I love this game

Played a live tournament Saturday. It was a rebuy+addon tournament and I had "budgeted" three or four buy-ins.

Play was wild during the rebuy blinds levels, I think there was more than thirty rebuys+addons. With only twelve players! I didn't make an addon (but I made one (1) rebuy) since it wouldn't have increased my stack much. Four kings helps build a nice stack.

I got praise from some players, I made some nice calls on the river with a large-ish bet against me. I had hit something, or even only had Ace High but there were possibilities on the table, obvious draws for flush, straight or higher pairs/trips. But I sensed that the opponent didn't hit his draw. I wouldn't have called a very big bet or all in, but the situations were such that I could gamble and call.

With seven players left I had had cold cards for a long while and my stack shrinks. I have about 4100 in chips and blinds are 800/1600. Something playable comes along, JQo and I go all in, on the button. The big blind squirms and calls, wondering "I have two overcards at least, huh?". He thinks I have a pocket pair. Well, he does have overcards, AKo vs my JQo. I'm the dealer and I lay out the flop one card at a time.

First card: K. Dang, not good. Second card: J! Ah, I have a shot. Third card: J!!!11!!one! Trip Jacks vs pair o' Kings.

The turn: K... so I have a JJJKK Full House vs KKKJJ Full House. But I'm not dead yet, the river could be a Jack, that would have been be-e-a-ootiful. But no, and I'm out in 7th place.

The next player is out in another hand that shows the beauty of Holdem (that a hand could swing back and forth). Another short stack goes all in with JJ and gets called by AK. The flop is laid out one card at a time.

First card: Q. Second card: J, trip jacks vs nothing. And then I don't remember if it was the third card or the turn, but a Ten came, nut straight vs trip Jacks, but he's not dead yet. But no quad or boat for JJ.

I don't think I ever would've done differently in either of those two situations, before or after the flop. Short stacked and hitting a good flop, go for it.