Early hand from Monday night $150 NL on Party Poker

[WinBig]

Early in the $150 NL tourney Monday night on Party Poker. Blinds are 15/30 and I pick up JJ in middle position. Two limpers in front of me and the small and big blinds call as well so five see the flop.

Flop is 543 with two hearts. The small blind bets the pot of 150 and the big blind calls. Folded to me and I push with about 950, the small blind calls and the big blind folds. Small blind shows A2 offsuit for a straight and I don't improve.

Was the all-in push a bad play after a pot sized bet and call ahead of me with that board? I put them on a pocket pair smaller than JJ, a flush draw or possibly a straight draw. 67 seems like an unlikely hand and A2 as well. I figured I was either way ahead with pocket pair vs pocket pair or I was up against a drawing hand that I wanted to make as expensive as possible. Of course a straight and flush draw here are getting more than enough odds to stay in the hand since I believe those draws are about 50/50 to hit with that board. My math may be wrong though.

Would anyone play this differently? A flat call of the flop bet is pointless so I felt it was either a push or a fold and I had too good of a hand to fold with that board - or so I thought!

[Tosh]

Hang on, you didn't specify how much you raised preflop? 120-150 sounds good.

[WinBig]

Well that was probably my biggest mistake of all since I just called the limpers in front preflop. I don't know what I was thinking because hoping someone raises behind me so I can reraise is a bad play since JJ is not a hand you can really reraise with.

I guess I was hoping to see a board similar to what I got so that I wasn't too worried about overcards giving someone a pair bigger than JJ. I believe the correct play would have been to make a bet of 150 or so and then play the flop aggressively if no overcards hit. That way I eliminate hands like A2 that can break me when I go all-in. Preflop call was a poor play I believe.

[ZootMurph]

Without a preflop raise, you have to guess that the small blind is on anything, including two pair, a straight, or a flush draw. I wouldn't go all in here, with such a coordinated board, but I would raise it to 300. If he comes over the top, I fold and wait for a better play. If he calls, then checks to me on a blank turn, I go all in there and am screwed.

[cferejohn]

Not raising preflop was a big mistake here. With 2 limpers, I'll probably raise to 150 here. If A2 calls, well, I'm probably going broke here, but if A2 is reasonable he won't call.

I don't know who said it (maybe TJ Cloutier?), but there's a saying "don't go broke in an unraised pot". Now, there are exceptions of course, but the point is that in an unraised, multiway pot, you could easily be up against 2 pair or better here. Best to avoid the situation by raising to define your opponents hands. Now A2 or 54 are pretty unlikely (though, of course, not impossible), but you may well get a call out of a legitimate hand that you beat (99, TT).