This one didn't feel right...

[UMTerp]

Last night's $100+$9 tourney on Stars - a shade under 300 entrants, and we're down to nine tables. Three get paid. Average stack is in the neighborhood of T5300, and I'm a hair above that. My table has a lot of chips; three of the top five chip counts are there, though the villain in this hand is not among them. He has me covered, but barely. Around T6000. He's a regular in the bigger Stars tourneys, so I assume he's decent, though I haven't played with him much, and don't have much of a read. He's been slightly more aggressive than average if anything, but hasn't shown down anything out of line. Seems solid. I've been maintaining my stack well since I've been moved to this table about three orbits ago, winning blinds maybe once an orbit, and don't think I've played a hand past the flop since I've gotten there.

Antes kicked in less than an orbit ago (100/200/25), and I open-raise to 600 UTG+1 with K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Folded around to the button who raises to T1400, blinds fold, and it's back to me. Have to call T800 into a pot that's already T2525, and I do. I can't see folding a solid hand like that getting over 3:1 odds, though I'm certainly not married to the hand depending on what hits the board - I still have a playable stack. Two of us to the flop with T3325 in the middle. I have T3900 behind, and he has me covered.

Flop's a nice 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Couldn't have asked for a whole lot more. There's an OK chance I'm slightly ahead, and I certainly can't fold this flop. He's almost certain to throw out a continuation bet should I check to him. I'd love to take the pot down as is, and it's not a catastrophe if I get all-in here. So I pushed. And he called in a flash with AKo.

The whole hand seemed to lack some sense of continuity though. Did I completely botch this one preflop? Yet another lesson about playing marginal holdings up front? I'm thinking the only way I might win this pot is if I limp/call preflop and check-raise the flop all-in, but I'm not one to limp up front after the antes kick in. Was the flop push bad? Just unlucky that he made a good read?

All comments appreciated.