First hand for review

[Bremen]

Is it even possible to get away from this? Or am I already pot commited after the flop bet?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (4 handed) converter

SB (t1215)
Hero (t1210)
UTG (t4145)
Button (t1430)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls t100, Button folds, SB folds, Hero checks.

Flop: (t250) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets t250</font>, <font color="CC3333">UTG raises to t500</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t1110 (All-In)</font>, UTG calls t610.

[lastchance]

No, don't get away from this. Check-raise all-in, IMHO. Good to see he gave you a tiny bit of fold equity.

[cocarondelle]

You should've folded to the raise. You have second pair, and a flush draw. Wait for a better opportunity to build your stack.

[PuertoKid]

I'm pretty new to poker, but I don't understand why you'd go all-in on this. Do you think he is going to fold? Unlikely in a small stakes NL tourney giving that he re-raised you so heavily.

If you call, you get more information without committing all your chips.

[Bremen]

The reason I went all-in is because I felt I was pot commited. 4 handed with only 860 in chips and blinds at 50/100 will eat up your stack way too quick. ie I felt it was better to risk my chips here than pray to get a hand later and hopefully double up.

[tallstack]

I think that your play here is fine. You may not have a large amount of fold equity with your push, but you are likely even a favorite over top pair. I think you have to push when you are reraised on the flop.

Dave S

[housenuts]

i like the check-raise all-in play, unless he bets so much that you have no fold equity. if he checks behind you, well then you get a free card. if it's not a club, and lower than 8 (but not a 4) you can bet because you probably now have the highest pair. if it's higher than 8 (unless another 9) you gotta check again and fold to a bet.

[ChrisV]

Everyone suggesting folding this to the raise is out of their freaking minds. You've just committed 350 of a 1210 stack, leaving you with 860 chips. The final pot if you go allin will be 350 + 350 + 50 + 860 + 860 = 2470 chips. Take a typical hand like A9, where you are a 52.83% favourite. If you go allin your expected return if he calls is 1305 chips. In other words, folding rather than reraising allin sets fire to 445 chips. Even if you give UTG something super generous like 98, your return is 1115 chips, so folding compared to going allin is a loss of 255 chips. Note that this is worst case scenario, where he doesn't fold to the reraise and has a better hand than you.

Reraise allin is best because there is no way you can fold this hand on the turn no matter what comes. There's some tiny chance he might fold if a club came. Also, he might fold straight up to the reraise which would be a major win. However, checkraising allin on the flop is better than betting out because it maximises fold equity.

[housenuts]

no one suggested folding to the raise.

the general consensus was not to bet out the flop, so if your opponent did bet then you could re-raise all-in or fold.

by betting out the flop, when your opponent raises you have no fold equity whatsoever when you re-raise so you can only hope to make your hand.
by check-raising you can win by getting him to fold, or by making your hand.

[ChrisV]

No doubt that'd be why I said "However, checkraising allin on the flop is better than betting out because it maximises fold equity".

Two people suggested folding - mikezmr2 on the flop and PuertoKid probably on the turn (that was the implication anyway).