AK as an overpair

[FeelGoodAboutHood]

First time posting.

4 handed .25/.50 game at Pokerroom. I have around 50, one short stack, two stacks around 80. I pick up AKo in SB, two larger stacks limp to me and I raise to $3.50. Both call. Flop comes 3-4-9 rainbow. I check, guy before the button checks and the button bets $2. He's a little fishy, called a $20 all-in with Deuces. I raise to $8, trying to convince them I've got a big pair and both fold.

I liked the way I played it at first, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if I played it right.

[tewall]

It's good that you included the stack sizes, as it's impossible to discuss the hand without that. However, if you post the pot size at the different betting rounds, that's also helpful.

You're risking $8 to win a little over $12, meaning you only have to be successful a little over 1 in 3 times to show a profit, so I like your play.

[FeelGoodAboutHood]

Whether I played right this hand is one thing, but what's the feeling out there on playing AK as though you had an overpair when the board rags off?

[tewall]

It's good to do this some of the time. If you do it too much, especially if you keep at it (throwing more money at the turn), you'll just get called down. If you don't do it at all, you'll telegraph your true AA and KK hands.

[sdplayerb]

If the board comes 9 high, I bet out at it if I raised. Doesn't matter if I have AK or what I raised with preflop, I don't think they have anything (unless a very coordinated board).
So I would have fired out at it.

Your play was different. You checked, but then smelled weakness and put him to the test. Really, that is a very good play regardless of what you had.

[hhboy77]

i think as a move in a vacuum it's a good one, and one that all good players make occasionally. positionally, it's nice because you force the guy in the middle to call a bet and a raise. however, i think you should consider the stack in play. consider, how you and how they think you would play the hand you are representing. my guess is that the typical player would bet out or wait to check raise on the turn.

however, no moves are ever made in a vacuum so it really depends on your opponent. does his tiny bet indicate weakness or does he only do that to trap you? have you check raised before and shown down a big hand? is this guy a calling station or someone who's capable of laying down 99 and tt in this situation - remember he called a huge all in with 22? how many people are at the table, because the more people there are the higher quality hands people call raises with in general? these are all things that need to be considered and only you really know.

as an aside, it's great that you are analyzing plays that worked because it means you're concetrating on the right play, not results play. i won the biggest pot of my life yesterday (2800) but i think i played it incorrectly because i was in a bigger game than i'm used to, got a bit nervous, and cost myself 800 dollars.