Time to move on to the next step which will be titled Complex Hand Analysis - THE FLOP - CUT OFF Position
This is not a great flop for you despite offering you some hope for winning the hand but your position in having to act first against five rivals should make you feel very uncomfortable.
You obviously cannot fold in the small blind with
but if you decide to bet you have to try and work out how much you will bet and ascertain whether or not you are going to call a reraise and from whom and for how much. Against this many people I think you had better check and hope it goes all the way around.
There are no hard and fast rules but the problem with betting here is that one of your opponents can easily raise you out of this pot and generally speaking if you can't take a re raise then you shouldn't bet in the first place.
This was unraised pre flop and as such you have very little information about your opponents hands so you need more information and although you can get information by betting (and possibly winning if you bet enough and everyone else has nothing or a weak hand with which they can't call) this is likely to cost you too much if you should get re raised as you will be forced to fold.
Do either of the first two limpers pre flop have a big pair, has someone flopped a draw or top pair or a set and if they have are you prepared to bet enough to push them off their hand with a pot sized bet? These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself and the texture of this flop is very likely to have helped at least one of your opponents with their pre flop limps.
If one of your opponents has top pair then you know his kicker is likely to be another high card and so in the absence of a pre flop raise it's going to be a tough lay down for them as they will not believe you hold an AK but if it's a suited King in hearts then you could be drawing practically dead.
However no limit poker is not a game for whimps and you can't go around being scared and fearing your opponents could be holding monsters or better hands than you so lets just tough it out and check and make a decision when and if the action gets back round to you.
One player when asked about being in the small blind considered the check raise but being out of position this is unlikely to get you a free card and without an overcad if you get called by the flop betttor(s) you know you are going to be a mile behind and once again you have to consider whether you really want to put a lot of chips into a pot like this which at present really amounts to a nothing (or
high albeit it with some anticipated flush outs. Should you choose to play this hand in this manner then I believe you are better off playing it like a winner and amking abig initial bet or reraise but even though you give yourself a chance to pick up the pot there and then is way too risky a play against so many rivals.
Anyway the player concerned with this actual hand checked as did the big blind and the first two pre flop limpers so the action got around to the cut off and his