So tonight I played a live tournament, and got beat really early. Any advice to improve my future strategy would be greatly appreciated!

20 minutes into a live tournament I have just picked up a couple pots without showdown in a row, so I seem to be the aggressor. My stack, along with most everybody's, is relatively close to the 3500 starting stack. I look up from my JJ to see a woman raise the 50 blind to 200. Although I haven't seen much of her play yet, I have begun to classify her as a weak, conservative player (already made a couple bad value plays). I raise to 600 at the cutoff to isolate and possibly take the pot down, and she calls. Flop comes Ac Jc 9c, and she bets 500 at the now 1375 pot. I raise 1000 (thinking that being conservative she probably called with AxKc at best, as she wouldn't have called my reraise without an Ace, so she's not suited clubs) and after some thought she calls.
She checks on the 8h turn, and I bet 1000 (of my now 1650 stack) which she again reluctantly calls. River is 6s, and she checks (commenting "Well, whatever I bet he'll raise, so I check.") I of course throw the last of my 650 in the pot (she had 900 left at this point, so had me covered) ready to double up. She again takes her time calling, pondering aloud if I have the clubs. She finally calls and turns over AhAd. This was the only hand I could have put her on with her preflop play that would have beat mine, so I couldn't fold thinking she actually had it.

Now I, with several cashes in this same weekly tournament, look like an amateur walking away right before the first round is up! What could I have done differently to get her to fold, or realize that I was beaten? Is there anything, or did I make the right play and just happen to run into the wrong hand? Thanks in advance everyone!

I don't think so as gross as it is. I'd ship turn though, leaving behind 650 is just silly.

Why do you look like an amateur? Because you busted early in a set over set confrontation? And how do you classify someone 20 minutes into a live tournament; what's that like three or four hands?

Personally, I just ship the flop over her weak lead, this gives you the best chance to chase down a made flush, and also might push her off a flush draw, which your flop raise isn't going to do. I mean you're never folding the flop if she pushes all-in so why not just do it yourself? the bets only 2400 into 1900 so its not a crazy overbet.

The way you played the hand you committed yourself anyway, so just get the money in on the flop, hell she may just fold those Aces there (doubtful, but I've seen crazier shit).

Yeah, I was sitting there trying to sucker her in for more money cuz I was too excited about my set. I knew I should have bet more to get her off a flush draw if she did have it. I figure shoving on the flop is the only chance I have of getting her to fold, and since she considered folding every other step of the way, I honestly think she might have. She was very scared of the flush. Oh well.. It was probably 10 or 12 hands in, because of only 7 people at the table, and I was meaning that I look like an amateur to the players at the other tables that didn't see the hand. Oh well, in tournaments, in order to live you have to be willing to die.

Interesting she didn't push back PF with AA. I certainly would have. tough break, you were going broke there most likely, or put your opponent on a flush and get away from the hand (which is more likely what I woulda done on the flop)

Like I said, I'd already had an inkling that she was a weak conservative player (not quite a rock, but along those lines...), so she wasn't going to pushing at me. If she does push back at me on the flop, I abandon my read of her hand and figure she has the clubs already, getting off my hand. On the flop, however, I had a good feeling she wouldn't have raised and called a reraise with KcQc, or anything else suited worse. If she was suited, it was with an ace, so obviously it wasn't suited clubs. I figured her on a pocket or A with maybe a club to draw at. Does this seem logical considering her play? Or should I have been thinking differently than that with a weaker player?

Like Steve said, its basically impossible to read someone after 20 minutes of live play. You're read after 20 mins wasn't bad. If it was me honestly, I woulda checked it down, considering we were 20 mins into the tournament, why bust? lol You wanna make moves when optimal, and Middle set with a possible flush out there isn't so great. Its never a great ideo to be involved in the big pots unless you got the absolute nuts!

Well, she wasn't checking down with a set of Aces with three clubs on board. I felt confident enough in my read because she had already shown down probably 3 of the 6 or so hands she had already played. She saw too many flops (weak play) but folded great pot odds once, and didn't bet good value when she had a hand (conservative?). I probably shouldn't have gone in this early, but with 3500 to start, and blinds being at 200-400 within two more rounds, I saw this as an easy way to accumulate chips while I had a good hand so that I could sit tight when I didn't have hands. So you think I should have just called her bets (probably losing half my stack?) or fold because of the flush? Trust me, I am open to instruction, as I didn't really like having lost that quick, would rather it not happen again.

Honestly, as soon as she said what she did...I felt she was slow rolling you. In the beginning, she could have easily had AK with that club as you thought but the way she said "if I bet, he'll raise so I check" kinda put me off as a warning sign. The question is why would she say that? At that point, I would have agreed with everyone and checked after she did and have her show you the winning hand.

At that point? I have 600 chips of 3000. I don't see the point of not throwing it in on the river.