All,

I’m playing the first of three starting days (tourney is three starting days and one final day) in a $150 live tournament at my local casino. The first day got 180 players and they are counting on the same number for day two and three so the price pool will be quite big. I’m at a very soft table where several people tend to call more or less any bet with any hand pre and then give up fairly easy on the flop or in some rare cases on the turn. I’ve managed to chip up without any real risk and I feel that I have decent edge on the table.

Blind levels are 30 min and we’re on the fourth level with 150/300/25. Starting stacks are 10K and I have about 27K at the start of the hand. Setting aside the fact that a 3-bet pre-flop would most likely have been the better play, what is the best play after the flop given the following action.

utg: raise 600

mp1: call

mp2 (me): call with AK 

co: call

bb: call

pot: 3350

flop: KdJd4x 

utg bets 8K with about 7K behind

mp1 folds and it’s on me. I have no diamonds in my hand.

The bet is so strange so I found myself a bit lost here. As I said I think I have a decent edge on the table and can pick up small pots without much risk and by doing so building my stack slowly but steadily. Utg has been betting pretty big (but not this big) before and have in most of those cases shown one card that has often been an A for top pair.  

Do I take this risk? I think I’m probably up against AK with a diamond, KQ with diamond, a set or a simple flush draw with high cards. What do you think? Easy call? Crying call? Fold? Panic? 

Thanks