Overaggressive or bad beat?

[monte]

Last night I played two similar hands. The game was short-handed with 5 players at a home game, loose starting requirements. I had a comfortable chip lead (up $40 in $25 buyin). First hand, in the BB, Hero looks at K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and limp in, all limp, 5 callers. Flop: K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Hero bet three dollars. UTG calls, Button folds, SB folds. At this point I put UTG on a king medium kicker, possibly two pair. Turn:6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Hero goes all-in. UTG calls. UTG doubles up his $25 and shows pocket 44.

Second hand, Hero looks at A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] in the BB. UTG limps, Button limps, SB limps, Hero raises $3, Button calls, others fold. Flop: A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Button is a loose aggressive player who can call some marginal hands with a chip lead, but is also capable of making good folds. Hero goes all-in for around $25, Button calls. Button shows Pocket 66. Hero can't believe it [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img].

My questions are whether I would have been better off to wait before going all-in to get an additional read of my opponent's hand in that situation? Bad Position? Could I have folded these hands with nothing showing on the board and playing short-handed if my opponent bet all-in after checking to him? I think that I either got a little too trigger happy leading the betting and put the blinders on or my fate was sealed by the flop. Any advice or comments are welcome.

[Zele]

I think you'd be better off posting this in the Tournament forum.