could i have played this hand any better?

[buddhablessed1]

online full 10/20 texas holdem game. i'm on the button with AKs. the action goes limp, limp, limp, raise, call, i decide to 3 bet in order to drive out the blinds and force the limpers to pay the maximum or get out and get some dead money in the pot. the blinds fold as does two out of the three limpers, everyone else calls. flop comes J75 with one of my suit. everyone checks to me i bet hoping to get a free card on turn and to further define my opponents' hands. limper folds, original raiser calls as does cold caller. turn is a 3 not of my suit making a complete rainbow. both opponents check to me again and i decide to bet again because no one has shown any strength, a few hands earlier i had played KK in the same fashion and won a big pot, and if i felt any resistence via a raise i'd get out. both opponents call again leaving me zero clue with where i stand. river pairs the J, a good card for me. both check to me and i decide to showdown the AK thinking no one is gonna fold for one more bet on a pot this big if they can beat A high. first raiser mucks, i get excited, cold caller turns over 22 to take down the pot with an awful two pair.

my question is: did i overplay my AKs on any street. would it have been more correct to just call preflop and let the field in and hope i make a flush? my reason for 3 betting is two fold, i could have the best hand and if i didn't but flopped top pair i wanted a better chance of it holding up by trimming the field. would anyone play this hand any differently?

[eric5148]

I think you played it fine. Always play AK, especially suited, aggressively preflop. It should not be played as a "drawing hand" as some weak tight people think.

BTW, you'll get more (and better) replys on hand questions in the small stakes or mid-high limit holdem forums.

[cobalt]

I'm with eric on this for most of the time. There's the occasional desire to slow play hoping for a monster and making a huge pot. But usually with so many BB callers, it's better to bet big and steal the pot pre-flop.

[buddhablessed1]

thanks for the tip eric. well i didn't think it would be possible in this instance to take the hand down preflop or even on the flop but the funny thing was a limper who had folded preflop after my raise must have checked the hand history because a minute later he said, "only AK?". god forbid i play the 4th best hand aggressively. i don't think i overplayed it too much either by betting on the flop and turn, i was hoping for a fold or two.

[beaster]

I also come out swinging with AKs. I would have played it exactly the same as you given the flop and action you saw. Ideally your opponents are hanging out trying to pair by the river. The amount of times I've won without showdowns probably makes up for the times I lose. I'll need to look at that in PT later.

Another question. I play AKo similarly. Correct?