I'm trying to get better at my limit game and I know my biggest hole is to get the most out of a hand and lose the least on the bad hands. Sometimes I do well, sometimes, I don't. This is one I'm not sure I played right.

This was at a 1/2 5 handed table. Villian seemed to be a pretty solid (by the book) player and not overly aggressive.

I (MacAnthonyHE) got Dealt AK of diamonds in the SB.

MacAnthonyHE posts blind ($0.50), Zovyn posts blind ($1).

PRE-FLOP
1h calls $1, crazy-jj bets $2, bomber57 calls $2, MacAnthonyHE bets $2.50, Zovyn calls $2, 1h calls $2, crazy-jj calls $1, bomber57 calls $1.

FLOP [board cards 8D,AC,8H ]
MacAnthonyHE bets $1, Zovyn folds, 1h folds, crazy-jj bets $2, bomber57 folds, MacAnthonyHE calls $1.

TURN [board cards 8D,AC,8H,6C ]
MacAnthonyHE bets $2, crazy-jj bets $4, MacAnthonyHE calls $2.

RIVER [board cards 8D,AC,8H,6C,9S ]
MacAnthonyHE checks, crazy-jj bets $2, MacAnthonyHE calls $2.

SHOWDOWN
crazy-jj shows [ QD,AS ]
MacAnthonyHE shows [ KD,AD ]
MacAnthonyHE wins $30.

I think what got me worried is that all five called to see the flop and it seemed more likely that one of them held onto something that beat me.

Mac

Crazy JJ raised preflop from early position, so we can probably assume if he's decent he doesn't have an 8. In that case since you got it heads up I'm gonna call the flop bet, and checkraise the turn and cap if allowed to. You're behind logically only to AA, and you have one of those and the board does too, so if he has the other two I'm paying him off majorly.

Since they all folded the flop why are you still worried that someone has you beat, especially if he's the preflop raiser?

I just wasn't comfortable in the hand. This was the most aggressive that crazy-jj had played a hand against me. Reasonably, the only hand I could see him having playing the way he did that I was behind was A8.

I was pretty sure I was ahead on the flop which is why I just called. And led out because I thought I was ahead but didn't want to give a free card.

Mac

Again this doesn't make much sense, if you're ahead you should be putting in more bets on the flop unless you think you can make more money by slowplaying a bit (which in this hand I think you can).

Giving free cards isn't really an issue there are no draws out there on the flop, he's drawing to probably two ( to set up his pair) or three outs (if he has A9-Q to make a higher two pair) only. The priority here should be getting more money in the pot, so a lead out is OK for that but I don't like it after just calling the flop, I prefer a checkraise, but if you're ahead then jam jam jam the pot with some more bets when he allows it.