I was playing a STT at my local casino and have a question about my last hand and how I played it. I'm dealt QQ UTG +1 and we are 7 handed. Blinds are 25-50 with starting stacks of 5k. I have 4.25k and I believe I was the effective stack. Folds to me and I raise to 125. SB calls and BB 3-bets to 500. I call and so does the SB. Pot = 1,750. Flop comes T-J-7 with two clubs. SB checks, BB bets 600 and I raise to 2k. SB jams, BB folds and I make an unhappy call. SB flips over 89 suited for the straight and it bricks.

I have been beating myself up for not 4-betting preflop. I may be giving up on poker because of the frustration and lack of skill that it feels I have, even though I have been working really hard on it for some time now. I can't tell if this is a cooler or if it was just played very poorly. What do you think about the hand? Go easy on me but I would like to hear opinions please.

Live, I tend 3x rather than pissing about 2.25/2.5xing. I think you got really unlucky here. I actually don't mind the call but given the stack sizes, I think I'd go for a 4bet jam here.

On that flop, I'd be inclined just to call and evaluate. It's a pretty connected board and you have two queens, taking away combos like QJ, KQ, AQ, QT, Q9 which could all take a flop and all bluff at this. The jam from the SB says two pair + to me but after your raise, you obviously have to call it off.

Unlucky though, don't beat yourself up - learn from these situations and get better.

Don't raise the flop. Your hand is not very strong, given the situation and the board texture. You'll often just be value-cutting yourself, when calling keeps in the worse hands and allows you to play the turn in position, where more information will be available to you.

You should've re-raised pre-flop. BB didn't raise you by much. Ace-crap I'm guessing.

Seeing SB limp in pre-flop, and then check-raising on the flop going all-in should've raised some alarm bells. You knew though. It happens.

When you flat QQ preflop you're trying to keep in hands like JJ or TT. What hand do you think anyone can have on this flop that happily gets the money in that you beat?

I don't think I'm folding otf but you have grievously misplayed the hand so there's no point dwelling of whether or not you got coolered. Make your poker life easy and 4bet pre in these spots. Don't raise on this flop. Sb's range should be super wide and this is exactly the sort of flop that will connect well.