Was this a bad play??

[KingToad]

$25NL .25/.50 blinds

I have $60, SB $30, everyone else under $25

I am dealt AJo in the BB, I check (is this a mistake?)

5 see the flop sb,me and 3 others. pot - $2.50

FLOP J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 3 /images/graemlins/club.gif

SB bets $3

What should I do here? I decide to raise, I raise to $7

everyone folds, SB calls - pot $16.50

Turn 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB bets $3, I'm think he has a J as well. I go allin $53

he calls, with his $23

River 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif


He wins with 89o.

Did I play this poorly?

I need to get my thinking out of the way. I wouldn't have bet $3 with only a pair of 9's, 8 kicker and called a $4 raise. But, I guess he does. Any help on improving my play.

[tewall]

Checking AJ in the BB pre-flop is fine. It's not a good hand to play out of position, but you can play it for free.

On the flop you could raise a larger amount. $12 would be a good amount. Even larger wouldn't be bad. You want him to pay to draw out on you. With his stack size so small, your TPTK hand is good enough to go to war with.

On the turn, his small bet is fishy. Just call it and see what he does on the river. You have position on him so you can see what he does. If he makes a big bet, lay your hand down. It's very unlikely he would make a super small bet on the turn and a very large bet on the river on a bluff.

If he checks the river, check behind him. It's not a good plan to expect to be called for a lot of money by a hand that your hand beats. Someone might bluff a hand that beats your hand, but they won't likely call with it once that second 9 falls.

[Fistdantilus]

The problem is that this person is not on a draw unless they have the unlikely hand of QT/T8. Therefore, putting it all-in on the turn is suicide because he either:

1. has top pair and won't call
2. has more than TPTK and will call

Your play is only +EV in this situation when the other person has a draw, and here that is unlikely. Raising a bit more on the flop would have saved money, because after he calls, warning bells should definitely be flashing.

Fistdantilus

[SomeName]

you needed to make it more around 12-13 on the flop.