Wait...I just got check-raised?

So I made a blunder on Tuesday night that almost caused me to be eliminated very early in a live tournament. I was able to grind my short stack all the way to third place, but results aside, I made a really bad and seemingly obvious call in the second level.

Blinds are 50/100 and I still have around the starting stack of 5,500. I haven't played a pot yet, but most of these players aren't really paying attention to anything other than their cards anyway.

So an older gentleman, probably in his late 60s or even older limps in early position and 2 other people limp behind. So far, the older guy has shown to be a calling station. I'm on the button and look down at AQ. I'm sometimes torn as to what the best play in this situation is. I hate limping when I know I'm ahead, but I know that raising can bloat the pot with a bunch of loose limpers at early levels of a tournament. In this case, part of my instinct said to call, but I decided to raise because the tournament only had 20 minute blinds and I couldn't wait forever to accumulate chips. Knowing that I had several limpers behind, I made it 600. Everyone calls!!!

I suppose I could have made it 700 so that it wasn't as easy as just throwing out a single 500 chip to call. But either way, now I have 3 callers and a 2,550 pot. The flop is 2Q9 with two hearts. Old guy postures as if he's going to bet and then checks and everyone else checks. With the possible draws out there, I decide to bet 1,700 and the old guy shoves all in for about 2,800 more. UGHHHH!!!

I honestly think that looking back, this is an easy fold. Old calling stations, don't check-raise on a bluff. I put him on Q9 or 22 since I think he raises 99 pre-flop, but that is not unlikely either. My gut said Q9. He then started talking about wanting me to put my chips in there. Again...RED FLAG. But...the more I thought about it, I convinced myself that his table talk was trying to act strong and really wanting me to fold. But WAIT...I just got check-raised!

I think that sometimes it's easy to forget that the raise itself was a check-raise, which shows a lot of strength from an older player. Not that they aren't capable of check-raising on a semi-bluff, but it's not as likely. Plus, there were 2 other people in the hand left to act. He's not bluffing. He's also not doing this with a hand that I beat like KQ or QJ. He has either Q9, 22 or 99 only. FOLD!

But I talked myself into calling for some reason and I was right...Q9. I got knocked down to 750 chips. Luckily I snapped out of it and played great short-stack poker after that and took 3rd.