APAT World Championships - 30th August - Day 1b

Louis and I are playing in the APAT championship in Nottingham at the Dusk 'til Dawn.
There are 2 first days so 354 runners in all.
A nice tournament structure - 45 minute levels - starting stack of 10,000.
They run a good site so you can see my paltry chip count at the break here
http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=4243.135 and not much better here http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=4243.210 but my finest moment is here http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=4243.270 ....more later on.

Level 1 25/50
Fairly standard stuff. I establish my weak (i.e able to fold to a reraise) image nicely. Raised with AQ and Cbet into J85. Get called and after rag rag fold to a river bet.
Not sure whether I missed a trick here when calling a slightly bigger than normal raise with 89h. Flop is 954 with 2 hearts. He checks and when I bet he raises, but not enough to make me fold (I also expect to get a free card) so I call. This works out fine since he checks the turn As so I check behind. River is 8s giving me 2 pairs. He bets 1500 and I have a bit of a dwell. I can't see him having a better 2 pairs than me here or raising pre flop with 67 for a straight. It seems the only hand I lose to is AA but more more likely he has an over pair. Can I raise here based on this analysis - too risky so I just call. He instamucks so I think it must be AK as I show my 2 pairs. This puts me up to 12k.

Level 2 50/100
No action so down to 11k then off to the buffet at the rather early hour of 6pm. Good lasagna - much better than the pies in scotland a month ago.

Level 3 75/150
Pay a big price for a ropey limp UTG with KJ spades. BB is the only one who joins me so when flop comes J32 rainbow I make a standard Cbet when he checks. He then raises me and I decide to call. This guy has not played any hand I can remember so he must be strong.
Turn is Kh making it 2 hearts on board and he leads out for 1000. I am not sure if my top 2 are good here so I decide to raise to 3k. He then moves all-in. Well I only made the raise so in theory I could fold if he shoves, so I put him on either (1) set of 3's or 2's (2) A3 A2 hearts (3) worse 2 pair. I dwell then fold. Annoyingly chatting to him a bit later he asks what I had. I tell him and he says he had J3. Perhaps a bit whimpy then.
So I am down to 8.9k at the first proper break.

Level 4 100/200
At this level I pick up AA and get one caller to a standard raise. He folds when I bet a K high flop. No other action so down to 8k

Level 5 150/300 ante 25
No hands at this level so down to 6k

Level 6 200/400 25
Get KK but they all fold to my raise - down to 5.5k so I am looking for an all-in (next level will be 300/600) but I don't go crazy folding KQ and AJ after raises in front of me by the 2 big stacks. Eventually I get AQ on the button and after a standard raise from mid position I shove. Now we have the classic situation of the longer he thinks the better it is for me. My rule of thumb is
(1) Insta call AA or KK
(2) up to 20s either AK or QQ
(3) up to 40s AQ or JJ
(4) up to 60s AJ or TT
(5) more - probably going to fold but trying to make it look like he wasn't stealing
He goes for (5) but calls with KJ.
Flop is K75 - oops. But turn T river J saves me.
Level 7 300/600 50
So I am nearly back to my starting stack. See the big chip leader make a dubious call. He raises mid position and then calls a 20BB shove with JJ to face KK. I don't know if I would have called in that spot.

Level 8 400/800 50
Not much action so hovering around my starting stack of 10k. Make a couple of raises so up to 12k

Level 9 600/1200 100.
Now I am struggling and have to fold to a reraise from the big stack after trying a late position raise with A9.

Try to take advantage of the disruption after the SB was eliminated. BB has been quite tight so I think my Q8 might nick it. I am UTG but what the hell. All goes well until the button wakes up with AA. Oops. Naturally I crack them with a rivered straight. He is not happy!

Level 10 800/1600 100
Scrape along around 18k

Level 11 1000/2000 200
Looking for an all in again and make a couple of cheeky ones to get up to 22k. Then I decide to pick on the tight small stack who has dwindled to 7k when in the BB. I raise to 5k from mid with A5h. Unfortunately get a call from late position but my target folds.
Flop is A64 all diamonds. I think I could be in trouble but lead out for 6k. He just calls. wtf? I figure him for a pair with a diamond or a dodgy A (but better than mine!). Turn is 4s. I bet 7k and he calls again. River is Jh. Now I think at worst a split so I push in my last 5k. He folds.
I play Ak vs K4 so get to the final break with 50k.

So we are at the last break of the night. It is just after 2 am and some people are looking a bit tired and emotional. I decide the last level will be my make or break time.

Level 12 1500/3000 200.
I look to pick my spots and with about 15 mins to go I start some relentless stealing. The last hand of the night is a bit of a classic.
I am on the button, and I am seated to the immediate right of the dealer. To the left of the dealer is an action player Mark Russell and to his left is the chip leader. I look down and see Q6 and this seems to me to be the perfect doulbe or quits hand.
Now Mark seems like an interesting character. Earlier on he was chatting to a tall blond who clearly worked in the venue next door - the local strip club. Later he is extolling the virtues of a stripper girl friend. Leaving aside the phyiscial advantages, the big plus is of course that she works Fridays and Saturdays so he can go on the piss without it cause ructions. Perfect.
Bearing this in mind I make it 9k on the button. He reraises to 26k. Now I am happy to reshove knowing that he could quite easily have anything - and I even if he calls I'll take the chance to come back with a mountain of chips or go home. He folds and I show my Q6 - he has 73. One for the crowd!
So I finish with 115k in chips and a good chance to make the final table tomorrow.