Poker blog - pocket Kings

Playing at local SoCal cardroom this past weekend. $5-$10 no limit $1500 max buy in. I bought in for $1k.

Immediately I built my stack from $1000 to $3000. Then I built it from $3000 to $5000. I was dominating the game. Never risking all my chips, and never playing big pots unless I had the best hand. But I was bluffing a good amount. That's why I kept getting paid off when I made a big hand.

That's when this hand unfolded.
Second to act, I look down at two red Kings. Dorky old bald Persian with huge belly, first to act, calls $10. Playing tricky, and with so many players after me, I just call the $10 instead of raising.

Five other dudes call. Damn! The sixth dude on the button raises to $45. Whew! I needed that! Now I can reraise big and take it down. It will be an easy $100 profit with no risk. Thats what I like, winning with minimal risk.

Old guy in the big blind who looks just like my grandpa calls the $45. Rolly poly Persian on my right re-reraises to $255. Wow! What a big raise!
Great!

He's got a big stack of about $2500. Should I reraise again and take his $255 and the rest of the pot, or go for his whole stack? I'm sure he doesn't have Aces -- I'm sure I have the best hand. I smooth call the $255. Trying to look like I have AK. If the flop comes something like 5-5-5 or 2-3-2 and he has QQ or JJ, I will take his whole stack, and he won't see it coming.

Everyone else folds. But now old grandpa dude acts! He calls $255!?! Did not expect him to join the party!
Now there is $800 in the pot!

Flop comes J-5-2 (two cards are spades)

Thats a pretty good flop. But there is definitely a chance one of these guys has JJ. Im last to act, which is great. Old grandpa dude is first, and he shoves all-in $950! WTF!!?

Wow, what a bet. Especially because he hasn't even seen what me or Rolly Poly Persian will do.

Rolly Poly hems and haws....and finally folds. Now I have a decision.
What does he have????

JJ is definitely a possibilty. AK of spades is possible. AJ is very possible. Thats the only three scenarios I thought were possible. I should have considered one more: QQ.

I thought for a long time. If I called the pot would be huuuuge....about $2800 bucks.
I finally decided to call.

The old coot did indeed have QQ. He turned it over right away. I was so happy to see that. I was 87.5% favored to win.

The next card was 3 of spades, final card was 8 of spades.

He made a Queen high flush.

I let out a loud crying yelp NOOOOOOOOO and threw my cards in the muck.

That was a really hard bad-beat to cope with. I was shell-shocked for about an hour. I kept looking over at his $3000 dollar stack thinking that it should have been mine.

I recouped later and went on to win a couple Gs, so it ended up being a good session overall. But it still stings losing that hand.

End.