In the money in a Free Roll

OK this is no big deal overall but it was nice to have finally happen. It was $50 Free Roll on Carbon Poker. There were 4694 players and the top 30 were paid. Not greatly: 1st was $13.50, 9th - $1, and   26-30 $0.35. I came in 24th and won a whooping $0.40 after 3 plus hours of play. If I had been willing gamble some more I might have ranked higher, but as I closed on number 30, I decided to hang in there. It really wasn't that big of a decision as I didn't have any great cards and often other players were betting 2 or 3 BB's or more. Blinds at that point were 10,000/20,00 with ante of 2000. My stack around 51,000. Anyway I made it.

A problem I have when play gets to these levels (blinds of 10,000/20,000), even though I know I need to do something sooner rather than later, I'm never sure when to make the jump/gamble. At the place I'm in above when my turn comes up for the blinds they are going eat away more than half my chip stack so I can't just sit around but I hate to gamble with just junk cards. I'm the Cut Off with 89s, suited connectors, that might be worth the gamble. Play is checked to the Hi-Jack position who open raises All-In for 48,896 chips, which is about 600 less then me. We are both pretty much in the same desperate straits, but since he bet 1st that makes me feel much more iffy about my 98s. Against one other player with random cards it's a coin flip. Pot odds are about 2/1. Players to my left, BT has 81,962; SB 72, 388; and BB with 146,556 and already has 20,000 in the pot.  I don't like it so I pass. The BB calls the All-In.

Since it's two players and one is All-In they turn up their cards. Hi-Jack has AA and BB has QQ. I'm feeling pretty good that I folded. The flop comes: 6s 8s 9c. DUH! If I'd called I'd have two pair. The Turn - Kd, the River - 9h. Double DUH! A FH for me at the end, if I'd stayed and I'd have tripled up which would have put me back in the came, for at least a little while.

So when is the best time for those "any two cards?" Are there other things I should consider? Part of my problem at this point, is that "any two cards" is not going to hit most of the time and when it doesn't it tends to put me on tilt for a bit. Yes, I could have AA & the Villain have the 89 & I'd still lose!!! That would tilt me even more!!!  It does hurt a bit less when I don't have the best cards.

Anyway it was fun and it was nice to finally make the money in a large number of players FR and small number of payout places (30). I'm sure I learned a few things along the way tonight.

Alas against my $0.40 plus I went down earlier in the day $5+ mainly due to poor play, but that's another story.

Lastly here is a graph of how my chip count went over the 210 hands: