3/6 brick and mortar

V1: TAG tendencies, but will get out of line with questionable holdings at times, seen raising with K5o in EP once (I don't think this one hand makes him a LAG), but overall expected hands when he raises.
V2: Unknown overall, but has raised 2 times in EP before with premium pocket pairs, otherwise has limped.

V2 raises pre from EP, folded to hero in SB with KK, I 3-bet, V1 in BB calls, V2 calls. 3-way (9 SB)

Flop: JT7 rainbow

Hero bets, V1 calls, V2 calls 3-way (12 SB)

Turn: K (no flush draw)

Hero bets, V1 raises, V2 folds, hero...

3-bet or call?

I don't see V1 as a player that raises the turn on a pure draw. So at this point I have him on JT, KJ, KT for 2 pair (other 2 pair combos unlikely for 3 bets pre); JJ, TT, 77 for sets, that he waited for turn to raise; 89 for flopped straight (unlikely for 3 bets pre); AA maybe, but he didn't cap pre or raise on the flop; Q9 and AQ for turned straight (Q9 less likely for 3 bets pre); QJ, QT, KQ, QQ for 1 pair and OESD (possible given he called the flop, but I don't think he would be this aggressive with these drawing hands, plus he would probably want V2 to call if he is on a draw; further reasoning that he is not on a draw and has a made hand that is vulnerable).

Is this thought process reasonable?

Good analysis. Now count the combos and weight them if needed.

Against anyone I have ever seen even once raise in EP with K5 I am three betting the turn here.

I would 3 bet the turn and call down UIP if 4 bet.

If you had a read that this player fast plays all strong hands on the flop, then this would be just a call.

I have a question for those good with the math. Typically you need to have 66% equity to 3 bet the turn taking into consideration you might get 4 bet..correct? If so, what equity do we need when holding a hand as strong as top set, given the number of outs we have when behind?

Guy cold called the 3 bet in the BB and you described him as a TAG that sometimes gets out of line raising? Does he get to have Q9s or 98s and calling the 3 bet? How about offsuit versions of those? Also, is he a guy who always waits a street from when he binks or is he good enough to fastplay? Having a feeling on those would help, but maybe it is unknown.

I'm guessing he's way more likely to have a PP than off suit connectors. Even suited two gapper (Q9s) seems like a hand that a TAG would fold for a 3! vs a reasonable player. As we start counting combos, that makes me think slowplayed flopped sets are more likely than flopped or turned straights. However, a correctly fastplayed AQ could be 16 combos and then we need to think.

He his overall TAG, raises post flop with 2 pair or better in general. He knows me and that I'm not 3 betting with JTs 3 handed OOP. So I figure that he puts me on at least AA, but more likely what I have, a set. Which means that he is more likely to have a made straight than a set or 2 pair since he raises and probably puts me on a set.

You pretty much narrowed it down to one hand he would have called with pre-flop that can beat you now. This is a 3 bet all day long. If he 4 bets you, you call down, unless you improve on river, and face-palm if he shows down AQ.

Question - If he 4 bets on turn and you call being fairly certain he does have AQ here, and then the river improves, say with a 7, how do most like to proceed here? Is this always a C/R, or do you lead out the river based on the current reads? Do you lose value always trying to C/R this type of spot against this type of villain? How often do you find them checking behind on an improved hand like this, etc.?

This is 3 6. Someone who isn't a maniac raised a big street. There are three different straights. Don't raise.

There are some players where this is AQ almost all of the time and when I'm raised on the turn I call down unless I improve on the river. There are others who often overplay their hands and against whom this is an easy 3 bet. I think the answer to your question depends on your read of the villain.

3-bet all day, call down if 4 bet. If the river is a brick, bet/call, if the river pairs then bet / 3-bet / toss-up between call and 5-bet.

How the hand played out:

Hero 3 bet, V1 calls. HU (12 BB)

River: A

Hero checks, V1 bets, hero calls.

V1 shows Q9s

Errors I made:
1. Over estimated my assessment of his TAG tendencies.
2. Didn't trust my gut instinct that he is only making this play with a hand that beats a set.
3. Got stubborn with top set and didn't see this hand for what it was, a way ahead or way behind situation, and risked being 4-bet in a situation that I'm behind in more than 50% (probably more) of the time against this villian.

With that said though I can't always be afraid to value bet in these situations, I just have to trust my read of the situation and the villain, because against a lot of other 3/6 players who over play 2 pair and sets in this situation it's an easy 3 bet for value. I may be way off, any thoughts about my analysis of the situation?

