AK suited against the big stack at the table

[WinBig]

$30 NL tourney on Party Poker with 1430 players and pays top 130. 240 players left and the blinds are 150/300. I have about 4000 so I'm not in push or fold mode yet since I have more than 10xBB. I have AK suited UTG and raise it to 800 preflop and the big stack at the table with about 14000 flat calls and all others fold.

Flop is 9 high rainbow with no reasonable straight draws. I bet 1000 into a pot of 2050 and the big stack instantly reraises another 1000. I don't like his raise at all - it smells a little bit like a bluff since the reraise was so quick. I folded because I decided at best I'm ahead of AQ and at worst I'm behind a pocket pair or an Ax that caught part of the flop.

I would be getting 4-1 odds to call but I don't want to put half my stack into a pot hoping to hit what could be 6 outs in a best case scenario. If I whiff on the turn and check how do I call any bet? Was my flop bet too risky against the big stack who has the chips to play back at me? How would you play this hand after the flop?

[Chaostracize]

I think you'll save yourself a headache by not betting that flop into the chip leader.

[Lurshy]

Its close. Your bet on the flop was weakish, so he could have come over-the-top with nothing, but with his smooth call preflop, he could have hit something as well.

The only improvement to make on your play is possibly understanding what you will do if he comes over-the-top, or calls again before you make your bet. You bet about the max you could on the flop without getting pot stuck. If you were going to fold to any raise, maybe a check would be better. I only say that because the raise is not large enough to knock him off any pair or draw. A call of his raise, would make you pot stuck, and still leave you out of positon and likley to face an all-in decision. So all-in or fold. Then, if you were going to go all-in when you missed the flop, you may have been better-off pushing 1st, and putting the villian to a decision. So you played it to get away from the hand if you missed, and you did. Nothing wrong with that, except perhaps saving your flop bet.

Played a bit on the weak-tight side, but not a bad lay down given the preflop call, the missed flop, and the positional aggresiveness. Just my humble opinion.

[B Mando]

You have two choices in my mind...
1. Check
2. All-in

If you check, you are done with the hand and still have 3200 which isnt awesome, but still in good shape if you cna double up somewhere.
If you go all-in it is much more risky but it sends a signal that I have the best hand to the chip leader. He could be in there with a pair but then you have to ask yourself how solid of a player is the chip leader? Has he been playing great poker to be the chip leader or has he just been getting lucky all the time. The 1000 bet into that flop though just isnt an option.

[betgo]

I don't like the weak bet on the flop. It is unlikely to make the chip leader fold. Either check or push.

If the chip leader has been playing loose, I would push on a semibluff. If he doesn't have a pair, you are ahead. If he has a pair, you still have a chance to catch an ace or a king.