My biggest flaw

[TightInn]

I have a bad flaw that I repeat .. a lot. It usually is what turns a great day into a subpar one. Here's the hand:
6 handed and I have a good read on most of the players. I'm trying to chill out on my "raise or fold" plan that I usually use that probably gets me out of trouble at the expense of some profits and predictability.

Blinds are 2/4, I hold $500 and Villian holds $300..
I am in second position after the blinds.and I hold A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I make it 20 total. I had been stealing some pots and so I wasn't sure if the players would respect that bet. Villian reraises another 30 from the BB. I think he has a solid hand and it is probably a pair of TT - AA or AKs or something. I think about raising and decide that he is probably then going all in and then I consider folding. Then I finally decide I'll call and see if I hit on the flop and try to figure out his hand from there.

Flop is Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. He checks and I check behind him. Next card is a 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], giving me the nut flush draw.

Pot at this point is about 115. The villian bets 85 or so and here is where I blunder. My thinking is that if I make my flush, I'm not really going to get paid off too much with the board having 4 hearts, so I have poor implied odds. Well, I also have poor pot odds, but it is going to suck to lay down AK with two overcards and a draw to a flush, but I know I probably should.

So, what do I do? Push all-in. I didn't think much about his hand but just figured, "what the hell .. it's a lot more chips to call and he might fold something really strong if I push, or he may call and lose to my draw!" Well, he called without much hesitation (he's a good player and told me what I was doing before I flipped my cards) showing a set of Tens. I lose $300 on the hand.

This by itself is what always costs me the most money -- the way over the top all-in when I think the other person probably has a strong hand and I know I can't call his bet, but I don't want to fold.

[Kaz The Original]

Probably should be posted in psychology. You know you shouldn't do it, but you did.

[FourKing Hell]

I can see the merit in raising. Heck, it would scare me off of any overpair and possibly even a set, since I wouldn't get pot odds to call a flush. Depends on how sure I'd be you had the flush. You happened to catch your opponent holding the best possible hand he could have, and that would still be a tough fold. Don't let the results influence your opinion of the play you made.

HOWEVER.. I don't like your preflop call AT ALL. If you think he has TT-AA or AK, how much do you expect to make holding AK yourself? What boards would you confidently be able to bet through to the river? If I raised the pot or more preflop and the player seems to be solid (and I need pretty convincing evidence to believe otherwise), it's my policy to muck AK to a significant reraise, and only call with a pair if I could resort to playing it for set value. If I was confident to be facing TT-AA, AK I'd play Kings, but most people online play fairly passively, and QQ/AA, maybe AK or even just KK/AA are more common among 'good' players. Or so it seems to me at least, for what it's worth...

[NPoling]

I really don't like his check on the flop. There are two dangerous draws out there, and while the straight draw isn't a likely scenario with his strong raise, if he knows that you've been making some loose plays he should not be giving you a free card.