bleeding stopped - a little

4 more tourneys tonight, finally took second in the last one, after three more crash and burn losses. Still playing well, I'm pretty sure, so I have to weather this storm of bad luck. Got 2-outed and 5 outed in 2 tourneys tonight, then another "unexploitable" ICM shove with A9 - he calls with AQ and buh-bye once again (to quote The Princess Bride, "You keep using that word (unexploitable), . I do not think it means what you think it means").

Should have taken first place in the last one, too, but of course got 3 outed with AK vs. KT. That's how bad streaks work - lots of suckouts on you, no suckouts by you. The difference between first and second is huge when you're trying to climb out of a hole, but I have to live with the second place and build on it.

An interesting hand. Maybe this isn't a stellar read, but I made a call with ace high and took a nice pot.

Full Tilt Poker, $20 + $2 NL Hold'em Sit n' Go, 50/100 Blinds, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

MP1: 3,260
MP2: 1,065
CO: 945
BTN: 2,590
SB: 1,235
BB: 2,460
UTG: 680

Hero (UTG+1): 1,265

Pre-Flop: (150) A Q dealt to Hero (UTG+1)
UTG folds, Hero raises to 300, 4 folds, SB calls 250, BB folds
Bad spot for AQo - early position with 12 BB. I minraise since I don't do that often, maybe it will scare people away. The small blind calls, though. Bleah.

Flop: (700) 2 5 K (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks
Stack is too small to cbet here - if he checkraises me with KQ I'm a dead man. I use my position and keep the pot small.

Turn: (700) 3 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks
Garbage unless he called with A4. check/check

River: (700) K (2 Players)
SB bets 350,
A strange card to bet on. Wouldn't you have bet the first king here? I suppose maybe he has a lower pocket pair and he thinks he's good now, but he made this bet almost instantly, like he barely had time to process the second king that came down. Maybe this is a donkey call that I got lucky on, but it smelled fishy to me.

Hero calls 350
Results: 1,400 Pot

SB showed A J (a pair of Kings) and LOST (-650 NET)
Hero showed A Q (a pair of Kings) and WON 1,400 (+750 NET)