$5+.50 Tournament Result

Last night I played a no-limit texas hold'em tournament with 866 entrants. I made it to the final table, and came in 10th place for a payday of about $64. I was very disappointed with this result. The last three pots that I entered resulted in two split pots and then my departure. One of the split pots, I slow played A/A. Opponent had A/4. The board started: 3-4-Q-5. I check-called his flop and turn bets. We split when a 2 hit on the river for the wheel straight. Had I been more aggressive, I could have drove him out after the turn card. My last hand, I was all-in pre-flop with A/J versus 6/4. Opponent caught a 4 on the river. If I had won outright these three hands, I probably would have been in the chip lead or very close to it. First place in this tournament paid over $900.