8th in TOC = 46th in TOC

Couldn't get it done in the TOC tourney yesterday. Managed to be in 2nd place with about 25 of us left...but just couldn't close the deal. Made 3 really big mistakes. 1 actually helped me and 2 really killed me. In the one that helped me, I check raised a whiffed flop vs. Pirate Lawyer in a spot where I really shouldn't have been comitting chips. He folded after tanking (hopefully giving me credit for last weeks big game hand where I folded a flopped set to his flopped broadway when he reraised my lead on the turn). I am fairly sure he had me beat, but this gave me some chips. A short while later he and I jousted again when I coolered him with KK vs his 10 10 all in pre which got me a nice stack. I bled a few chips somewhere in there when Astin raised UTG 3.5x and it folded to me in bb with AKcc. I had him covered in chips over 4:1 and he would have been comitted with his 2K start of hand stack no matter what size raise I made so I just shoved. He had Aces of course and I could not get the miracle suckout. I was still in decent shape and managed to amass the stack that put me in 2nd behind oossuuu754. I then got involved with him in a hand that really played out poorly for me and I should have known better after watching the hand he eliminated Hoy with. It folded to me in sb with A3sooted. I just completed, then he raised 3x. I reraised and he flatted. Flop came KQJ and I check raised him...he shoves and I fold only leaving myself about 7.5k in chips. So I dropped from 2nd to 5th in a BvB hand. I thought I could take the pot with both of my raises giving him credit for not wanting to butt onions one of the only stacks that could hurt him...but I was wrong. Obviously overthought the hand and it really crushed me. The other hand I totally screwed up was against Astin. It folds to me in midposition and I have QQ. Astin is next to act and cold calls. Everyone else folds. Flop came out something like 772 rainbow and I check hoping to make a check raise since he had position. The turn was the Ace of Spades and I led to see if I was good. He shoves allin over the top and I have to fold. I should have just taken it down on the flop probably and this caused more chip spew. From that hand on, the only playable hand I got was 88 which I just called with UTG as one of the shorties. To most players at this level, this call from that position as a shorty looks like AA hoping to get raised for what is left of their stack...so I was hoping for folds to the BB, where I would shove any flop and pray. Instead, Katiemother (who was the only other player I had covered by this point) shoves allin. The bb folds and I call. 88 < J9 and I am crippled. I get lucky open shoving the button with next to no chips left while holding K7o by getting called by oossuuu being cute and calling with 72o. This gets me back to a playable 7.5k in chips but nothing good from there. I bust open shoving the button holding A6o and Scottc overshoves from sb with AK. No miracle and I bow out 8th. I definitely lack the late stage game for success and need lots of work. I keep seeing people shove and call with crap at critical stages to give them ammo they need to run...and I just can't bring myself to do it. Oh well, better luck Tuesday maybe. CMitch got bad beated a lot at the final table. But the beat oossuuu put on Hoy and the beat Loretta (one of the eventual winners) put on Tuscaloosa Johnny hurt me to watch. I didn't have any big suckouts...but also didn't have anyone suckout too bad on me. It just wasn't my day. Tuesday I promise.
JD