Here's a few important hands from my tournament tonight:

Early in the tournament (I did an immediate rebuy - so double stack - so did most of the table), I get pocket aces in early position. The player on my right limps and I raise it to 80 (to 4xBB). I get one caller and the original limper pushes - he has about 6k and the other guy in the hand has 3k like me. I obviously call, as does the other caller. Original limper has pocket kings and the caller has 68s (yeah... interesting call buddy). Anyway the flop includes a king, but I manage to suck out an ace on the river to triple up to just shy of 10k. This obviously sets me up nicely to play in the first hour or two.

Next relevant hand is in level 4, with about 10 minutes before the end of the rebuy period. I have JTs in the BB and see a free flop with 2 limpers and the SB. The flop is a wonderful KQ9 with 2 clubs and the pot is 400. SB checks and I bet 700 because of the precarious straight with the flush draw out and get 1 caller - a guy who started the hand with 25k. The turn is a safe and I bet 3k into the 1800 pot.

I'm not sure I like the amounts bet in this hand, but how would you guys proceed?

So I make it through the addon (and do so myself) and come to this hand in level 5. UTG+1 raises the pot to 450 (to 3xBB) and it folds to me in MP with pocket sevens. The raiser has 2700 and I've got just over 13k - what to do? I called and flopped 7QK with 2 diamonds. He bets 900 into me, I push him and he calls with AKo with no diamond. Here I'm not real sure about my preflop play - what do you think?

Later on in the same level, I've got 15395 and pocket jacks on the button. It folds to the cutoff, who has me covered (16910) and he raises to 500. I reraise to 1200 and he just calls. The flop is Q58 with 2 clubs. He checks and I bet 1200 into the 2625 pot. He calls. The turn is the 3h - putting a second heart out. He checks again and I bet 1200. Now he raises to 5000. I fold.

In level 6 (100/200, no ante yet), I've got pocket nines in middle postion and the player on my right (24k) limps in. I raise to 1000 (5xBB) and the player on my left is the only caller. I have him covered by 1000 or so. The flop is 47Q rainbow and I lead off with 1000. He raises me to 3000 and its back on me. I take my time and eventually push. He takes his time and eventually calls - with TT. However, I manage to spike a nine on the river and I double up.

I manage to survive through to level 9 (300/600 with a 50 ante) and have a stack of 19800 when the next hand comes up. I'm in the BB with AQo and it folds around to the SB who raises to 1800. He's done this a number of times, but since he's a bigger stack (39k), and I haven't had anything worth calling with, I've just let him steal the blinds a number of times. This time, I reraise him another 2400 (to 4200). Then he pushes. I deliberate for a while and eventually decide that I've got him and call. He has KJo. However, the flop is KTT but the turn is a wonderful Jack to give me the straight and I take home the pot. Now I'm a force to be reckoned with at just under 40k.

Currently, there are 384 players left and it is level 11 in the tournament.

Still going:

Haven't played a successful hand in ages... right before the break I raised preflop with AQ and got called by a short stack with 88 and I didn't improve. I finished the 3rd hour with 26k.

Okay in level XIII (1k/2k with 100 ante), I've got 19k and am in MP with pocket queens. UTG+1 raises to 6k. I reraise allin and he deliberates before calling. He has 89s. I dodge his flush (and everything else) and double up to 41830. Two hands later I'm moved to another table.

The first hand I get on my new table is pocket aces and I'm UTG+1. UTG limps and I raise to 10k. It folds around to the SB who calls. The flop is 256 with 2 spades (I have the ace of spades) and he checks to me. He's also got 129k at the start of the hand. There's 24900 in the pot, and I've got 31530 in my stack - so I push. He thinks for a while and eventually calls with AK. I double up again to 87960.

I've got a few more, but we're real close to the money line (180 players left) and I'm up to 116k.

By the way, this is the 10 rebuy tourney on Pokerstars - table 113.

