Did I Misplay This - Final 4, $50+5, $50,000 Guarantee Bodog Tourney

[imago]

We're down to four players, out of 711, when the following hand came up.

I am the BB and chip leader with 824K, UTG has 306K, BTN has 420K and SB has 583K. Blinds are 20K/40K, 4K antes.
Pot is 76K pre-flop.

UTG: folds
BTN: calls
SB: completes blind
BB: checks with A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] - 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Pot is 136K

Flop: A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

My thinking: This pot is mine! Neither of the other players in the hand has shown any strength. I have flopped top two pair. My kicker is irrelevent. Only four cards can hurt me and it's almost 11 to 1 against either of my opponents having one of them. I'm taking this pot now!!

SB: checks
BB: bets 454K
UTG: all-in with 420K
SB: calls

Pot is 1.464M

Turn: 7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

SB: all-in with remaining 129K
BB: calls

Pot is 1.722M

BTN: shows A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] - 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
SB: shows J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] - 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
BB: shows A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] - 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

River: 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Ouch!!! How could I have averted this - could I have averted this?

Should I have raised pre-flop?
Should I have made a more modest bet on the flop or checked it?
Should I have folded when the SB put his remaining chips in?
I would have still had 306K if I had.

What would any of you have done differently?

I had played a really beautiful tournament to that point.

Thanks,
imago

[jrforman]

This is terrible IMO. Make a bet on the flop, 80,000ish should be good to either take down the pot or find out where your at. Clearly had you done this, Button would have called and SB would have pushed and you could have gotten away from this hand.

[AragornX151]

Your hand is nowhere near strong enough to inspire such confidence against two opponents. I'd bet out on flop. When both players stay in, you have the quickest fold in the world.

[imago]

Thanks for the input folks. I posted this on Cardplayer also and got some really sound advice there too - as well as some very nasty replies - so thanks also for not beating me up.
I had been playing for close to 6 and a half hours and I'm not ashamed to have busted out in 3rd. I did cash for
$4,600.00 and this was my first money tourney since 8/06.

thanks again,
-imago

[ghostwriter]

Isn't this a pretty easy push pf?

[Dazza1984]

bet half pot on flop. After that you know where you stand

[holdemft]

4 handed, having an A is strong, but you're only playing one card as anyone else with an A has you outkicked. I like to have A8 or higher before getting too attached. (Just my style) I would have checked PF, and made a probe bet around 50K if I felt like making a stab at the pot (and probably would have folding to a reraise). But, I probably would have checked the flop, to be honest. Too passive? probably why I don't play A2 very often. Coming about with 4x overbet was definitely a bad play. If you're expecting everyone to fold, betting the pot would have achieved the same result, and been alot cheaper in the event you're up against a monster and you get reraised or called(which you were)

Congrats on your 3rd place finish!