Mid-tourney--what do you do?

[Chicago Kid]

Mid-tournament NLHE online, 35 of 80 players remain. My stack has tripled. Blinds at the moment are 200-400. I'm in third position with JJ.

UTG (about 2500) limps, 2nd position mucks. I make it 750 to go. I'm thinking I want to get heads-up on this hand ASAP, if I don't win it outright.

All fold to button (~5000TC), who calls. Blinds muck, UTG calls (!).

Flop comes 2c 7d Ts.

With roughly 2500 in the pot, I make a pot-sized bet, and am immediately raised by the button, who quickly goes all-in, making it 4250 to go. Button calls all-in.

The button player has been very aggressive to this point, playing many hands while showing down very few, while the UTG player had just been moved to the table.

What do you do?

[Magician]

I would've raised to 2,000 (twice the pot of 200+400+400) with the Jacks pre-flop and probably avoided the mess right there.

Looks like it's too late to turn back - you just go all in and pray they have only ten pair + great kicker or are on some kind of draw.

[DKNY]

You mean UTG called all-in?

Since button is really aggressive and loose, I'm assuming he called many raises pre-flop as well? I think button is more likely to have a pair of 10s or nothing. Can't give him credit for a set. Would he call your raise with 10 7? If it was just the button, it's an easy call.

With UTG calling this makes your call a little more difficult. I think I would still call though. It's unlikely UTG has a big pair, since he probably would've re-raised you pre-flop.

[fnurt]

350 is not a big enough raise pre-flop. Consider that UTG had to put 350 into a 1900 pot to see the flop... a trivially easy call. A raise of 3x or 4xBB is the way to get heads up or win the pot.

You didn't say how big your stack is, but you only have to pay 1750 more to see the showdown? I'd think the chance you're ahead is certainly big enough to call.

[Chicago Kid]

Sorry--I had a little over 6000TC.

Anyway, I did realize that I didn't raise it enough pre-flop. I wanted heads-up or to win it outright, and instead, had some guessing to do. A bigger raise might have gotten me more information....

After the button went all-in and UTG called, my feeling was that the aggressive player was on something like KT or AT. The button player had me a bit worried though. I thought about it for quite some time. Having some 11000 in the pot was tempting, and the pot odds were right to call, but I talked myself out of it.

Had UTG not called, I would have probably called in a second. But as it was, I decided to muck, fearing a bigger pair and slow-play from UTG.

Button flips over black AA, while UTG shows KdTc. Shows what I know....

The turn came (2c 7d Ts) Js. I'm incensed, and checking my pants for a pair, until....the river follows with Ad.

Initially, I was doing my own personal internal celebration dance for mucking. But, upon further thinking, I wasn't so sure I played this one very well. Certainly, a bigger pre-flop raise was in order. But, at the same time, my insticts were right to bail out after the flop (and after having my 2500 bet run over).

Seeing the showdown did wonders for my psyche, though. If I didn't see it, losing the 2500 without calling would have haunted me later.

I can't help but wonder what a greater pre-flop raise would have elicited from the AA. A re-raise I'd have to muck to? Or a call, and my all-in when the J came enroute to a crippling loss!