Playing two pair

[DannyP]

One of the tournamet books talks about 2 pair being tricky, what do you think of this one.

3 tables left in a multi-table online $20 + $2. I'm around 10th place, with $19000 tourney chips, down from table leader to 3rd after a couple of limping draws went nowhere. Big money (over 1k for first and second) is for the top 5.

Blinds are $500/$1000, no calls until table leader (and around 3rd overall with around TC$23000) SB limps in (who has been playing tight pre-flop and aggressive later), I check with KJs. Flop is AJ4 rainbow. SB bets 2K. I put him on Ax and my brain says fold but my right hand clicks call. Turn is a K giving me 2 pair. SB bets 2K again, I raise all-in thinking that only A4 is likely to be out there to beat me, he calls and of course turns over A4 and wins with the river a blank.

Should I have avoided contact with the table leader with JJ? I've got position on him at least until the tables move, but while Ive put him on the A there are a lot of other hands he could have to limp in with. I can't see going all-in on the flop with the A on board. After 3 hours and surviving 250 others I'm tossed up between waiting for a monster or playing it the way I did.

I suppose another alternative is a small raise (2k?) on the flop, but I'm afraid that invites his all-in no matter what he has, with that much $ in the pot and me showing middle strength (ie weakness). The board isnt very threatening to him, so he isnt going to fold an A "if" he has it.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

If you think he is likely to have an A or better to bet that flop, you have an easy fold.

If you think his bet more likely represents a bluff or a hand worse than yours, then I would tend to just call and see how he acts on the turn.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)