Secondary analysis: I know that as a serious player I can't get frustrated by one session and let it affect me but this session was especially tough. Was dealt 7 premium pocket pairs AA 4 times, 1 flopped AAAJJ, when villain flopped JJJJA. Then KK 2 times, then QQ 2 times. I lost every pot but 1, which was small. I'm not whining about how unlucky I was, just trying to see if anyone has any suggestions in dealing with the mental aspect of a session like this? I'm just a player trying to improve so I can successfully move up to higher stakes.

In the end I took a break after this hand and was able to battle back and steal some pots and was almost breakeven by the end.

This isn't good poker. Villain has a range. That range either makes raising profitable or it doesn't. At no point does guessing villain beats a set become good poker, that's just MUBS. I'm not sure that the fact the villain had Q9s means he only has straights, and thus I'm not sure the lesson learned was the right one.
In the long run, you get used to bad beats as much as you can. If you can see a hand as "I got AA, the pot was X ways, and I was Y% to win a nice pot", instead of "I have a premium hand and I deserve to win"... The last part of your post is another mental problem to fix.
The results of a single session are meaningless. Chasing losses is a serious mental game leak. "Battling back to get nearly even" is a sign of problems, not a sign of pride.

1. I did 3 bet the turn based on the range of hands that I put him on as posted originally. But isn't this only level 2 thinking? What's my opponents range? As players aren't we always striving to play 1 level above our opponents. The reason that I believed he wouldn't raise the turn with less than a straight is based on my assessment of my opponents level 2 thinking of me (which is level 3, right?). Are you saying that I should ignore this level of thinking and base my decisions on level 2 thinking only?
2. I agree that I need to be process driven and not results driven. This is definitely a major leak that needs to be plugged.
3. If you are referring to me continuing to play after these beats that I am playing only to get my money back or for pride than I disagree. I continued to play because I felt that I still had an edge overall against my opponents and that my process was strong even if my results were not. After all a good player can do all the right things and still come out a loser in 1 hand, session, etc. That doesn't mean he is necessarily playing bad. And a player should only stop when he is no longer playing his best game, right?

I think check-call is a terrible river line. You felt confident enough to 3 bet turn so you must have thought your hand was good sometimes against 2 pair/set combos. Now you decide to check river and lose value against these hands.

I mean when you check river he always bets a queen and sometimes checks other hands that you beat but that would call your bet. If you bet and he raises it's an easy fold. So essentially you're losing the same vs. a queen either way but winning less against other hands when you check river.

I'm always confused by this level 1, 2, 3 stuff. It seems like guessing. If your raise was profitable but now his re-raise means that he always has a straight+, we soul read fold the river? His one aggressive action means he never has a set? OK, if you're hugely certain make the hero fold on the river when you don't fill up.

We have a range of hands that we could have played the way we have played so far. So does he. I'm not guessing on what level he's on and trying to make perfect plays. I'm using the evidence at hand to shape ranges, put in a little room for uncertainty, and playing the best I can. The whole "he was on level 3 so I jumped up to level 4 and did X" stuff seems like live pro BS you'd hear in a post donkament interview. Sure, classify stuff however you want. In the end, there are ranges and equities.

Sure. My point is that you considered your session a success because you got close to even. That's 100% the wrong way to look at it. Either the game was good or it wasn't. If the game was good, staying was fine. Either your mindset was good to play well or it wasn't. Again, you being in good form indicates staying. Those are things under your control. You didn't mention either. You just mentioned results being good = you did good. Those are largely uncorrelated.

that's not even close to correct

OP, why don't you try to do this once and post your combo counts here. Then make a decision based on actual relevant information.

I think it's great your trying to improve your game and move up. Be very careful to not be under the illusion that you know something but really don't know it. Your discussion of concepts such as leveling and WA/WB seem to be misinterpreted or misapplied. I went through a similar stage were I would read a book or watch a video and then proceed to integrate these concepts in the wrong game settings. I eventually realized that the true value of these learning materials was understanding how to think my way through a hand and not just apply the lessons to all situations.

In regards to dealing with the ups and downs of poker: try to learn to accept what is. Accept that this is a game of high variance. Accept that sometimes your Aces are gonna get cracked. Accept that sometimes your gonna walk out of the casino with less money than you started with. Accept that your gonna make mistakes.

BTW: look at making mistakes as a good thing. Learn from them, but don't dwell. Making lots of mistakes gives you lots of opportunities to get better at the game.

i'd snap three bet and after thinking about it be wrong.