Movin on up. Test larger SnGs?

I had forgot to mention that I do play single table tournaments (called Sit n Gos or SnG) to work on tournament play. A few years ago, I'd play limit SnGs, but now I play exclusively NL SnGs. My normal buy-in is $30+3, which creates $300 in action, $150 going to the winner ($90 to 2nd and $60 to third). I can play 3 of these at a time. If I play more, they get troublesome if you get in the money (ITM) on more than one table.

The single table tourneys are sometimes really unpredictable. You can't play too tight since the blinds escalate (typical one takes 45 mins), but you can't get too crazy early on. There is some really bad play out there (valuable or positive expected value = +EV), but the erratic play can cause you to suffer some terrible beats when you are playing well. That's pokah.

So last night I was played about7 SnGs waiting for my girlfriend to come over. Three became 5, became 7.... About midway through the 7th, I felt like I had been playing well but cashing only once...came in 6th, 4th, 3th, 6th (lost w/ KK to AA), 8th, 7th (hmm, maybe not so good). Since I thought that I had little time to go before I had to quit, I played one last SnG at a higher limit $55 ($50+5).

I was amazed to see that the play was not that much better at this limit (1st place = $250). In fact, after suffering a few beats, I was chip leader with over 50% of chips in play w/ 4 people to go. I was able to hold that lead until heads up, and then the following hand took place (so I had 9500 to his 10500).

I'm dealt AdKd in the BB and check after he completes (I had been raising his BB every time when I was SB with him laying down most hands, I was looking to make a move on the flop or turn if he bet).

Flop comes A K xr (x meaning offsuit low card and r meaning "rainbow" three cards of different suits). I check the 2pr and he checks back. Turn is another low card, and I check again (I'm hoping he picks up something, he wouldn't complete pre-flop (PF) with an A so he would have checked the flop, if he had a King or made 2pr, he'd bet here). He checks back on the turn. Now I know I have make a value bet.

On the river comes a Q. With the pot at 900, I make an 800 value bet with top 2pr, he min raises to 1600, which looks to me like he was trying to steal after checking the last two streets. I move all in for the rest of my +8000 or so and he immediately calls (ack) and shows me JT (T is ten) for a rivered straight. I take 2nd place (+$150 instead of $250) losing to a gutshot.

I always dread slowplaying anything. In heads up play, having 2pr is a monster. This was a hand I likely should have only moved in on when I was the short stack or had a dominant chip lead. At nearly 50/50% slowplaying that had was a way to go broke. RATS.

So, I may start to enterain playing the $55 SnGs, or maybe the multi-table tourneys (MTT) to look for a bigger score.

That's all for now. I'm going to see Gilbert Gottfried with my girlfriend and a couple of friends. I hope to bust a gut; he's gotten dirtier and funnier with the years....

[Late edit]: played 2 $33 SnGs simultaneously waiting to go out Friday (expecting early exit) and wound up finishing 1st and 2nd for a nice score. I had the chip lead in the 2nd place finish and lost two coin flips (my pair vs his two overcards) twice in a row. That's pokah!