Losing a huge pot

My normal cash game of preference is $1/$2 no limt hold 'em. I was playing at one of my local casinos where the norm for players is to buy in for the $40 minimum. I bought in for my normal $200 and was up to $600 after winning a couple of big pots that were coin flips on the flop (K-K vs. Ace & open end straight draw; top two vs. flush and straight draw). At one point I had more cash than the rest of the table combined. The player to my right then went on a nice run and got his stack up to a little bit over $500 and had busted a couple of players in the process. We were now playing 5 handed. It is rare that two players will have such large stacks at this casino. Most players just lose $40 or $100 at a time and people play crazy enough that if you are up big, you usually take your money and run.

After a limp, the $500 stack player raises to $17. I'm on the button and look down to see A-A. I reraised to $50. Everyone folds and the initial raiser calls. The flop comes Q-8-4 rainbow. My opponent checks and I lead out for $60. I get check raised to $260. I now have to think this one over. I know my opponent isn't calling $50 pre-flop without a hand. I quickly eliminate 8-8 and 4-4 as those hands are not good enough for this opponent to call $50 pre-flop after getting reraised. A-A, K-K and Q-Q are likely hands for him to hold and there is even a chance he may be holding A-Q and put me on a hand like J-J pre-flop. My initial read pre-flop was that my opponent held K-K. I figured if I bet all-in on the flop he would fold. I was also thinking that there was a small chance that he held the other two aces. Of course, if he holds Q-Q, I'm in horrible shape.

I was thinking for at least 3 or 4 minutes on this hand. I was also trying to figure out why my opponent walked away from the table after rasing me the $200. The initial limper called the clock on me which I thought wasn't too kind as this was a huge decision. I obviously couldn't flat call the $200. I was either folding or going all in. Well, as the title of this entry suggests, I pushed all in. I was going with my initial read of K-K for my opponent. He had Q-Q and I didn't spike and ace on the turn and river and he won a pot for a little over $1,000. I took the beat in stride as that was mostly profit for the session. Losing big pots hurts a bit more when you lose "your money" as opposed to losing "their money".

Ironically after that hand, I get paid off when I made top boat against the sucker boat. I picked up A-A two more times but got little action on the hands. I then doubled up again when I turned the ace high flush against a flopped king high flush. I ended the session up about $150, but it coudl have been much more. That's poker.