Tough beat in the blinds - need advice

[StraitRazor]

I'll briefly two hands here and I'd love to get your advice since both instances crippled my chances of cashing in a tourney. Funny enough, both are BB hands and the cards are the same.

Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gifJ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif in the BB. Everybody folds to SB who min raises. Flop is:
5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gifJ/images/graemlins/spade.gif How would you proceed? Cautiously or aggressively? I ended up calling a big flop bet that committed me and pushng all in on the turn. Draw didn't hit and I lost to AJo.

This one bugs me.

Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gifJ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif in BB. Second stage of tourney. I am chip leader with T$3600. 6 limpers, (I hate my hand for reasons above and have a terrible feeling in my gut.) Free flop.

8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif9 /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

I check, all check to the cut-off who min bets. Button calls. I raise 700, button raises all in 1200 more. I call with the NUTS... he catches a straight flush on the river. (J /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/spade.gif)

I think it'd be a pretty strong play to lay down his draw there, but I had the nuts and I don't think I made a horrible play. Anyway, I'm just wondering if this is one of those beats that is unavoidable... I made a good play and was a strong favourite and the deck get the best of me... or what?

Help would be great.

Thanks

[Chief911]

I'll be more gentle than most might. This is simply two bad beats. Get used to them. They happen in poker. Its statistically impossible to avoid them. Obviously there is a way you can get away from the 1st one, and its not really a bad beat. But the second one there is no way you get away from it.

Nick

[tiger7210]

1st hand- once u called his mini raise getting away from the hand would be extremely tough but really depends on stack sizes. I'll make that miniraise with AA-QQ's in the SB if I think I'll get action. If the stacks aren't deep enough I would fold to a big flop bet since it looks like he's trying to protect a real hand but that's relative to stack sizes and stage of the tournament.

2nd hand- there is no geting away from nor would you want to when you get your money in with the nutz. Just got unlucky there.

[StraitRazor]

Yeah... I don't worry or complain about bad beats. They happen and I don't complain.

I was just wondering if I misplayed the hands and I still don't think that I did.

I dunno... this is still a grey area to me, so I appreciate all the help.

[nuclear500]

I don't think you misplayed your hand. JT for the open ended straight flush draw was the hand favorite even though you had the best hand flopping the nut straight. The only cards that the JT worried about was something like Ax /images/graemlins/spade.gif most likely.

Getting your money in with an open ended straight flush draw is sometimes not that bad of a move. I've committed my stack twice before on it facing a reraise all in on the turn and made a straight flush 9-K once and a plain flush the other.