Make or break hand at the Taj

[RoyalLance]

I'm on the button during the 25/50 blind level of a $100 buy-in NLH tournament at the Taj. Everybody's stack is 5000.

Everybody folds the the guy to my right. He raises to 150.

I peek at my cards and see Jack Jack. Looking at the raiser I don't think he has me beat, and I don't think he had a read on me since I haven't seen my cards until it was my turn. I also will have position on him on the flop. I decide to take a call in order to put what I learned from reading the Dan Harrignton books to use.

The small blind folded but the big blind isn't so cooperative. He tosses in a 500 chip, making it 650.

It turn's out my read on the first raiser was correct. He folds.

Okay. The opener appearently was weak that hand. The big blind's Hammer (I don't think he read HOH but that's the only way I know of describing his re-raise.) had done the job I probably should have done myself. Anywho, I'm in big trouble. The Big blid re-raised after seeing a raise and a call so I have to take it somewhat seriously. I raise like that usually means Aces, Kings, or Queens, the three hand that will strip me of of at least one fith of my stack if I call and don't improve, as well as Ace-King, Ace-Queen, and King-Queen, hands that will give me hell if he catches. I am convinced that only a fish would call this raise. If think I an beaten I have to fold. If I belive I am still ahead and this guy is pulling some ish he saw on GSN I must raise.

I conclude that my fish bait was still good so I put the rest of my stack in. He folds his hand as if it is poison.

Does anybody find my play foolish or it was appropiate for this situatuion?

[kuro]

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you played this very very poorly.

First of all, forget about going with your reads on people right now. You just don't have the experience to know how strong a hand is when someone raises. Instead focus on playing ABC poker, betting patterns, and try to classify your opponents as loose or tight and aggressive or passive.
Your thought process for your hand should be something like this.

It's early so I don't have any reads on these players, but it's a 100 dollar buyin so obviously there are a lot of people playing that don't know much about poker. I've got 5000 chips and the blinds are 25/50 so I'm very deep stacked.

I've got JJ on the button and the CO raised to 150 which is 3xbb (a very standard raise). CO range of hands that he's raising is probably something like 66-AA,AK-AT,KQ-KT,Axs, and suited connector. JJ is ahead of most of the hands in that range. I can either re-raise to 550ish and if villain doesn't have a premium hand I'll take down the pot and if villain has a premium hand or bluffs and re-re-raises I will fold because there is too strong a chance that I'm up against a bigger pair. If I re-raise and get smooth called then I'll play the flop. My other option would be to smooth call and see the flop with position hoping to extract more chips from the villain on a favorable flop.

So I opted to smooth call and then BB reraises to 500 and CO folds. BB's range is probably something like AA-99,AK,AQ,AJs or it's a guy betting with a very marginal hand. So my options are to call with position and see a flop or to make it about 1800 to go and fold to a push because JJ isn't AA/KK. I really don't want to risk so much of my stack and have to fold if villain pushes over the top of me especially when I don't have a clue if this guy is a complete maniac or the tightest guy on earth. It would be a bad idea for me to push all-in because I'd be risking 4850 to win 850 chips and the only hands that are calling me ) are AA-QQ/AK/AQ in which case I'm dominated or flipping a coin and I'm preventing myself from extracting more chips from hands that I'm ahead of. Folding would be a bad option because I have a premium hand, position, and a deep stack. JJ is a nice hand, but it's not AA/KK so rather than come over the top of this guy, I'll keep the pot small and call and play the flop.

[PokerMatt]

I basically agree with what the previous poster said. Especially with the structure in this tournament, because the blinds move up so fast. At this early point you are fairly deep stacked, but the blinds move up every 20 minutes and the third level is already at 100/200 with 25 antes. A reraise might have taken the pot, and you could've either folded if BB pushed or you would've been able to see what the flop brings and have good position to boot.

On another note, were you playing in the 100+20 tourney on Saturday? I entered the tourney that started at 10:15. It was my first time playing a tourney at the Taj (I've played at the Borgata and Trop). I found the competition to be suprisingly weak; I figured the players would have some level of competence but at least half were pretty poor or weak-tight. I was amazed at how many pots I was able to steal. The structure of the tournament seemed to reward very aggressive play from what I noticed.

[RoyalLance]

I played the Sunday 100+20 at 10:15. And yes the players seemed to be very passive.