Huh, you guys make good points. Perhaps the play was not as strong as I thought; as I said, the reaction of the table was one of genuine surprise. One guy said “who plays fours?” (I thought at that “A guy who knows sets pay off” but I didn’t say it, lessons are extra) and another said “Geez, it sure looked like a safe board.”
Still, it’s hard for a guy to lay down AAA-K.
SenorBeef, my habit of referring to an initial bet as a “raise” is a linguistic tic I absolutely cannot seem to shake. I do that all the time, and I don’t know why, because I’ve become very picky about poker terminology. If someone refers to trips as a “set” I have to bite my tongue to not correct them. But that bet/raise thing, I just cannot get rid of. I make that mistake probably once or twice every session I play, too.
“Raise $50.”
“Don’t you mean bet?”
“Yeah, I do, just take my chips, guys.”