An early stage overpair hand

[Luke]

This hand took place in the Party 350K yesterday.

Here is the pertinent info:

Blinds: 2nd level (10/20)

Hero's stack: 1385

Villain's stack: 1510

Read on villain: Not too active - has not shown down a hand yet. Raised a couple times preflop and took the pots down with a flop continuation bet.

Table view of Hero: Hero has been playing very tightly, only entering one other pot with a limp. He bet out one ragged flop from the blinds but folded to a raise.

Action: Two limpers to hero who limps in the CO with red nines. Villain completes in the SB.

5 to the flop [8s 4c 2c]

Checked to Hero, who bets 80 into the T 100 pot. Villain checkraises, making it 225 to go (raise of 145). Only Hero calls.

Pot (550), Hero (1,135), Villain (1,265), Turn [8s 4c 2c, 5h]

Villain bets 375 and Hero calls.

Pot (550), Hero (1,135), Villain (1,265), River [8s 4c 2c 5h, 8d]

Villain pushes and Hero???

What should Hero do on the river? Should he had found himself in this spot to begin with?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Luke

[People_Mover]

I raise preflop to 80 or so to get the crap off the SB who hopefully did not bust you with garbage.

[Luke]

I raise preflop to 80 or so....

Yeah, I think you're right. I'm pretty new to MTTs and I'm having a tough time on how to play the early blind levels when stacks run pretty deeply.

One example of that struggle is how to play middle pocket pairs in situations like this both preflop and postflop.

Given my preflop limp, what do you think of the postflop play?

Luke

[bruce]

I prefer seeing a cheap flop early in a tournament with pocket Nines. In order to get people to fold you have to make too large a raise with a medium strength hand. See a cheap flop and hopefully you have an overpair or flop a set.

It's difficult to assign hand values to the blinds. I would
assume on the flop I have the best hand, but it's possible
small blind may have flopped two pair. I like your flop call. However I don't like how you played the turn. I either fold or push. If you call you are pot committed anyway so why not push. Pushing serves one main purpose. The pot is large and small blind may fold with your vulnerable hand. Also if you push you are assuming your
hand is best, so why not put all your chips in. If you
push the turn you would not be faced with your very
difficult river decision. Based on the river card and
subsequent play I would figure I am against triplicate
Eights or villian is bluffing his counterfeited two pair or
busted flush draw.

Bruce

[Luke]

I folded the river giving him credit for at least an 8.

Any other comments?

Luke