holdem tourney bad play

I have to admit that I am still learning the nuances of Poker. I have evolved from basement games once every month or so to playing some casino and a lot of on line poker. I was paying a lot of people and making my wife very angry, but I have taken a turn for the better as of late - and have won some small stakes that are adding up a little bit. I know that low stakes tables are loose, so I play preflop like a rock - and this tends to win - as long as I am not at the same table with the same folks for too long - in very low stakes games.


With that being said, I just started playing the poker pages tournaments. I really like the idea - I love tournament play and it is not like truly playing for free when 80% call every flop and 60% draw to the river. The first time I finished 8th - losing all in with my AK paired (no flush or straight) to trip 7s (7's paired in the hole). I was betting - he was calling - thought he figured me for A or K instead of both - I know bad mistake - I am still learning.


Anyway, the second tournament, we were down to 6 tables and I was second chip position with about 2500. Chip leader had 2800. I was BB. Got 9/4 - ready to fold - but checked to me. Flop was 994. 3 players. I checked. Chip leader to my right bets 250. third guy folds. I raise 500. Chip leader calls. turn is 3. I bet 500, chip leader raises all in, I call. river was x. He turns over 9J, I turn over my 94 and go home in 51st place kicking myself because I should have seen it coming and folded on his all in.


My question is,

should I have folded as soon as he called my flop raise, or should I have still bet on the turn and folded on his all-in.

I seem to get in more trouble in BB checks and top pair/set flops than any other thing that I am doing.


I know that I still need a lot of work. I am just trying at this point to minimize losses as I am closing leaks - also understanding that there are a lot of callers in freeroll tournaments.


Thanks for your feedback.

Kevin

In the first hand, you flopped top two pair. In the second hand, you flopped a full house (why did you lose with no Jack on the board?). These are excellent hands to go all-in with. You just got beat in showdowns. You didn't make any mistakes.

Thanks for the feedback - makes me feel much better. Chip leader had j9 (bet the 250 after I checked - I raised 500 he called). I led turn betting - he bet all in, I called). I obviously would not have played 94 if it weren't checked to big blind. Thanks alot!


Kevin

sorry - messed up - I had 9/4 - flop was x99 - no 4. I only had a set - he had set 9 kicker. Can't remember what the first flop card was - it was insignificant!

You had trips and so did your opponent. A set is when you have

trips with 2 of the cards in the hole.