two courses of action

1.) call the 80 and play your AK like a drawing hand. This way you avoid losing a lot of money if you miss the flop, your post flop decisions are a little easier and you can get away relatively cheaply if things go bad.

2.) Pop it up to 500, a 1/3 of your stack and take the pot down most of the time. If you get re-popped all-in call.

Folding isnt horrible...its early and you have an UTG raise and 3 smooth calls...Chances there is a pair in there that wont fold at this buyin along with the fact with 3 callers more then likely takes away some of your outs.

I think you probably pop it to 450, if one player does call, and they check to you, you can then re-evalutate, but based on a safe flop you shove the flop.

The raise to 450 looks uber strong and will likely get everyone to fold.

The deal with this raise is if someobody comes over the top you'll have pot odds to call everyhand except AA. But if you smooth call and get an ugly flop and a huge lead at you, you can get away from it with plenty of chips. Sit back wait for a big hand, wait for the blinds to go up, then go into push fold mode.

I hate the flat call completely, if you are leaning towards flat calling just fold. When you hit there is a good chance you won't have the best hand and you'll be up against 3 or 4 players, that is an absolutetly horrible way to AK. With that many people in the pot someone will catch a big enough piece even if you hit to continue with the hand. So you will be seeing a turn and possible a river card. So whatever you do don't flat call, just fold if you can't stomach a raise for 1/3rd of your chips or a shove. A further argument for folding goes that one of these guys has a PP and somebody else probably has an A and maybe someone else does too, or a KQ type hand so there is a good chance some of your cards are dead so if you shove when 88 (first guy who called the raise) calls your all-in it's not really a coinflip anymore as you'll only have 4 outs instead of 6 dropping you to like 36% to win. That's completely pessimistic poker but there is some truth to that.

Bluedog is right that you will not garuntee you anything doubling through the guys right here and you are risking everything, but you've got a hand were you know where you stand v just about anybody's cards, so you can figuring pot odds an the like is a breeze.

I'll presume the question was directed to me since I brought up the issue.

I only play them occassionally. My recent results is 45% ITM & ROI 18% but my sample size is small <200. Most of my bust outs are badbeats around the bubble, but I'm satisfied with my progress since I'm just experimenting with 6 & 9 NLHE S&G's at lower buy-in levels. There are many VPIP: 100% & Push/fold players in some of these events. I usually wait for the suicide kings to <span id="misspell-0">eliminate</span> each other (patience seems to be rewarded more than the "dynamic push"). I'm more into ring games. There appears to be great potential for profit from my observation in my limited experience.

NetFan44,."just want to generate discussion, but..."
SINCE YOU ASKED
Nearly every post I come in and "advocate a contrarian position" I'm as you say "just want to generate discussion, but..." Many times, it stimulates a discussion (some posters even get indignant that someone even considers that anyone would infer they might be non-omnipotent on the play of the hands.) The one-shoe-fits-all is kind of binding in my view.

If you re-read the way the post is written, you will note. (a) I gave the options to choose from, (b) gave some idea of where the problems are.

I take opposing views from a line up that strongly advocate:

<span>"There is one way to play all the time. I'm not sure where I'm at. I don't want to make the wrong decision with [AK] post flop. My opponent shows strength when I raised pre-flop. I can make him lay his hand down with pressure."

<span>My point of view is: There is always more than one way to play every situation. Sometimes the situation calls for making a move. It's not generally good to make a big mover for 60bb or 40(M) to win a small pot. You risk to much equity for a small reward</span>.

Many of the posters here claim "I have lots of FE with my chips stack and aggressive play." They fail to see the other players are demonstrating strength by there betting patterns. <span>The elusive FE they see is what they think from their own perspective. The Shove-at-all-cost players ignore their opponents resolve to continue with the hand. <span>Whether the opponent is a calling station or a real player with a real hand. In these situations, there is no "FOLD EQUITY."</span></span>

In a shallow money situation, there are many places where it is absolutely correct to shove either side of the coinflip. If you fold, you effectively are being blinded out of the tournament.
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When the chips are very deep, it is wreckless to push in a huge stack to bluff a player who will call. You will connect with the flop about 25% of the time. Then you have a chance to double through. The 70% of the times when you don't connect you will loose a big opportunity to make the final table.

Some say, "if I miss the flop, I want to see all the cards to give my [AK] all the opportunities to improve." That's also fine for a shallow money situation.

If the pots are relatively small, and chips are deep; the [AK] player can if he has judgement, skill, and playing sense make many more good decisions and create opportunities to win the hands, even with out improving. Players have many opportunities to actually <span>play</span> tournaments. Many choose to throw their opportunities away. Make irrational gambles.

i raised to 400 and got two callers and flopped a king and took it down, sry i dont have the rest of the hh but i was wondering what others do in this situation