[Rush17]

I would need to know more. And I'd want to know the most about the player who raised with a King doorcard(ie; what his tendencies were, how tight he was, did he over value big pairs, how wide his raising range was etc). If he was a tight player (tight players usually don't raise with KKx in stud 8 and especially in bad position like he was in), I would just call and see what happened on 4th~5th.

Either way, though, I don't think smooth calling is a bad alternative--it will also make you/hand harder to read, which will make it harder for them to play more correctly against you(ie; pay off when they shouldn't/fold when they should call etc.).

Usually when I hold split aces/pocket aces in situations like this, I opt to just call looking for that added deception and/or to trap later on, maybe try to push someone out if it works where I think I can do it, OR, to get out cheap(er) (depending on how I see the hand playing out). It depends.

I'm really not looking for an over-inflated pot on 3rd and by keeping it smaller, it also allows my opponents to make earlier exits in the hand, which is definitely a plus for me.