specific strategy question about low buyin MTT's

[Alamo]

Hi all, I lately have encountered these situations, and am wondering if there is any better solution than the approach I am taking.

Typical situation: I am CO with AA, 2-3 ppl limp, I raise 4xbb+1bb for each limper, all ppl behind me fold, I get one call from a limper, so I am heads up.

Flop comes, and there are two from the same suit there.
So I bet in between 1/2 and 3/4 of the pot to make him draw against the odds. He calls.

Turn comes, a dud. No apparent other dangers on the board, so I again come out betting in between 1/2 and 3/4 of the pot.

River is card from the same suit. Now, I can bet here, and most of the time I will, but in these low levels a lot of players play 2 suited cards like it was the nuts, so I am in danger. Checking is also not good, I show fear and invite him to bet and take the pot.

But let's suppose I bet, for argument's sake. He calls, shows a flush Q high or whatnot, and I am left crippled.

Now, I have been thinking, in these situations, folding and checking is out of the question after the flop. Yet, if I bet and the turn is a dud like in above example, I need to make a hefty bet again to make him draw against the odds.

Yet, my opponent has no concept of pot odds, and yes, I know, in the long run I will profit from these situations, but still I am left with a severely crippled stack.

So what to do in these situations. Donk my chips on the flop if I know I am gonna get called anyway, regardless of pot odds being against villain?

Any thoughts?

[Yoda82]

Yes there is a better solution, you have the right idea at the very end of your post. Make him pay as much as possible for his draw. If you want to win the tournament you need to win big pots with AA, not small ones. This is not the time to control the pot size - of course sometimes you lose, but most of the time (about 65%) he misses his flush and you win a big pot. Don't be scared of being outdrawn, just play the hand in the most profitable way possible. If villain has decided to chase his draw regardless of pot odds you can't stop this, but you can and should exploit his bad play for all it's worth.

In this situation, bet/raise the largest amount you think he will call. Your preflop raise is good, but if he will call off more here, raise more. On the flop, don't bet 1/2 to 3/4, bet the pot instead, if he will call more than this with his flush draw then bet more. Same on the turn. If you have 50bb stacks here then you can get all-in on the turn as a big favourite against villain with two pot sized bets. This is not a problem, this is a good result.

You also seem to assume that villain always has a flush draw here, he doesn't. The type of player you describe will happily call off all of his chips with top pair any kicker just because he has top pair and how could top pair possibly be beaten by anything you have? Again, if he will do this, let him. He is making the mistakes here, not you. Occasionally he will hit 2 pair/trips by the river, but a very large percentage of the time you win a big pot.

Don't make incorrect decisions due to having 'I must stay in the tournament' on your mind. This is impossible to control, all you can do is control your own actions. If you make good decisions then in the long run you will profit, regardless of the outcome of one tournament.