Cabbage Tree - Thursday

Tonight i played poker at the cabbage tree. Another $500 prizepool freeroll that satellite poker run. I started off slowly, folding a lot of horrible hands. I figured i would mix my play up a bit so i was under the gun (first to act) and i looked at one card. It was a J, i called before dealing the cards were even finished. When the action got around to the big blind, he pushed all in for an extra 275. I looked at my second card and it was a 3. I called since i was already invested. The flop was 3 6 J... boom 2 pair! I check it down to the river... show my hand and the big blind was disguisted at what i had called him with and i took down the pot.
Later on i get dealt 2 5 in the big blind and check for a free flop. The flop was 2 J 5... another 2 pair. The flop was rainbow (3 cards of different suits) so i checked and let someone bet into it. Sure enough someone bet 150. I instantly announced raise and bumbed it up to 600. Someone pushed all in for less than that and the two others involved in the hand called. It was a dry side pot, so i decided to check it down to the river so we could collude and knock a player out. I turned over my two pair and took down the pot. We were then on a break.
After the break i get pocket 10's and min raise under the gun. The only person who calls is the big blind. The flop is J 6 J and she bets 1000. I have played with this lady before and knew how she bets. So i announced "I know how you bet and you have the J. This is a good laydown.". I folded... Sure enough she turned over Q J... trips. The table commended me for putting her on a J with 2 already out on the flop.
Later, im involved in a hand and someone is forced all in in the big blind. I get pocket 3's in late position, i don't like that there were 3 others involved in the hand but i still called. The flop was 3C QH 9H. This girl bets 1000, the guy next to me raises and i reraise all in. The original better folded and the guy who reraised reluctantly called the 4000 extra. He had the nuts flush draw (needs one more suit to make the best possible flush) and needed one more heart. The turn was a spade and the river a club... i tripled up to around 16000 chips.
My chip stack was up and down the following 30 minutes. It was on bubble for final table and i was in the big blind. The lady next to me had 5000 chips total including 2000 in the big blind. I had 8000 chips. She just called the extra 2000, leaving her with 1000 chips left. I got an A 5 and raised... she quickly threw her last 1000 in and turned over a K 3. We both did not make a pair on the board and my A high was good enough to win. FINAL TABLE!
Over the past 3 weeks playing at both Cabbage Tree and Unanderra, Andrew (The Tournament Director) had put the cards the players flip over that decide the position you sit at on the final table, in the same order. He would put the high cards on the end which my buddy and i took advantage of and picked dealer or 1 behind. Each time saying "Thanks" to him and he gave a cheeky grin, regretting he did not mix the cards up. So, me and my buddy figured it was time for a change. We thought he would mix up the order this week cause he was bound to notice that we were both going to final table. So we picked from the middle on purpose and both got late position cards. We were right and Andrew was dissapointed cause he had put the worst positions were he would normally put the best ones. I said to jokingly to Andrew "What a read.".
So final table was slow... one hand i was involved in i had an A Q. I pushed all in.. 2 people called. I was against A 8 and 5 5. In pretty good position to take atleast the side pot (the pocket 5's did not have as much as i did). We all missed everything on the flop and the board had paired... we all missed the turn... On the river however, put another pair on the board and made the two of us without a pair a better hand with our A high... we split the pot and knocked out a player who was in front in doing so.
The next hand i got 8 8 and pushed all in again, i got two callers. The flop was 6 9 Q, two scare cards. The turn was a 7, this was ok cause now i had an open ended straight draw to go with my pair. On the river an 8 hit the board, making me a set. But there was a flush out there or if any of them who called had a 10 or a 5 i was gone. the lady behind me who knew what i had cheered when it hit but i told her that card probably was a bad thing. One guy lead out and bet into the dry side pot and this assured me that my trips was not good enough. Sure enough he turned over both the nuts straight (best possible straight) and J high flush. I was out of the tournament in 7th position again.... due to bad luck.... again.