Howdy, Yall. First post for me, but I have been lurking for a while. I have been playing for about 4 years now and I am really trying to push my game to the next level. I think a major weakness of mine is playing too tight, especially later in the rounds. I simply get blinded to death unless I catch a couple hands. Anyway, I was playing in a little home SNG, 30 bucks gets you a 2250 in chips, 1-3rd pays. It was down to 4 players, I was solidly in 3rd position. I was on the button with about 2200 in chips. Blinds are up there - 100 / 200. Here is the hand:

I get TJo, I call the blind for 200. Everyone limps. 800 in the pot.

Flop comes - Ko Jo To - Rainbow, suits not important

SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets 200. This guy is VERY new to the game. Could have any two cards. Simply bets what he sees. Zero trickery. I put him on K crap, maybe a Q, maybe AJ. He has me outchipped 2.5 to 1. I really want to isolate this guy and knock out any draws. So, I raise it to 1000 (half my stack and the size of the pot).

Everyone folds to him, he thinks for a second a calls. OK. Now I am convinced he has K crap.

Turn is a blank. He checks. I move all-in. I figure if he wants to push his Kcrap, fine, but at least I get to double-up. If he is on a draw, fine, but it will cost him. Well, he calls me.

But, he had a MUCH better had than I gave him credit for -- KJ for higher two pair!!

Given the title, I will save the drama, I busted out.

River is a Queen.

Man was I drawing thin. I NEVER gave him credit for that hand, but then again, as Daniel has said before - it is hard to read someone, when even they do not know what they are looking at!

Question #1 - anyone not go broke on this hand? How would you play it differently.

Question #2 - if he was on a open ended straight draw, would he have been correct to call my all in bet wince the pot was giving laying him 4 to 1 on his 1000 chip call on the river?

Thanks in advance!

That's a pretty tough hand.

-I'm not sure I love the button limp with J10, cards that are often dominated and in this case not even suited

-Flop raise looks good. I would consider moving all-in at that point.

-He outplayed you on the turn. You're read was off, and that's basically it. Based on your read, I probably would have lost all my money there, too.

But I suck at NL, so don't listen to me...

IMHO the smooth call on the flop would start alarm bells ringing in my head and I would almost certainly slow down. However, with the small amount of blinds you have left I would probably go broke as well.

if this guy has chips and is in the final 4, I think your assessment of him may be off. I am also new to posting, but i find that underestimating oponents to be an easy mistake to make.

That being said, it is very hard to get away from bottom 2 pair when you are that short stacked. And it is a 4 handed game. You are looking for this kind of opportunity to either double up or go home. You are correct in saying that waiting for the nuts will blind you to death.

That board spells trouble for J10 - you have bottom two pair but hands like KJ and K10 are in the mix as well as straight draws.

UTG bets 200 - that would throw me off as he's basically letting his opponents draw to the straight - I'd be protecting my hand if I had KJ or K10 so I wouldn't put him on top two pair. Kx or a straight draw would be my guess.

I go broke like you did - tough break.

Thanks guys. Good to know I am not alone in how I played it. In retrospect, I should have sat on my hands until the other guy busted out. He only had about 2BBs left.

But, once I saw the flop, I was going broke. No way to get away from it.

I wouldn't have limped, but that flop, against the player you discribed is hard to get away from.

with someone that low about 400 chips you said...you simply can't call with that garbage preflop. wait for a premium hand, or for him to go out (whichever comes first) and with that stack, you're only move preflop is raise or fold (lest you're BB) no limping!

Agreed - no limping in that spot with that hand.

Funny thing happened the next night. Very similar circumstances, much different result -

Me - Chip leader, but by a narrow margin. Down to three players. Top two spots pay. I get J9o in the BB. Button folds (he is short stacked) and the SB makes it 3x BB to go. This player is #2 in chips, is only around due to a major suckout where he doubled up against AA. He has been complaining about crappy cards all night and is frustrated at me for stealing his blinds relentlessly. His raise feels like a weak steal to me. So, I call the 2BBs and here comes the flop -

Qo Jo 9o - Deja vu.... Bottom two pair on a scary board

He looks at the board for about 2 seconds and pushes all in. Jeez! Now what! How can I get away from this one! I have him covered, by maybe 25%. I will not be out, but I will be hurting. I ask him to count it down after which, he hunches over the table in a very rigid way. Simply looks uncomfortable. I tell him that I dont think I can get away from the hand and he leans back in a very non-convincing way says "let's go" and kind of waves his hand at the pot. At this point I realize, he does not have the straight. I figure him for KQ or AQ. I call - he flips over K7o for a semi-bluff / bluff!

I held up and he was out. I won the tourney shortly thereafter, but I just thought it was interesting that I had the same basic thing happen two nights in a row!