if you hate bad beat stories, skip this one

If you always won with pocket Aces, the game wouldn't be nearly so much fun.
Though, when you seem to keep losing with them, the game can be very painful.
In early position, I opened the action with a raise with A,K (holding the king of clubs).
A middle position player cold-called, and we took the flop heads-up.
The flop came Ace of clubs, a red jack, 8 of clubs.
I bet, he raised, I three bet. He called.
The turn was the four of clubs, I bet, he called.
The river was the 10 of spades. I bet, he raised!
With more then $200 in the pot, I was getting more than 10 to 1 on my call, making it the right play to throw in the bet.
He showed Ace, ten. He made two pair on the river.
I had feared that he may have flopped two pair, which was one reason why I three-bet the flop. I wanted him to define his hand early if that was the case.
When the third club hit on the turn, I picked up the nut flush draw to go with top pair, top kicker.
My opponent cold-called pre-flop with Ace, ten (suited, of course). He had been at the same table with me for an hour, and this was the first hand I had raised pre-flop, from any position, which should have set off some warning bells.

He raised the flop and called a re-raise on the flop with a dominated kicker (I can understand the raise, if he put me on KK; calling a re-raise in such a situation is questionable).
On the turn, with three clubs on the board, he called my bet, even though he held red cards.
On the river, he caught one of only two outs that made him a winner (the ten of clubs would make me the flush).

I hate his pre-flop call. Ace, ten suited is the kind of hand you'd like to play in late position, with a big field, and for one bet. It's not a strong hand to play in a raised, heads-up pot.

I like the raise on the flop; find out where you are on the cheap street. When you get re-raised, you know you're beat. You can call the bet, planning to fold the turn if you don't improve.

I hate the call on turn. It's clear you're beat, and that your outs may be tainted (as was the case here, if the ten of clubs hits). While most players would blindly call with top pair, ten kicker, this is a pretty clear fold. Also, even if Ace, ten is leading, there are 3 clubs on the board, and you don't have a club. Even if your opponent is bluffing, if he has a club, you're very vulnerable.

The raise on the river is a good value move; since he's called along this far, raising after hitting his card makes sense. However, a pre-flop raiser could have held KQ, suited in clubs for a flush, or unsuited for a straight, or JJ or AA for a flopped set, making this a risk.

I've sucked out on opponents. And this won't be the last time someone sucks out on me. I was a little annoyed that he was proud of himself for his good play, but pretty confident that such false pride would help the chips find their way back into my bankroll before long.

In retrospect, I should have checked the river. If a total blank had come, betting out makes more sense. If I put a pre-flop cold-caller on a range of hands, I would include: AQ; AJ; AT; Axs; KQ; pocket pairs. AQ would call on the end, while every other hand would either beat me or fold.