Way ahead or way behind...

[nightlyraver]

I recently read the article on the 2+2 magazine about being either way ahead or way behind in no-limit tourneys. I highly recommend the article. It basically argues that sometimes the best strategy is to pay passively when you are either way ahead or way behind in a heads-up situation. As an example, you bring it in for a standard raise from MP with AKo, get one caller and the flop comes KT4 rainbow. You are either way ahead or way behind and check-calling it to the end may be the best strategy. Anyway, I used the strategy in a $5+.50 MTT on Full Tilt and it was working for a while till I blew my stack finishing just in the money.


Here is the hand:

The blinds are 300-600 with a ante of 75. The blinds will jumpt to 500-1000 with an ante of 100 in about two minutes. I'm sitting on about 7,000 and change on the button and it's folded to me. I raised it to 1,500 and change, a standard amount, with A3s. The blinds don't defend well, I don't think they ever re-raised me, and I stole the blinds and antes many times. The big blind is the chip leader of the tourney and occasionally makes a questionable call from the blinds, but not often.

The flop comes AK4 rainbow and the big blind checks. He has not been known to check-raise, but I've been playing somewhat aggressively, so you never know for sure. I figure that I'm either way ahead, or way behind, and he's probably not calling with anything less than an A if I bet the flop.

I figured that I'd check behind him and induce a bet on the turn. Why? I'm practically pot committed anyway; I can't really bet anything less than all-in; He won't call with a lesser hand; He probably misses the flop; He probably won't improve; He may bet the turn if something like a Q falls and he is holding a Q; He may try and bluff at it. There are however strong arguments against checking: He may call with a K; He has a big stack and may gamble with a weak draw or pair; We don't want him to draw to a better hand; If he does, we must call and get bounced from the tourney; If we bet will probably win a decent pot right there and have slightly more than 10xBB going into the next level.

I decided to check the flop, he checked again on the turn and I decided to check right back. A 6 fell on the river and he put me all-in, which was roughly the size of the pot. I immediately called...

Was this bad play? Should I have just pushed the flop?

In case everyone is wondering, he showed a set of 6's and I lost my stack. In all likelyhood, he would have folded the flop, but that's not a certainty. However, he did his a 2-outer, which is only about an 8% shot from the flop on.

Any suggestions to improve my play in this type of spot???