$11 JJ with AA5 board

Should I have led this turn? Is there an argument to be made to c/r turn? His smooth call on the flop + pf raise are what ultimately led me to fold. And yeah, I realize that flop bet is way too small, that was a bad play. Not sure what happened there...

Generally, in a situation like this, what's your thought process to figure out where you are in this hand?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1480)
Button (t1480)
Hero (t1500)
BB (t1500)
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1500)
MP1 (t1540)
MP2 (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG calls t20, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, MP3 calls t20, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t80</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG calls t60, MP3 calls t60.

Flop: (t260) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t60</font>, UTG calls t60, MP3 folds.

Turn: (t380) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">UTG bets t120</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t500

PREFLOP:
I dont much like your preflop raise here. You havent forced the utg player to define his hand for you. I think you need to bet in the 120 to 150 range if you are going to raise. With the blinds being so low there isnt much to gain here from your raise. I think the right play would have been to see a flop cheap and play from there. If you raise and everyone folds you win $60. If you are called then you are out of position with maybe the toughest hand in NLH to play post flop.

FLOP:

Your bet of $60 into a $260 pot is a weak bet. At this level (11) I dont think opponents will recognize this as a "representing the trips and hoping you will come overtop of me" type of bet. If this is what you were going for then maybe you are suffering from fancy play syndrome. I think checking it and seeing what happens is the way to go. If villian checks then you get to see a free card and maybe spike a jack. If villian small bets you can think about check/calling with the intention of taking it away from him on the turn or check/raising. These would be aggressive plays and should only be attempted if you have a solid read on your opponent which I dont think you would have so early into the game.

When you have JJ and two aces hit the board you are probably in trouble. Best look for another spot. I think that in the early levels you should be playing pots thinking in terms of implied odds (taking your opponents whole stack) instead of winning pots, which are typically very small at this stage.

[bluefeet]

Actually, your misclick might have been best thing for you here.

Villian=TT
Hero sells his Ace...

Does your ace lead this flop? Well, we'd like to maybe check-raise, but to a non-ace holder behind, this is all too typical. But because so, doesn't leading the flop become just as 'obvious'? Him knowing that you know that he knows that you know that you should weak lead your ace here, doing so now clearly an ace. But still you do...brilliant!!

With his head now swimming staring at those 60 donked chips in a 260 pot...<font color="red">"Bastard!"</font>, he's thinking. <font color="red">"he KNOWS that I know that that means Ace...doesn't he? Bastard!"</font> Villian calls.

Hero checks turn. <font color="red">"Bastard! He KNOWS that I know that he knows that is exactly what he'd be doing if he had an ace. Does he think I'm stupid? The old 'so obviously an ace, it actually is' line. And BECAUSE I know that he knows that I know this, he does precisly this despite! This is SO not an ace... [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]...or is it? Only one way to find out. If he thinks that I think that he thinks that I think he doesn't have an Ace, I should lead here. Because I know that he knows that by doing so, I'm telling him that I know that he knows that I know that he doesn't have the Ace and he'll fold"</font>

This is clearly where you make it t350 to go, wait for him to tank for a bit and fold [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

LOL. Thanks for the advice. That's some serious 575th level thinking there [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]