KJs in the BB

[brizzypare]

$50 sng, no reads

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (6 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

SB (t930)
Hero (t1020)
UTG (t2360)
MP (t3915)
CO (t1000)
Button (t775)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, SB completes, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t100</font>, SB calls t70.

Flop: (t200) 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif, J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 6/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
SB checks, Hero bets 200, SB raises to 500, Hero moves in, SB calls.

Turn: (t200) T/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

River: (t200) J/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t200

How was my play on all streets? Preflop I wanted him to get out with trash like most people are apt to limp in with. His call didn't show very much strength to me. The flop is what got me. It seemed like my bet would be seen by him as a continuous bet, and he could have anything from midpair to a straight draw to absolutely nothing. Of course, he could also have AJ, a set, two pair, etc. So I'm not sure what I should have done here.

[Raiser]

I really don't see the value in raising PF here. It's so early. I think best case scenario is that he folds and you win t30 chips. I raise in the early tourney phase to build pots with my very good hands. KJs is not a very good hand and I don't really want to play a big pot with it.

Thoughts?

[Voltron87]

Don't raise pf here. Your hand is probably better than his, but this is not an edge you want to push. It's marginal.


I would have bet 100-125 on the flop, generally pots out of the blind should be kept small. right now you only have one pair.

I probably would get all in here as well though, depending on a read.

[brizzypare]

Well, I can see your thoughts on not raising preflop. I like to do it because it seems at least half the time I'm picking up his 30 chips uncontested. It's probably a -EV play now that I think about it.

It turns out he had AJ to my KJ so I was sort of destined to lose some chips here. I just couldn't put him on that hand since he didn't raise and seemingly reluctantly called.

So, let's say I just check preflop. We both pair our jacks. Do I still expect to lose a big portion of my stack here?