How's my play on this BIG SLICK?

[h_ven]

2nd orbit around, don't know to much about my opponent.



Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $4 BB (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP1 ($332.90)
MP2 ($267.10)
MP3 ($1272.20)
<font color="C00000">Hero ($239)</font>
Button ($164)
SB ($639.80)
BB ($120)
UTG ($555.40)
<font color="C00000">UTG+1 ($1654.80)</font>

Preflop: Hero is CO with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG folds, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 raises to $8</font>, MP1 calls $8, MP2 folds, MP3 calls $8, Hero calls $8, Button folds, SB calls $6, BB folds.

Flop: ($44) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets $40</font>, MP1 folds, MP3 folds, Hero calls $40, SB folds.

Turn: ($124) Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
UTG+1 checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $50</font>, UTG+1 calls $50.

River: ($224) Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
UTG+1 checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: $224
<font color="green">Main Pot: $224, between Hero and UTG+1.</font>

[SkippingGoat]

I generally don't reraise AK preflop but since you're suited, the initial raise was only a minraise, and you already have 3 players in front of you and probably at least one behind, I think it makes sense to bump this to ~$24 to get this heads up or threeway (and probably shutting out the button in the process).

The flop is good for you but not ideal. You're beat by AA,KK,KJ,JJ and your beating KQ,QQ,AQ,AT,JT. The $40 bet on the flop could mean anything. Normally I don't like a call here. I'd typically raise it as the likely best hand. I'd fold to a push. The fact that the pot is so large at this point could make the hand difficult to get away from if you raise to ~$100 though so I don't think a call is bad. If a diamond falls you can represent the flush.

The turn helps and hurts. You pick up a straight draw and the nut flush draw. The problem is that it's hard to put the villain on a hand that you're beating at this point other than AQ or JT (or perhaps an underpair). The bet on the turn is OK but I like a check just as much. I don't think your hand is strong enough here to really want to commit a lot of chips to the pot. You run the risk of letting a diamond draw in cheaply but I think that's an accetable risk.

The check behind on the river is the only play you could make. I can't think of a worse hand that is calling here or many better hands that are folding. After your turn bet it's entirely possible that the villain checks a big hand to you as well.

Overall, I think you played this hand pretty well without making any big mistakes. You avoided putting too many chips at risk with a marginal hand. If villain had a hand that was bigger than yours I don't think you could have gotten away much more cheaply (he probably would have bet the $50 that you did on the turn on the river which you may have paid off) and if he had a worse hand I don't think you could have gotten much more out of him. How did the hand turn out? He almost played it like AK.

[SpiderMnkE]

I'd like to bump it up a bit preflop as well.

[PokerFink]

I would raise to $24 or so preflop as well.

Other than that, I thought you played it fine. The bet on the turn is iffy, because you could easily get raised and be forced to call because you have outs, but you could also take it down if you're opponent was merely stabbing at the pot on the flop. I would probably check it and free-roll for the nuts, but there is nothing wrong with that bet.

Pretty well played, no real mistakes.

[h_ven]

He flipped over AA. Thanks for the help.