Poker Patience

I played in a Full Tilt Poker tournament last night. Having won a 225 person sit and go days before Phish tour, I was able to take a seat in Round 2 in a race for a seat for the World Series of Poker.
This tournament had 277 participants, with the top 2 finishers moving on to the 3rd and final round for a seat to the Main Event.
I finished 4th... Great way to be up until 2 AM...

When you are in a decent chip position, with well over 20 big blinds remaining, and you find yourself in a blind vs. blind situation with the chip leader, and you wake up with pocket 9s, it is not necessary to shove all-in after the chip leader (small blind) makes a modest pre-flop raise. It is acceptable to merely call and see a flop. You will not be happy after investing about 4 hours in an online poker tournament when your all-in is called by the chip leader who has AK. Especially when you see both an A and a K on the flop, and you're left with only your thoughts of what may have been...

You've waded through 273 other participants to get where you've gotten. Chances are you are one of the better players at the table--luck only carries you so far. Play your game. Your night of sleep is already shot anyway. Better to dream of round 3 than have nightmares about coming up short.