My best "Chip and a Chair" story ever!

[Catfish]

This is a story I have to tell - just happened and I swear it is true.
I played this tournament they have every week here in a casino in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Buy-In $100, start with 45k chips, 1 rebuy for $100, add-on of 15k chips for $30 after one hour. Pretty fast blinds structure, 30+ players, app. 10 rebuys.
2 hours into the tournament, I am chip leader, two tables left. I take three bad hits, like a set gets beat on the river by a runner-runner flush draw, another hand I find myself with Tens against another guy who holds the other two Tens and one guy who holds A-9 and makes another runner runner flush draw to the Ace. Had one chip more than the guy with the other Tens, so after that hand I am left with one chip of 1k. Average among the 17 players left now is app. 100k. Blinds are 2k/4k by now.
Next hand, I get dealt QJ suited, so obv. all-in. I split this pot with another guy, doubling up to 2k thanks to third player involved in the hand. Next, I double up 5 times in a row, to app. 60k chips.
End of story is, I make chip leader again, then it is down to the last three, one very short stack offers to leave for 3rd place share plus 30$ from either of us, and I make a 50/50 deal with the other player who has almost the same stack.

Won: $1100, with a comeback from being down to one single chip. Still can't believe it.

[GFPC]

nice work :-)

[Catfish]

Thanks! Here's one pivotal hand that could have gone very wrong:
Down to 7 players, blinds are 10k/20k.
Hero is SB with 200k chips, BB has abut the same stack.
BB is a guy I played in a previous tournament where I beat him at the end. He's a decent player, a bit loose pre-flop perhaps and not too deceptive. He has shown that he is able to lay down hands in tough spots. He knows I usually play tight preflop and tonight, he's seen me turn over strong hands most of the time.
All players fold, hero has JdTd and raises to 70k from SB. BB calls. Actually didn't expect him to flat call my pre flop raise but either fold or shove. If he shoves, I would have probably folded.
Flop comes 4d8d3c.
Hero moves all-in. I assumed that this flop must have missed him, I had the initiative and assumed high fold equity, plus 15 outs, not counting the unlikely backdoor straight possibility.
BB folds and shows AdKd.

I'd say my play was more a less a no brainer. Of course if I had known he has an overdraw and two overcards against my hand, I would have happily check folded here, but I assumed that AKs or AQs would have been a clear pre flop shove on his part?

So, what do you think of his preflop play and laying down his 15 outer hand after the flop? He must have thought I had either connected with the flop with Ace - X or have something like a pair of 9s or better, all of which leaves him with a lot of clean outs.

[Frank]

Why would you chop it up 3 handed? Play to win always. Lasted that long might as well finish it up, unless you felt the other guys were a ton better than you play on...

[Catfish]

I sure felt that way too (me being the better player), plus having the momentum on my side. Was getting a bit tired though and it was a fair deal. But in general, yes, agree with you 100%. I normally wouldn't chop in this spot.