So these are a few hands from the $50 SNG I played on a whim the other night.

I made it through the first level only playing one hand (the first hand, AQs from UTG. I raised to 4xBB and took the blinds).

On the second level, I'm in MP with [Jd]. UTG folds, UTG+1 raises to 90 (3xBB). I reraise to 300. Only the original raiser calls. At this point, I'm fairly certain he doesn't have a high pocket pair, so on a safe flop, I'm planning on continuing (precisely, I have him on AK). The flop is 238 with 2 diamonds. I bet 630 into the 645 pot - he takes up a fair amount of his time and folds. (He says "jacks are good" ironically enough).

In level three, I'm in the SB with QJo and complete after 3 limpers. The BB checks. The flop is Q38 rainbow and the BB and I check to the first limper who bets the minimum. The 2nd limper calls and the 3rd folds. I call (not a great idea...) and the BB folds. The turn is a 6 and the limper bets 50 again - we both call. The river 4 doesn't help, but now we check around and I take the pot. I'm not real happy with my play on the hand - but I was happy to take it with little investment. If I had woken up and been reraised, I would've had to fold pretty much (in my opinion anyway). So, in terms of survival, I took the safe route.

In level four, we have our first called all-in - and it involves me. At this point, I have 2055 and there are two players above me with 2.8k and 2.3k respectively. I'm in MP with pocket queens and UTG+1 (1050) limps in. I raise to 400 (4xBB) - he flat calls. The flop is 237 with 2 spades, so I bet 700 (he has 650 left) - he calls. He has A7o - and doesn't improve - so I knock him out.

Just a couple of hands later, I'm UTG with AJo and open raise to 400 (4xBB). MP raises allin for 205 more and it folds to me. I call (obviously). He has K8s. Neither of us improve and I knock out my second player and we're down to 6 (the other player was knocked out in the hand between this one and the one previous. I'm now at 4010.

I steal enough blinds to keep myself in the 4k range for the rest of the fourth level. The first hand of the fifth level and this is the look of the table:

Seat 1: seat1 (1685 in chips)
Seat 3: seat3 (2770 in chips)
Seat 4: Starstealer (4010 in chips)
Seat 5: seat5 (1195 in chips)
Seat 8: seat8 (1220 in chips)
Seat 9: seat9 (2620 in chips)

The entire table is proving to be weak tight and we've seen very few flops, though those that we have seen often go to showdown because they are checked down.

The first hand of level 5, I open raise to 600 (4xBB) with AKs). Everyone folds.

Three hands later, I have AKs again, this time on the button. The cutoff (1570) open raises to 450 (3xBB) and I reraise another 600 (to 1050). It folds back to him and he pushes the remaining 500 of his stack - which I call. He has KTs. I hit an ace on the flop, a king on the turn and an ace on the river for good measure. Five handed now and I've got 5805 (just shy of half the chips on the table - 2nd chip stack has 2810).

On my next BB I have ATo and the button raises the minimum. I just call. The flop is A48 with 2 hearts and I lead off for 450 - he calls. The turn is a king and we check; the river is a ten (to give me 2 pair), and we check again. He has A9o and I take the 1500 pot.

-- I'm not real fond of the way I played this - but again, it is a "safer" way then continuing to bet on the turn. The river I think was safe to bet, but at that point, I'd rather induce a bluff than try to get a worse hand to pay me off. I'm at 6630.

We dance around for the next few hands until level 6 (100/200). I'm in the SB with KTo. The button (2860) raises the minimum and I call. The BB calls all-in (he was a short stack of 350...). I flop a king, but decide to check it down to be safe and knock out the player. Incidentally I take the pot - the button hides his pocket jacks when the showdown comes. The BB had 67o. Down to 4 and I've got 7105.

Next hand, I steal the blinds with a raise from the button to 800 (I had AQo). I fold through T4o on the cutoff/UTG.

In the BB, I pick up JTs. UTG (1140) raises to 400 and I call the extra 200. The final board is [9d][5s][2s][5c] and he takes the pot with unimproved K8o. I didn't bet because I didn't want to be called and his stack was too small to not call.

I steal the BB from the SB with K3o with a raise to 600 in the next hand. I fold my Q7s from the button on the one following.

Again on the BB, the UTG player raises the minimum and I call with 98s. The flop is 246 (all diamonds - not my suit) and I fold to his bet of 400.

I steal the blinds with A3o from UTG. And then on my BB, the UTG player raises the minimum again and gets a short stack (295) to call on the button. I call with T5o, but fold to a bet when the flop is AA6. UTG wins the 210 side pot, but his pocket nines lose to K9s when a king appears on the turn.

Next hand, I'm in the SB with AQo and the button (3160) raises to 600. I reraise the minimum and he folds. I'm at 7405. In the hand following, the fourth player is knocked out, so we are in the money.

Here's the chip situation:

Seat 1: seat1 (3645 in chips)
Seat 4: Starstealer (7405 in chips)
Seat 8: seat8 (2450 in chips)

The button open raises the minimum (again - he does this all the time) and I call with 82o. The flop is 5TK and I check-fold. I know I fold a lot of these, but I know as well that I'll be able to catch him when I hit a good hand, since his stack is too small to fold after his flop bet.