Level 14 starts (1500/3000 with 150 ante) a few hands later and I pick up AQo in the cutoff. It folds to me and I open raise to 9k. I only get one caller in the big blind (~39k). The flop is 25Q with 2 spades so I put 33k in the pot, he thinks about it and eventually folds.

A couple of hands later, I'm in the BB with AJo. UTG+1 pushes (15k or so), and it folds around to me. I call without much thought (he's a short stack and I think its very likely I have him), and he shows K9s. He hits a king on the flop, but I manage to suck out an ace on the river to knock him out.

Just got past the money line - though we've still got ~170 players.

Moved again in level 15 and the first two hands are AJo (raise and take the blinds and antes) and this one:

I'm in MP with AQo and UTG+1 opens with a raise to 12k (to 3xBB). He has 112k vs my 114k. It folds to me and I raise to 24k and he calls. The flop is 379 with 2 diamonds and he checks. I bet 12k into the 55k pot and he spends some time thinking. He eventually folds.

I'm up to 141k now and we're in hand-for-hand with 136 players left.

Okay - another big hand. Level 16 (3k/6k with a 300 ante). I've got 137k and I'm the SB with pocket jacks. UTG+2 pushes for a total of 42498 and it folds to me. I call without hesitation and he shows AK. I manage to dodge the overcards and the wheel draw that shows up on the flop.

Currently down to ~100 players and I'm at 165k.

Here's my final hand:

PokerStars Game #2715945996: Tournament #12957003, Hold'em No Limit - Level XVII (4000/8000) - 2005/10/03 - 02:42:22 (ET)
Table '12957003 12' Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: mjn15 (122799 in chips)
Seat 2: Starstealer (163704 in chips)
Seat 3: girlontop (8708 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 4: THEBIGGSHOW (64604 in chips)
Seat 5: Xtreme Doug (155162 in chips)
Seat 6: triborn (171114 in chips)
Seat 7: Kru223 (44605 in chips)
Seat 8: Fecal Mist (257848 in chips)
Seat 9: Sanoooook (121584 in chips)
mjn15: posts the ante 400
Starstealer: posts the ante 400
girlontop: posts the ante 400
THEBIGGSHOW: posts the ante 400
Xtreme Doug: posts the ante 400
triborn: posts the ante 400
Kru223: posts the ante 400
Fecal Mist: posts the ante 400
Sanoooook: posts the ante 400
Kru223: posts small blind 4000
Fecal Mist: posts big blind 8000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Starstealer [As Qd]
Sanoooook: folds
mjn15: folds
Starstealer: raises 16000 to 24000
girlontop: folds
THEBIGGSHOW: folds
Starstealer said, "expected what?"
Xtreme Doug: folds
triborn: folds
Kru223: folds
Fecal Mist: raises 32000 to 56000
Starstealer: calls 32000
*** FLOP *** [7c 4s Qs]
Fecal Mist: bets 201448 and is all-in
Starstealer: calls 107304 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [7c 4s Qs]
Starstealer said, "yup afraid of that"
*** RIVER *** [7c 4s Qs 2h]
Starstealer said, "gg"
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Fecal Mist: shows [Kh Kd] (a pair of Kings)
Starstealer: shows [As Qd] (a pair of Queens)
Fecal Mist collected 334208 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 334208 | Rake 0
Board [7c 4s Qs 2h 8d]
Seat 1: mjn15 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Starstealer showed [As Qd] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 3: girlontop folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: THEBIGGSHOW folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Xtreme Doug folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: triborn (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: Kru223 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: Fecal Mist (big blind) showed [Kh Kd] and won (334208) with a pair of Kings
Seat 9: Sanoooook folded before Flop (didn't bet)

94th...

When I said "expected that", I meant that the big stack would steal the first blinds after the break with a min-raise.
He was the second largest stack in the tourney.

Edit: nice finish, sorry about your last hand.