... so I re-raise him all-in. He almost folds, but someone at the table says something about the size of the pot, and he decides he has to call. He has QJo (so he took one of my outs, but only jacks can help him.) I have 1000 chips left, and good odds of moving directly to the money with a stack big enough to actually compete.

The flop comes
...
which gives SB 2 pair. But I have 18 outs... any A, K, 9, or heart wins it for me (My math says I'm a 2-1 favorite, but I'm not super at it).

Unfortunately, the last two cards are and I'm now way back to fourth in chips. The next hand the REALLY big stack bets out enough to put me in (and says thats what he's doing lol)... and I call with J9 suited (he had KT off), but can't catch anything. So I wound up going out in 4th when only 3 paid... but I had to play VERY good poker just to get to the final table, and I was in a hand as the favorite that would have given me a good shot at winning the whole damn thing. I just wanted to tell you guys my little poker story

ty for sharing mr PJ! good read