How to place BB on a hand?

When playing tourneys i like to see some cheap flops on marginal hands while the blinds are still low. I know i most often could push out the Blinds by raising, but then the flop wont be so cheap, and thats kinda the whole point.

Just today i was playing a 3$ sng, very first hand i am dealt a-10, late positioning. Its a 5-way pot and i just call. Flop comes 4-7-10 rainbow and everyone checks to me, so i raise bout ½ pot, everyone folds but BB who calls. Turn comes 2, BB checks and i raise again. He then goes all-in.

I am now sitting with top pair, top kicker and had no idea what i was up against. Kinda doubted it was a high pair since he did not raise in a 5 way pot pre-flop.

I would post hand-history but dont have it on this here pc, but any advice would be appriciated

AT is not a hand you want to see a cheap flop with. Depending on a bunch of different factors you should either be raising or folding most of the time. Whether you stack here with TPTK is dependent on stack sizes and other information that you don't give here.

Quick reply Zach

first hand, so stack was 2000 all around. BB 20/40. I did not know any of these guys.

My betting pattern varies alot pending my feel of the table and general mood. But thats not so much the problem as to put BB on hands. Perhaps only way around it is to raise pre-flop.

A-10 on a multi-way pot in position is auto-reraise for me. Yes, it's not the "best" hand, but you may push out one or two with a standard 3x to 4x bet.

As for your hand referenced, without suits, I couldn't tell you if the BB was on a straight draw with 3-5, 5-6, or 8-9, or if there was a flush draw in the works. Based upon limp, 1/2 pot, check-push, I would say he's got 8-9 going for the OESD and trying to bully you off the pot. Alternatively, he could have pocket Jacks and trying to buy the pot so you don't hit something bigger on the river.

More info needed. Is this a freeroll (I'm insta-calling here) or a real-money tournament?

As it was he had 4-7 flopping 2 pairs. I paid him off and felt like i should be up for the donkey of the year award

Come on ray, the suspense is killing me. What did you do ? Should I assume you folded since you asked what could he have had. Sounds like a bluff (or semi to me). How did he play the rest of the tourny ? I would have probably folded there (he could suck out on you, or possibly but unlikely have you beat) and watched his style and if he was buying pots, trapped him later and get all my chips back and more from him.

I would have to say he was probably holding 2 pair on the flop, or it is possible he wanted to push you out of the hand on a str8 draw. I would put my money on the 2 pair though. That seems to be the best possible hand for me. I think you should have raised that one preflop.

He had flopped 2 pairs (4's and 7s) and in my infinite poker wisdom i decided on calling

your last post came up right after I finished my posting. I supose that is the down side of not raising preflop there. As I had posted, I didnt think that would have been a good call,because you are risking your tournament based on very little info. The limping hands could have, like they did, hit that low board. But I must admit that would have been a difficult hand to lay down.

Raise or fold preflop would be my advice. I'd lean toward a raise......