The first hand of level seven (100/200 with a 25 ante), I have jacks in the BB. The button limps (a first for him) and the SB raises all-in to 2845. I deliberate for a while and then decide to call (my wife egging me on too...). He has ATo. He hits a ten on the flop and another on the turn, just to make the SNG interesting... Updated chips stacks:

Seat 1: seat1 (5965 in chips)
Seat 4: Starstealer (3960 in chips)
Seat 8: seat8 (3575 in chips)

I steal the blinds with KTs and K6o. Two hands later, I pick up 56s on the button. I limp in, the SB completes and the BB checks. The flop is 57Q and they both check. I bet 600 and only the SB calls. The turn is a 4 and we both check. The river is a 3 (giving me a straight) and now my opponent pushes. I call - he has Q6 and we split.

The next hand, I'm in the BB with K8 and the SB min raises. I call. The flop is 479 and he leads for 400. I raise to 1000, he folds.

On the button, I have pocket fours and open raise to 600. SB folds but the BB raises all-in (he has me covered still). I fold.

Next hand, I'm in the BB with 78o and call a min raise from the SB. The flop is 27J and he leads for 400 again. I raise to 1000 and he calls. He checks the turn (a 4), and I bet another 600 and he pushes. I deliberate and decide I'm good here - so I call. He has K2o for a pair of deuces and when the ace hits the river - I'm back in the lead.

Next hand (blinds now 200/400 with a 25 ante), I'm in the SB with pocket tens. I raise to 2800 (vast over bet), and the BB reraises all in for another 113 (as I hoped he would). I call. He has pocket eights and neither of us improve. I take the pot - and we're heads-up.

Chips counts:

Seat 1: seat1 (2068 in chips)
Seat 4: Starstealer (11432 in chips)

T2s, limp, fold to an all-in bet with 69Q on flop
94o, he raises allin - I fold.
Q9o, limp, bet flop of 378 (800), he folds.
A6o - he folds
Q2s, limp, he raises allin - I fold.
98o, he raises allin - I fold.
83o - I fold.
KJs, he limps, I raise to 1600 - he folds.
Q4o, limp, he raises allin - I fold.
A4o - he folds.
Q5o, limp, check flop of T94, he checks turn 8 and calls my bet of 400, he folds to river bet when a 3 comes off.
Q3s, he raises allin - I fold.
T3o, limp, he checks - we check through the board. He has 45o and hits a four on the flop and takes the pot.
K6o, he limps, flop is A82, I check/fold to a bet of 400.
64o, I fold.
A9o - he folds.

Level IX (300/600, 50 ante): 3568 (him) to 9932 (me).

J9o, limp, flop is 774, bet 600 - he folds.
42o, he folds.
54o, limp, he raises allin, I fold.
54o, he raises allin, I fold.
J4o, I fold.
83o, he limps, flop is 25K, I check/fold to a bet of 600.
87o, I limp, flop is QT3, he check/calls a bet of 600. We check the turn 8. On the river J, he bets 1000, I call. He has 43o and I take the pot.
54s, he folds.
T7o, I fold.
K6o, he folds.
95o, I fold.
T5o, he limps, flop is 653. I bet 600 - he folds.
Q7o, I raise to 2400 - he calls all-in with pocket sixes. I don't improve, he doubles up (3936 to 9564).
86o, he folds.
65o, I fold.
A7o, he limps, I raise to 2400, he folds.
94o, I fold.
T9o, he limps, flop is K4Q. I check/call a bet of 600. Turn is a 2, I check/fold to a bet of 600.
K5o, I raise to 1800 - he folds.
ATs, he limps, I raise to 2400, he folds.

Level X (400/800, 50 ante): 3586 (him) to 9914 (me).

The only hand of the level:

PokerStars Game #2069977374: Tournament #9882772, Hold'em No Limit - Level X (400/800) - 2005/07/10 - 00:32:51 (ET)
Table '9882772 1' Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: seat1 (3586 in chips)
Seat 4: Starstealer (9914 in chips)
seat1: posts the ante 50
Starstealer: posts the ante 50
Starstealer: posts small blind 400
seat1: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Starstealer [As Ah]
Starstealer: raises 800 to 1600
seat1: raises 1936 to 3536 and is all-in
Starstealer: calls 1936
*** FLOP *** [5s Kc Kd]
Starstealer said, "gg"
*** TURN *** [5s Kc Kd]
*** RIVER *** [5s Kc Kd Qd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
seat1: shows [Ac 4s] (a pair of Kings)
Starstealer: shows [As Ah] (two pair, Aces and Kings)
Starstealer collected 7172 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7172 | Rake 0
Board [5s Kc Kd Qd Ts]
Seat 1: seat1 (big blind) showed [Ac 4s] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 4: Starstealer (button) (small blind) showed [As Ah] and won (7172) with two pair, Aces and Kings