AK help

[Robrizob]

In a $3 rebuy to the sunday $200+15 on stars, I picked up AKo in the SB with blinds at 100/200 and my stack at ~22000. We are far enough from the seats for it not to be a huge strategical consideration. 3 or 4 limped to me and I raised to 1400 and get three callers. Flop is 2 4 5 rainbow. I decide to bet out b/c I'm not putting anyone on a big pair given the preflop passivity. I bet 4200 with a pot of around 6k. Big stack with ~35k calls. Turn is a 9. I push with my final 15k. Big stack ponders and finally calls with 6h4h, middle pair with a gutter. As the hand was being played, I felt confident in my actions, but as it turned out, he didn't fold and IGHN.

My question: I realize the flop bet was risky and the call from the big stack should've slowed me down but is my entire line as bad as it turned out?

[Lloyd]

A continuation bet is often a good move. But not in a low buy-in tourney with three callers. Check and hope to see a free card. Fold to any reasonably size bet.

[Potowame]

I have Played this twice and both times the play was very loose.

I would not invest another penny in the pot after you missed the flop. With that many players calling they are not all on Big cards, so it hit someone or they wont lay down 66-99 here. The Blids are 200 you have a huge stack for the blinds, move on to the next hand.

If you choose to make a continuation bet with three callers it does have to be rather large, and $4200 is a big chunk of your stack, you might be able to make it around 2800-3000 and save alittle.

[sthief09]

logically, I would think that a huge raise or no raise would be better than a moderate raise. when he makes this moderate raise, he's got to expect at least 2 callers. even when he flops an A or a K, he's out of position in a pretty big pot. I think trying to take the pot down with a huge raise, or deferring your raise for when you hit (in limit, you'd raise for value, but in NL I feel like raising for value is less important since he'll often be unable to make it to the turn) would intuitively make more sense.

I don't really know what I'm talking about. I'm kind of just throwing that out there to see how people respond. so if I'm wrong please let me know why. thanks

[MLG]

You are right that his raise should be bigger (although not that much bigger maybe 1800 or 2000 instead of 1400). I think it is a bad idea to wait to raise until you hit as then you will not get paid off by many hands (or rather the hands that will pay you off are those which you dominate preflop but in a 3 dollar rebuy event will call your raise). Those of you who are saying, however that he should be done with the hand on the flop are too tight. In my opinion AK has 7 clean outs here (gutshot straight draw plus 3Ks) and 3 other outs which may be tainted (if somebody was playing a baby A). So, I think either making a bet on the flop, or check-calling a small to moderate bet is fine. Afther that, in this tourney shut it down. You need to play showdown poker at this level.