[Pokey]

Hand #1: an extremely expensive choice. The only time you get called here is when you're on the draw. Granted, you've got many outs left -- certainly 9 of them, possibly 12 and rarely 15. Let's say that on average you've got about 10 outs when you're called. That means that you'll be about 40% likely to have the best hand by the river. The guy that you're check-raising made a huge flop bet -- it doesn't seem infinitely likely he's going to walk away here. I'm just not sure I like this play.

I vastly prefer leading out with a bet of t150-t200 here. If someone wants to raise you, more power to 'em, and you can play it from there. The check-raise just seems to risk all your chips when you're probably going to get called, and when you're probably on the draw.

Hand #2: I don't like this preflop raise (unless you had some specific reads) and I REALLY don't like the preflop call. You're going to play 85s heads-up against a preflop REraiser? Why?? Your steal failed; let it go and move on.

Your flop check-raise makes more sense here, since your opponent has the aggression, but I'd say you can get the same folding equity without risking so many chips. Remember that at the time you had absolutely nothing but hope: if you get called, you're in an even worse situation than you were in with hand #1. Unless you have some very specific read on the villain, I'm not making this play. If you must let your spurs a jingle-jangle-jingle, try doing so with a t400 raise. It's going to be a much more believable representation of a K. Someone with a dominant hand here isn't pushing all-in, and a thinking opponent is going to smell bluff or semi-bluff and call with something decent.