Some highlights and two lessons taken from the MATH

Further proof that AQ is a hand to be played cautiously ...Bam Bam had made a sick bluff against me earlier to my dismay .....

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 20/40 Blinds, 6 Players

MP: 2,380
CO: 3,495
BTN: 1,980
Hero (SB): 3,140
BB: 3,860
UTG: 3,145

Pre-Flop: (60) 4 4 dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG raises to 160, 3 folds, Hero calls 140, BB folds

Flop: (360) T 6 4 (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

Turn: (360) 6 (2 Players)
Hero bets 160, UTG raises to 840, Hero calls 680

River: (2,040) 6 (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG bets 2,145 and is All-In

... and I vomit and fold

Results: 2,040 Pot (2,040 Rake)
UTG showed A J (three of a kind, Sixes) and WON (+1,000 NET)

Clearly, having the underfull there is just sick because I only beat a bluff. I should have 3-bet the turn or made a blocking bet on the river which my opponent can't call unless he has the stones to bluff-raise with ace-high.

That being said, I managed to recoup my losses when the same villain overplayed the mighty AQ at precisely the wrong time (I had made a huge comeback from a low point of 800 or so chips):

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 100/200 Blinds, 5 Players

CO: 5,956
BTN: 10,751
Hero (SB): 14,415
BB: 6,204
UTG: 6,040

Pre-Flop: (300) A A dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG raises to 700, 2 folds, Hero raises to 1,700, BB folds, UTG raises to 6,040 and is All-In, Hero calls 4,340

Flop: (12,280) 4 7 8 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (12,280) K (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (12,280) K (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 12,280 Pot
Hero showed A A (two pair, Aces and Kings) and WON 12,280 (+6,240 NET)
UTG showed A Q (a pair of Kings) and LOST (-6,040 NET)

Sadly, I bubbled out after making a deep run, busting out in 11th. I had an unpleasant time of it once the tournament reached the late stages, either getting blown off hands preflop to shoves or just running bad at showdown; here is one example of a trap gone wrong when I took a big hit to my healthy stack:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 150/300 Blinds, 25 Ante, 5 Players

CO: 6,956
BTN: 17,990
SB: 5,505
Hero (BB): 18,440
UTG: 4,640

Pre-Flop: (575) Q Q dealt to Hero (BB)
3 folds, SB raises to 1,025, Hero raises to 2,450, SB raises to 5,480 and is All-In, Hero calls 3,030

Flop: (11,085) A 4 5 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (11,085) 3 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (11,085) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 11,085 Pot
SB showed A J (a pair of Aces) and WON 11,085 (+5,580 NET)
Hero showed Q Q (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-5,505 NET)

... and as the blinds and antes went up I found myself with an M of 7 and quite naturally I ran into LJ's AK at precisely the wrong time:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 300/600 Blinds, 75 Ante, 5 Players

SB: 23,155
BB: 12,415
Hero (UTG): 8,925
CO: 24,479
BTN: 30,822

Pre-Flop: (1,275) K Q dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to 8,850 and is All-In, CO folds, BTN calls 8,850, 2 folds

Flop: (18,975) 5 3 2 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (18,975) 4 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (18,975) 8 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 18,975 Pot
Hero showed K Q (King Queen high) and LOST (-8,925 NET)
BTN showed K A (a straight, Five high) and WON 18,975 (+10,050 NET)

If I could change anything about how I played, I would probably have opened one or two fewer hands, or opened for slightly less, in order to 4-bet over the top of lucko, who was able to get me to fold several legitimate hands in the late stages of the tourney, and really cause my stack size to stagnate. Sitting on his immediate right was no fun at all. I need to adjust better to the table conditions and the bubble of an MTT when tough, aggressive opponents have position on me. And sometimes I just have to get the chips in with a medium pocket pair or KQs when faced with frequent over the top shoves.