First try at SNGs: Early with JJ

[cjromero]

Being tired (at least for the moment) with the limit ring games, I decided to try NL SNGs on Party for the first time this weekend. To gain experience, I started at the $10/1 level. So far so good (at least I think), with 10 cashes out of 15 tourneys for a profit of $145.

This hand bothered me though. So far in the tourney, the guy on the button had played nearly every hand and he continuously tried to muscle people out of pots with big preflop raises and pot sized bets on the flop with marginal to poor hands. His raising standards were loose to say the least.

Given that read, was I correct to push with JJ? Do you like the preflop raise or is limping warranted given my position and the early stage of the tourney? Should I have laid it down the preflop re-raise given that we were still in the early levels? Would calling preflop rather than pushing have been better?

All advice/criticism is welcome. Just remember that I am a SNG newbie.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP3 (t1270)
CO (t695)
Button (t1010)
SB (t1220)
BB (t290)
UTG (t1460)
Hero (t660)
MP1 (t1245)
MP2 (t150)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, J/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t90</font>, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, <font color="CC3333">Button raises to t200</font>, SB folds, BB folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t660 (All-In)</font>, Button calls t460.

Flop: (t1365) Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Turn: (t1365) 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (t1365) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t1365

Results in white below: <font color="white">
Hero has Jd Jh (one pair, jacks).
Button has 5c Ah (straight, five high).
Outcome: Button wins t1365. </font>

[ThaSaltCracka]

it looks good to me.

[DemonDeac Holding Rockets]

It's a very good play. The only problem is that you're playing at a Party $10 SNG. The calibur of people playing is garbage. They believe that any hand with an ace is a monster. I don't even play A5, especially in the early rounds. You made the right play, but he got lucky.

[mscott2374]

Make notes on this player and follow him about. Try to ensure that you have position on him whenever you play so you can really punish him for his stupid play.

I think you played it fine here, but what would you have done if another player had reraised you before it got to the maniac?

I prefer to limp with JJ early in the tourney &amp; try to hit a set.

Just my opinion

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
I prefer to limp with JJ early in the tourney &amp; try to hit a set.

[/ QUOTE ] and thats a good strategy, but with his opponent playing the way he was, an all-in re-raise was a good play. Under "normal" circumstances, you would be correct to probably limp with that hand.

[cjromero]

If it had been re-raised twice before getting back to me, I would have folded JJ given I was out of position for the rest of the hand and that I still would have been in okay shape with 570 chips.