2nd but could have been 4th or 1st

I played another STT today and came 2nd. Initially I was disappointed as it could (and probably should) have been 1st but was close to bubbling at one point so should be pleased really.

In the the first 3 levels i won a few hands with AK, AK, JJ, A4, 88,77, AA, 77, JJ but no big pots. I was on about 6k when we are down to the last 4 with 2 big chip leaders and another short stack. As usual the short stack pushes and the chip leader calls with crap and the shorty hits trips on the river twice in about 4 hands and I'm now the shorty and have gone totally card dead to boot! Not happy at this stage and looking like bubbling.

Its now level level 6 and I get a decent hand when I turn a straight with J8 in the big blind after checking preflop and calling a 400 bet with my open ended straight draw on the flop. A double up to about 6k is looking on when the chip leader pushes all in.....and of course he has J8 too! grrrr!

Then just what the doctor ordered and I get a mad rush of cards which hold up - I double up when I raise with 99 and the chip leader re-raises me all in with A5. Up to 6.7k. I then push all in with 66 and the same guy calls with QT and I win 11.5k. The former chip leader is now tilting everywhere and 3 hands later I have KK. I raise to 1.8k and he pushes all in for 5k with A7 and he's out on the bubble and I'm now the chip leader with 16.3k lol. Man, things can change sooooo quickly!

I then go and blow 10k with K8 on a J86 board when I am re-raised post flop by TT and stupidly call lol. So now down to 3.5k and back where I started! Doh! I push with J9 and am in bad shape against A5 but the J on the flop doubles me up to 6k. I am now pushing pre-flop and picking up the blinds and am up to 8k, then 9k and back in with a shout.

I win 6k when I hit my open ended straight draw on the turn and now have 12k vs 12k vs 14k so all to play for! I win a big pot of 13.6k with AQ on a J6682 board. I raised pre-flop, checked the turn and then bet the spade flush draw that came on the turn. He called and I can only assume he missed his flush draw with the river 8 clubs. I now had 20k and was chip leader.

About a dozen hands later we were heads up and I was in front with 20,045 to 19,955 lol so couldn't be much closer! I
got up to 26k on the first hand. But then was back down to 14 k as he rivered a straight to my 2 pair. The last hand I pushed all in with K4h after his limp in the small blind. He called with J6h so I was in good shape as a 3-2 fave but the river brings him a 6 and its all over. Bit of a roller-coaster!

As I said I was pleased to make money as was looking like another bubble but just needed the cards to hold up and would have won.

Challenge bankroll is $293.86