maybe I shook them

..the poker gods, that is. Played well at UltimateBet and took second place. Had a meathead in the big blind on my button who couldn't fold. Just couldn't do it. On the bubble, he shoved on me when I had AQ and I called - he had 45o and of course hit trip 4s. I figured for sure I was dead, but I put my last 3 BB in next hand with J8s and doubled up, then sat on 8 BB for an orbit until my savior hand came - KK, and doubled up through AK. I was back in business.

Two hands later, AA. Beautiful. The only problem is that I'm in the big blind, and usually everyone folds to me in this case. No such bad luck here - a limp for 300, then a minraise to 600 from Mr. No-Fold-em. Minraise - beautiful - he's got something. I decide to raise to 1800, but my hands are shaking from excitement and I can't really get the UltimateBet slider thingy to stop where I want. It lands on 2100 and I figure good enough. I raise. NoFoldem shoves it in and we my aces survive against 66.

It looks like I'm going to win the headsup battle too until my second pair of aces gets cracked on a wicked 5JJQK board (JQK of diamonds). I get it in with KQ but the villain has an Ace and hits it on the turn, leaving me drawing dead. I probably had a bit more time and could have folded preflop to his all-in bet, but it was just three hands after the big AA cracking and I thought he might be shoving wider, feeling the rush of impending victory. Turns out he got it.

4 tourneys played on UB now, net profit - $1. Double that with rakeback. I'm on my way.