[CrisBrown]

Hi Justin,

I'm with the other who say you should at least bet the pot on this flop. I'd probably have bet about $40, making it clear to any flush draw that he's going to have to pay very dearly to chase. I suspect the button would have folded his flush draw, and the BB would have called with his AQ.

At this point, though, I'd switch to a bluff-catching strategy. If BB checks to you on the turn, you should bet again -- otherwise you're giving a free draw -- but I don't think set him all-in, as he probably won't call himself all-in without a hand that beats TPTK. If BB bets into you on the turn, I'd call; again, if you raise, he's probably not going to call without a hand that beats TPTK. I'd do the same at the river.

TPTK really isn't a "big pot" hand. Most good players won't tangle in a big pot unless they can beat TPTK. Also, when AK hits on an Ace-Face or King-Face flop, you need to play it a bit cautiously if called at the flop, because so many people will play Ace-Face or King-Face (especially if suited), and you may be playing TPTK vs. two pair.

As I said last week, I've come to think of unimproved AA and KK, and AK for TPTK as "small pot" hands. I'm content to take a small pot with them, and when I'm playing a draw hand I'm looking to take a big pot FROM them.

Cris

[Edit: looking back at the stack sizes, if either calls your pot-sized bet at the flop, you're probably going to the felt. This is one of the pitfalls of shallow-money NL play.]