Limit Hold'em tournament hand

At the T200 - T400 in a weekly rebuy tournament with twenty minute rounds, with six tables left, my table broke and I had only played three hands at the new table when the following hand came up:


UTG (a better than average small tournament player) limps and a middle position player limps. I have T1700 (I think average stack size is about double this) and limp with 9c8c on the button. The small blind (who I haven't seen play a hand and is roughly equal to me in chips) and the big blind who is the table chip leader and with whom I've played a couple times both call.


The flops is Th9d6h. The small blind bets, the big blind raises and UTG calls. Both the middle position player and I fold. When it comes back to the small blind he makes it three bets. The big blind calls and UTG folds. The turn is the 2c and small blind bets and big blind calls. The river is a black six and the small blind bets and the big blind calls again. Small blind frustratedly shows his Jh7h for a busted flush and gutshot draw. Big blind turns over 9s4d to take a a T3400 pot.


I haven't had as much recent tournament success as I have had in the past and I'm worried that it's because I haven't been playing as aggressively as I should. While it is simply results oriented to be concerned by throwing away a hand that would have won at least half the pot in this case, I still think I may have misplayed this hand.


My questions are:


Should I have played this hand at all given my stack size? I obviously am getting the odds to make this call, but is it better to try to get my chips in on a heads up situation where I probably have the best of it as even most good flops won't give me a completed hand here(i.e. flopping a flush draw or an open ended straight draw.)


Given that I played it, should I have raised before the flop? This might help set me up to buy the pot later in the hand. And, I think had I raised here specifically, it is possible that I might have won the entire pot.


I think my lay down on the flop to a bet and a raise is pretty easy? Does anyone think I should have called here?


Thanks in advance.

In my opinion...I think I might have laid it down...I'm not even sure I would have played it...although it might have affected how I play the other players after this hand....looked like some bad play there - raising with a flush draw, reraising with middle pair.


A wise man doesn't play drawing hands (in a tournament) till he's almost wiped out.. You certainly made a good laydown...you don't risk your entire stack on draws....wait for the pair or a chance to come back at someone when you think they're stealing the pot


but that's just me...I definately started moving up the ladder when I quit paying big money to draw to the flushes and straights like I used to do in a ring game. I mean, if you can limp in with 5% of your pot, maybe, but each bigger bet was going to eat into you

I assume the blinds are 100-200 and the betting is 200-400.


I most likely muck 98s in your situation before the flop. A few more callers before you and I might play it. If the blinds are smaller compared to your stack I also might play it. If I chose to play it I wouldn't raise with an UTG limper.


On the flop it is a definite fold. Sure the raise may be a free card type raise but why go to war with 2nd pair and bad kicker.


You say the pot is T3400 but I count 13 small bets and 4 big bets which should be T4200.


Ken Poklitar