500+50 tourney report (LOTS of poker content and I need help!)

[zuluking]

I'm still kinda new to MTT's, having played limit cash games most of my life, so any help would be appreciated. This is the 5th "big" tourney I've ever been in, by big I mean a $200 and up buy-in tourney (that's big for me), though I have played a few low buy-in tournies over the years.

I won a 50+10 satellite on my second try to get into this B&M tourney. This is the toughest competition I've ever faced. The satellite was a piece of cake. The main event was packed with excellent players. 100 players total started.

I'll admit up front that in a NLHE tourney, I hate getting AQ and AK in early position. And with that...

16,000 chips to start, level 1 blinds are 100/200. I get A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] in MP, its folded to me, I open raise to 1500, the button calls. Flop is 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] I bet 3000, button calls. Turn is 5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] I check, button checks. River is 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] I check, button checks and turns over J10 offsuit. I've got 11,000 in chips.

Still level 1, I get K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] UTG and open raise to 800. MP calls, CO raises to 2500, and I re-raise all-in. MP hims and haws, and debates, and sits in the tank. Finally he says, "I just can't lay this hand down.", and calls with A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] WTF?!?!? CO folds, the board is no help for MP and he's sent home. Chip count 27K.

Final level 1 hand I play: I'm MP with K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and open raise to 800. 3 callers and the flop is J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] I bet 3000 and all 3 fold. Chip count 30K.

Level 2, 200/500 blinds. I get K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in MP and open raise to 2000. Folded to the SB who is short stack and goes all-in for 5,500. I call, he's got JJ and I flop a K to send him packing. Chip count 33.5K at the first break.

Level 3, 500/1000 blinds. I get K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] MP+3 and open raise to 4000. Only the button calls and the flop is 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] I check, the button checks. Turn is 8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] I check, button bets 3000, I raise to 10K and the button folds. Chip count 38.5K.

Level 4, blinds 1K/2K. I get A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] UTG and go all-in. UTG+1 and UTG+2 are both short-stacked. UTG+1 hims and haws, and stares me down. By now I'm thinking he's got middle pair. He finally calls, and UTG+2 insta calls. Uh-oh! The rest fold and I'm up against KK (UTG+1) and AA. The board is no help (duh) and UTG+2 triples up and criples me. Chip count 11K.

The very next hand I get A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the BB. MP had called the BB, everyone else had folded. I push and get called by K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] An ace hits on the turn and I double up to 23K.

Level 5 (2K/5K blinds) is approaching in about 5 minutes and I'm in MP with K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] I open raise all-in for 23K. SB thinks and thinks, finally folds and BB insta-calls me with AA and I'm out in 35th place.

Any comments and any help appreciated. Thanks.
zulu