Afraid to put me foot down.

[EnderW27]

I'm blasting myself for what I did during a hand. It's what I normally do...make a read and then refuse to have the balls to follow through with it.

Third hand of the SNG, I'm on the button and I limp in with 3 other people and the two blinds with KJo.

Flop comes down K-7-4, two diamonds. Checked to me and I bet pot (75).
Folded all the way around to the guy on my right. He check raises me for 225.

This smells so fishy. I mean, buzzers were going off in my head about how much of a bluff this must be. What could he possibly have that with one single person left to act in an unraised pot, he'd check to them hoping they'd bet?
And even if he thought it possible I would bet, what could he possibly have worth check raising on that flop? K-7? K-4? A set he'd slowplay, even with two diamonds on the board?

It was fishy. But I decided to call to see what he'd do on the turn.
Turn came, a queen offsuit. pot is ~500. He pushed for about that amount.

So now it's a decision for my stack. Do I still think he's bluffing? Would he fire twice on a bluff? What do I think he has?

I folded. I wasn't going to risk going out on the third hand of the tournament if he actually had a hand, and considering I had no idea how he played, he may very well have one.

Nope. He shows QJ and he bluffed the flop practically drawing dead to me.

God, it was such a lousy bluff...but it worked. It worked because I was too afraid to go with my "wtf kind of check raise is this?!?" read and call him down.
I suppose I got the last laugh, going on to win the SNG, but it's a pyrric victory for me when I know not being able to trust my reads is such a huge leak in my game, it could (and has) cost me money.

[MrX]

I probably fold to the check raise here, unless I am so convinced that he is bluffing that I am willing to push my chips in on the flop. This would usually require a nice read on the opponent, so probably unlikely. The reason I fold is that there is virtually no card that could come on the turn that I am going to feel comfortable enough with to commit all my chips. ALso, because so many times that I have seen this play the villian pushes on the turn which I am not too excited to call, although I would if the turn happened to make me trips or two pair (which I am always afraid is still beaten).

My line on this guy was one of 2 hands:

1. He thought you were bluffing and tried to buy the pot. If you feel super confident about this line pop him back.

2. He had a strong made hand and thought your bet meant a flush draw and he wanted to make you pay some more with his set. People just love to check that set.

Unless I have a very strong hand I have regretted calling most check raises, although your nose was right here IMO your call was wrong. You are obviously a strong enough player to win these, and that extra 150 chips you called was probably about 20% of your stack, a healty portion of your chips. I think your play once he check raises is fold or push, calling 20% of your stack with no monster "out" which could fall is hemorrhaging chips IMO.

MrX