Playing AK when you miss the flop

I have finished reading TJ Cloutier and Tom Mc Evoy's Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Hold Em. I am currently engrossed in Harrington on Hold Em 1 and I notice differing opinions on how to play AK is you miss the flop. TJ Cloutier never fires at the flop if he has missed, while Dan Harrington might fire in a half pot sized bet, or else check, induce a bet, and go all in in the right circumstances

How do people generally play AK if you miss the flop, in the small $2.5's Im starting at my 3xbb + adding whatever limpers are in often doesnt get rid of enough people so if I miss the flop I am facing a tough decision. Should you only ever fire at the flop if you miss and there is only a maximum of two players still in the hand?

Trevor

[timprov]

There's very little point to firing as a semibluff at that level. Or about the next five levels. It might be worth it on the bubble if you've got deep stacks.

[beekeeper]

I think it will depend somewhat on how you represented your hand preflop, and of course, position.

For instance, if you represented a big hand prior to the flop, by reraising, or by opening the pot with more than 2xbb, then the flop comes all little cards, I think if you fire at it it will be easy to assume you're just taking a shot at the pot.

However, if you just called a raise, or opened the raising with a modest bet, then you can represent that you got a piece of the flop. If the flop is at all coordinated, representing a draw is a strong move.

You will also have to replay how the preflop betting played out to know whether or not the flop might have improved the other players. In my experience, those little cards that flop when the betting preflop was modest, tend to show down to straights and two pairs. When you play AK, you tend to assume you're going to win with top pair.

If you're reading Harrington, try to find the place where he talks about thinking about what they think you have. How you are perceived from your prior play will also affect how players interpret your next move.

[UATrewqaz]

How you play AK postflop totally DEPENDS.

1. How many opponents are you up against? The fewer the more aggressive to be with it.

2. How tight/loose are those opponents?

3. What is the texture of hte board? Is it likely to have hit someone or totally missed everyone?

4. Do you have a reputation for bluffing?

etc.

[Beavis68]

It is pretty obvious that Cloutier doesn't play how he outlines in the book.

I found his tight advice fairly good for SnGs, but for MTTs. Harrington rules.

And yeah number of opponents is critical, more than 2 and there is little reason to bet.

[J. Sawyer]

I hear thats a bad book