What would you do?

[spike]

$50+5 multi-table NLHE tournament at Pokerstars. We've been playing for several hours and over 230 players have been eliminated. Around 50 of us still in. 27 get paid and I'm currently 18th. I have around 8,000 chips but the tourny chipleader is also at my table two seats to my left with around 23,000.

I forget what the blinds were but probably of the order of 200-400 +25. I'm in the big blind and I'm dealt 24o. There are two callers, Mr Chip Leader and a short-stack. So I get to see the flop for free.

The flop comes 248 rainbow giving me bottom two-pair.

What would you do?

[Ignatius]

This flop is reasonably safe, so you can risk going for a check-raise all-in esp. if the chip-leader is aggressive and will often bet overcards in this spot. If you expect the flop to be checked through most of the time, then it's better to bet out (a pot sized bet of T1600 seems right here).

[eMarkM]

I'd try a pot-sized check raise, hoping Leader tries to take it with a bet.

[metaname]

If the chip leader was agressive he probably would have rasised preflop. With three limpers and a garbage flop I much prefer to bet out the pot here. I probably won't get a call, but I certainly don't fear a raise.

[spike]

Well, thanks to you all. I don't feel so bad now.

I wasn't as confident about the strength of the hand as you all seem to be so I ruled out a checkraise. I really wanted to take down the pot straight away and if I'd checkraised then the initial bettor might call my raise.

So I pushed all my chips in. Of course, the chip leader called in a flash and showed 44 making trips and leaving me drawing practically dead. (88 for a split pot or 22 to win it).

I agonised over this for a while but reckoned in the end that there was no way I could have gotten away from this hand. That's poker I s'pose.

[fnurt]

Pushing all-in is such a massive overbet here I really don't know what hands can call you. I would have bet the pot, which at least gives the big stack a chance to call with overcards or something.

I agree there was no way you were getting away from this hand. The flop is just too raggedy not to think 2 pair is good.