Jackpot near miss!

IPoker game 512445321 represented a real chance for me to win $40,500 and blow my Maui Challenge target out of the water. The key thing for me looking back on it is that I played to win and have no regrets. When I needed it most my luck simply ran out! Here are the key hands that saw me come third:  Key Hand 1: Early in the game with pocket tens in middle position I elected to fold pre-flop following early strong action. My instinct proved correct, I would have lost chips and the hand gave me confidence moving forward.   Key Hand 2: Following what felt like an age of inactivity I called a short stacks shove with a better ace and went back above my starting total. With seven players left now the blinds were about to get significant and I needed to get busy.  Key Hand 3: The rising blinds meant I had to shove all-in with my pocket fours from mid-position. I was called by ace queen, won the flip and was right were I needed to be. Luck was with me in this hand and I have to remind myself I could so easily have gone out at this point.  Key Hand 4: Blinds still rising I shoved with ace king, was called again by ace queen and became chip leader with four players left. Not a single thing had gone wrong to this point and I was starting to use my dominant chip count to strengthen my position further. I was starting to believe I would win. With three players left a key hand occurred without my involvement.  Key Hand 5: The two smaller stacks collided in a coin flip that nearly left me heads up with fifty percent of the chips. The river changed the course of the hand and we remained three handed. At that point I was ready for a heads up battle before the blinds rose again and all but eliminated the skill aspect.  Key Hand 6: With jacks in the big blind I called a shove from king queen. Bang, a king on the flop left me praying for a jack to no avail. A defining moment but I was still there with enough chips to win, battling for a double up.  Key Hand 7: My final shot came when I called the short stacks shove with pocket sevens. My opponents king nine failed to find a pair but a rivered flush left me gutted and in the dead zone chip wise. Two hands later I was out in third, my king high losing to a pair of eights. $40,500........................................   It will be tough now grinding away at $5 an hour! In the defining hand with jacks my win percentage was as follows:  Hand Equity Wins Ties KsQh 43.54% 741,953 7,049 JhJc 56.46% 963,302 7,049 The key now is for me to gain confidence from the opportunity, to strive to get there again and not let the near miss affect my future play. Time will tell.