[Scott_Baio]

Aces are only a monster pre-flop, after the flop they are usually just an over pair, meaning the only playable hand you beat is top pair.

Most people aren't going to want to bet a lot of their chips, esp that late in a tournament without beating top pair... so by slow playing your aces to make the pot bigger, you are actually making the pot smaller, because no one will play with you after the flop unless they have you beat.

People will often be willing to re-raise all-in to a big bet, or at least call the big bet preflop with any pocket pair, AK or AQs and you are a huge favorite (obv) to all of these.

Raise fairly big with aces, try to act like you have AK and want to buy the blinds, often that's all you'll get (risk free) but occasinally, if someone else picked up a hand, you'll completely take out another.

That late in a tournament you can't risk the blinds free-rolling a flop on you, esp. when you are short stacked and they can push you all-in w/o much of a threat to their own stack.