I feel like trying to play vs fish and getting caught in a 3-way pot with a good player is -EV. I straddle (mandatory $5) and 6 players limp and I check with AK56.

I have $600, good player has $500, bad player $250.


Flop is A96r and I lead for $20 and get 2 callers. One is a very good PLO player and the other is the huge fish.

Turn is a Jh and it is check, pot by the fish... Hero?

Folds

this bad player pots as his only bet. It is all he knows in betting PLO. He got to showdown with a pot, repot, shove with a hand where he thought he had a FH but you can only use 2 cards-duh! So he is not good.

I dont think I can raise here ever and flatting isnt great. But is flatting better than folding? If not/so by how much. Is it a huge mistake in this spot?

It's a marginal spot and in a vacuum I'd fold. It really comes down to how bad the fish is and whether he'll do this with just an Ace or a lesser two pair. I assume the good players is between you and the fish and is still in? If so, this makes me more inclined to fold. Did the turn complete the rainbow or put a heart draw out there?

turn completed a rainbow I believe. The bad player can do this with anything. Can I ever just call or is this a fold>>>pot?

If the fish is that bad then I like a call. Just have a plan for the river. If that plan is to c/f non A/6 rivers then you should fold now.

Plan for river was get it in with no KQJT I guess. I flat and other player POTS.

I instafold and AKxx wins by the other player and the bad player didnt even have a pair.

Meh, once the good players pots it I think you have to fold. As played you did OK. The only thing I would have done differently is lead the turn. It's likely you still have the best hand (in fact you did) and it prevents you from have to guess what the other players bets mean when you check.

I cant lead turn. The bad player is in the blind and the Good player is on the button. So I am caught in the middle.

After the hand, I have been thinking a lot about this spot and I should have folded I guess. The way the good player, plays is that he pots any river I think vs me. He knows I am capable of folding big hands and he is aggro. I just got blindsided by his pot raise and insta folded. I guess I could have at least raised and then I would have to call off a pot raise from him or that would push him off his hand.

Anyways, it was a good lesson that I got here in all honesty. He is a solid player and I have to take different lines vs him. But I can also underplay big hands vs him and catch him in a few pots until he readjusts.