Level 3

Decided to go ahead and use my level 3 ticket. Waited until the last minute of late registration. There were 16 left with 8 getting the $50+$5 level 4 ticket and 9th getting the remaining $. But 4 more people had the same "register at the last possible second" idea and we now had 21 in the tournament with the prize fund being bumped to 9 tickets and $44 for 10th. 

This site is LOL for table draw. Get seated at a new table with the other 4 late reggers and 1 other player that has 10k. The rest of us start with 2500. We're at the 100/200-20 level and first hand I pick up T7o but I get the button and manage to steal the blinds/antes with a raise to 600. Next hand I get KJo in the CO and my 600 raise takes it down again. So up to 3300, good start. I cool it for a few hands but when I am in the SB I get J5o and cannot resist raising when everyone folds to me. I take it down again.

The fun ends a few hands later when I get moved to another table and have to contend with a lot of bigger stack. I tighten up but defend 4♥3♥ in the BB when the SB opens for the minimum raise. He has me covered as well. Flop comes K♣5♣3♣ and I fold to his 460 c-bet. Blah. Blinds go up to 125/250-25 and I find myself down to 2700. Have AJo in the HJ and shove. I think there were like 16 left at this point and I was ~12th in chips. Had some big stacks on my left I had to get this one through but they all fold and I'll take the result. Then I get A9o in the SB and shove again. BB has 15k so I don't like it, expecting him to call a lot but figure to be ahead of most of his calling range at least. He ends up insta-folding though which means he had the check/fold button clicked and that is a HUGE leak. The next orbit around I fold my hands but get a walk when I am in the BB, and then it's folded to me in the SB so I have another opportunity to steal and I have JTo. This time I make a smaller raise to 900 and he insta-folds again. Could have made it 600 but I didn't want it to appear too obvious that it was a feeble steal attempt. Those two pots put me at a 4k stack and 9th out of the 13 remaining.

Figure I might need to win one more pot to get into the money in this thing; expecting a long bubble (especially after seeing the short stack at the other table double up). But I get a gift when I'm on the button with A♥A♦. Folded to me and I shove. Have 3360 after having to fold on my two blinds (someone opened shoved both times before the action got to me). This time the villain on my direct left decides to look me up and calls! The BB folds and villain has A♣7♣. I am a big favorite here.

We like this spot but not so much after a flop of J♣5♣9♠. Sweat time! Turn 7♦, let's give him a pair too. Rive 3♥, whew. So that puts me at 7400 and I figure I can fold my way into it now. Very next hand I get A♣K♣ in the CO. Folded to me and I throw it into the virtual muck. Nit alert! Probably could have made a small raise here but had all bigger stacks to my left so didn't want to contend with them with a hand that's not going to be a huge favorite over a lot of their calling range.

I would however get another shot at AK when I picked up A♠K♥ in the BB. Button shoves for 3342 total. I snap call of course after the BB folds. Button actually has J♠J♣, a much better hand than I figured he'd have in this spot. We flop a K and win the flip anyway and that ends up being the bubble boy. He did what he was supposed to do there, felt a little bad for him. Was actually rooting for him to win that hand cause that would have given me a better shot at getting 10th place money instead of another ticket. 

So now I'm sitting with 11k and amazingly get dealt A♠K♥ again the very next hand! Same suits and everything, unreal. HJ open shoves, button who has less calls all-in, and I call for 5535 out of the SB. BB folds. HJ has K♦T♣ and button has 6♣2♠, obviously going for the 10th place money. Of coure the runout comes and it's the one fucking time I'm all-in with the best unpaired hand preflop and it holds up against two players. So the button ended up getting the cash and I will have to settle for my level 4 ticket. 

While I was playing this I also was in another level 1 freeroll and ran like God during it. Flopped 4 sets during it, god paid off most of the time, and didn't get sucked out on. Don't want to do a full recap but had an average stack with about 80 left and had two key hands that allowed me to float my way into the top 40. 

Hand 1: sitting at just under 7k, had T8o in the SB. 1 limper, I complete, BB checks. Flop 976r. Bingo, bango, bongo. Nut straight. I check, BB bets 475, limper folds, I make it 2375 and he puts me all-in for my final 2410. He has A9o, lol. Turn and river come 3 and T and my straight is more than good. That puts me at just above an average stack. 

Hand 2:sigh, seems like this one was not captured in the hand history but here goes from memory as best as I can remember. I have 18k at this point and have KJo in the HJ. I open for 3x, want to say we were at the 400/800-100 level, so I think it was 1800. SB who has me slightly covered calls we're heads up to the flop. Comes K76r. He bets 5k into 6400 (now it's coming back to me) and I call to re-evaluate turn. If he shoves I have a decision but the turn pairs the 6. He checks, I elect to check it back. River 3. He checks again and I shove. I'm certain I have the best hand here. I put him on a weak top pair or a medium pocket pair like 8s as his most likely holding. He goes into the tank for a long time and finally calls. He shows QQ!!! I had said to myself when I opened the hand that I really don't like KJ and would probably have to fold to a shove and this guy would have picked it up and gotten himself out of trouble by just playing the hand correctly. He went out the next hand and I think there were <50 at="" br="" left="" point.="" that="">
Didn't have anyone else really all that short at the table so I just folded everything and waited for the bubble to burst rather than trying to actively use my big stack to get it in with an all-in player. Wasn't really paying attention all that much and then all of a sudden saw that the tourney ended. 

So now I have two level 2 tickets and a level 4. Busy weekend ahead, might try to jump in something tomorrow night but not sure if I will be able to. I think with the level 4 I'm going to have to get in somewhat early rather than waiting for late-reg to almost end. Players are tougher at that level and I don't think you get a lot of chips relative to the blind level at the last level of late-reg. Last time I got 1 hand in and lost a coin flip.