KK - Early Rounds with a paired board on the flop

[skirtus]

I mainly play limit ring games. I play about 20-40 sng's per month. I have an ROI of 38% over 150 $10+1 SNG's at Party. I lurk here on occasion and want to improve my SNG play so I can move up levels. These big hands in the early rounds are tough for me. Should I have made a bigger bet preflop to limit the field somemore? How do you play this flop?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed)

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP3 (t890)
CO (t895)
Button (t600)
SB (t785)
BB (t585)
Hero (t785)
UTG+1 (t1210)
UTG+2 (t740)
MP1 (t660)
MP2 (t850)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t90</font>, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls t90, MP1 calls t90, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO calls t90, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds.

Flop: (t385) J/images/graemlins/heart.gif, J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero ??

[kleraudio]

You must make a pot sized bet into it, if you check from UTG and someone bets you must fold, take a stab at it, if you get reraised, it is safe to fold.

Jim /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[tallstack]

Since this is very early and everyone is still in, you likely have a few crazy players left who will call huge raises. From UTG and UTG+1 I will usually go for the limp-reraise with AA and KK to try and trap some players for an all-in reraise. I think that your raise here is fine, but it does bring up a harder decision on the flop.

IMO, I would not mind getting all the money in on this flop. Since you act first with three opponents behind you, I think a check raise all-in is a good play. Alternatively, you could lead out with a bet of about t300.

If you check and see huge action behind you then you do have the option of getting away from the hand with your t90 investment. However, if you put in any bet after the flop then I think you have to see this one to the end.

Dave S

[skirtus]

Thanks Dave,

I limp in early rounds with AA from EP. I'll try limping with KK also. I think a check-raise would have been best for this flop. I lead out with a weak 1/2 pot bet and someone pushed behind me. I folded and afterwards I felt that I could have played this hand much better.