9 or 10 handed, just moved tables but game is playing pretty loose pre with lots of multiway limped pots

Hero - ~$550 stack playing pretty tight aggressive preflop
V1 - ~$600 stack, pretty loose pre with quite a few limps, also raises a decent amount
V2 - ~$275 stack, similar playstyle as V1

V1 UTG Straddle to $5
V2 Limp UTG+1
folds to me in BB with AKo and before I can act V1 raises to $25 and V2 3bets to $75
Hero ?

Raise or fold since you're OOP in my opinion. Still a chance V1 has a hand so I'd probably raise to $175.

It's possible that the two bets are not binding, since they were both out of turn. Ask the dealer for clarification.

My tendency would be to call the 75. It depends what kind of a ****** the LRR guy is. It's possible he's dead in your sights.

I think i just openfold here. We have no money invested, straddle has a decently strong range and l/rr from the 1 hole is generally AK/QQ+.

I'd need some serious reads on V2 to gii here with less than KK.

You really think V2's range includes AA/KK here? I think Hero is a flip with V2 at worst unless V1 has been raising nearly every straddle and you put V2 on a trap with AA/KK.

We obviously have blockers, but why wouldn't it include AA/KK? And even if we are flipping vs either villain there's still a decent chance the other villain also has an A and/or K.

Fwiw raising out of turn is a pretty reliable tell for having a big hand in my experience.

I don't see a lot of people limping a straddle with AA/KK at this limit, that's all. Against a loose player I also see people push back with 88/99/TT/JJ after a limp a lot as well. Hero might have some fold equity with a raise here.

Pretty easy fold. Why do you think this is a tough spot? Do you routinely see players l/rr light?

Never flatting. Either raise or fold. 3bets are so rare in most live games, I would fold here. A good question to ask here is what is the worst hand that you would raise with........ For me it is probably QQ.

Kinda, I haven't played for a while and used to just play heads up and some 6 max so it just felt kinda dirty folding AK here. I rarely see the limp reraise but yea when I have seen it showndown it has been a top 3-5 hand. I ended up folding, especially because the one villain and I are almost 300bb deep. I felt like calling would turn my hand somewhat faceup and I'm oop deep and could get shoved on by the straddler. I really doubt the other villain was limp reraising AQ or 99-JJ to get in 300bb and was rarely making a move with a weak hand so a 4bet? by me to get stacks in pre probably wasn't profitable.

V2 needs to be wider than AJo to think about playing. He's never folding. Just not enough overlay from v1 to tempt, and once in a blue moon he'll have a hand here too. I'd never call here.

Feels weird to dump AK, I get that, but a l/rr is so typically unbalanced at this stake that it's what we need to do.

LOL at how weak tight and passive the comments have been. OP's descriptions of the villains clearly indicate they are not good players.

"We should muck here because we don't have KK." LOL

^ This isn't necessarily a bad thing! If the straddler does move in, you'll get to see what the LRR player does.

Most 1-2 players aren't good and they rarely 3bet light.

If I also understand correctly villain 1 straddled, villain 2 just called and when villain 1 raised his straddle, villain 2 3 bet him? That screams a premium IMO. I would fold.

^ This is a non-sequitur. I.e. it seemingly helps solve the problem, but actually doesn't.

exactly this.

Like others said, fairly routine fold without a lot more info on other players

Without solid reads (you gave us none), this is a snap fold.

Relax and put a "play" on them all:

Insist the dealer let the out-of-turn-action (OOTA) stand. After that, shove all-in.
Insist you wanna to limp for $5, and actually trow a red chip. Make sure the villains action stands. Than, again, shove it all the way in. ..., lol...lol Give them hell. ..lol .. Put the master "play" on them all and remember how was done. Every time is an OOTA in front of you, always insist the action stands as valid and "play" them all. (this is one of your hidden tools to use in the future).

The only thing you worry is AA/KK other then that you'll be fine with seeing all 5 cards. But most likely they will fold. Don't be scary and see any danger and imagine one of them may have the big pair. You got blockers on both.

Calling is not an option because you don't want to play fit/fold with AK. The signature of 2bet + 3bet most likely is QQ+ and AK. So, your 4bet shove must be interpreted as AA. All sane dudes with JJ,QQ and AK will most likely abandon ship. Exactly what you want.

What surprises me is the fact that most players always suspect AA/KK on 3bets. Why is that? Those hands are the less likely to be out when we hold AK.

We must agree that you don't want calling 3bet and play fit/fold. So, if you put a 4bet of say $200-$250 you cannot reevaluate nothing on the flop and have no room for a folding if you miss. And since folding preflop is out of question, the only play you have left is 4bet heavy NOW. And again since, we 4bet heavy preflop we all know that we must power play on the flop too. So, why not take it down right now with a shove?

Go ahead ,, man... Go for the kill. Don't crap on yourself, so to speak ...

Note: after reading some of the above posts, reply to your situation, I now realize again for the 1000th time why I am winning so much in live NL. When people advocate to either to call of fold it puts money in my pockets. (calling or folding both are very weak plays)

^ Because there doesn't seem to be much FE. We don't know why they made big bets, but most likely it's because they have big hands. This is common sense, really.


^ Actually, if you consistently get into stack offs with the smaller pairs, you will go just as broke, it will just take longer. Being broke next year is bad, just like being broke today.

In addition to the apparent lack of FE in this particular case, we also don't make massive overbets with AK because we don't want to train our opponents to play well against us. Another slice of common sense, MamaBingo.

I realized I mixed up the opponents, the guy with $600 limp reraised which probably makes this more of a fold. Anyways I folded and they ended up getting it in, both with AKo.

You see?
If you instead of folding your AK would have asked the dealer to validate the OOTA to send the message that you want them both in and than moved all-in, the other AK's would have folded and you would have accomplish what by right is yours/ours, if you will. We reserve the right to knock into folds all other AK's and give HELL to any pair from QQ down the line and dominate all other hands except AA/KK and even there we got blockers.

Power Play, that should be our mantra with AK. There is no correct play on calling, folding or reevaluating on the flop to see if we hit it first because we never ever play fit/fold with AK. We either win right there or we go together to see all the 5 cards. Most villains will have no nerves to come along but give up the $$$ what belong to us.

Rather than wishing you Good Luck, I say PLAY GREAT at the tables

uncle Joseph

Your advice is atrociously bad in this particular spot. V2 only has 275 in his stack. He is never 3betting to 75 only to fold for 200 more. Shoving here is at best going to have us chopping with AK, otherwise we are a slight dog to QQ and a massive dog to KK+.

You think the results of this hand validated your advice but it actually proves how awful it is, since our shove carried no FE.

Look,
No matter what I say it will never ever be good enough for some folks who actually are armchair world champions in front of their computer screens. So, I'm not even bother to respond to such weak arguments as your from above.

Yes, sometime we face QQ with a short stack and race to the finish line. But overall our/my strategy will produce a winning approach to the game that translates in bigger profits. Instead of folding or calling or reevaluating on the flop we power play them all.

What is the correct play to this specific situation that our friend is facing?

1. He should have folded preflop?
2. He should have called and reevaluate on the flop and fold there if missed?
3. He should decide to give up NL and start playing Lotto or Slots?

What is the optimal strategy with our AK for the above situation?

^ It makes one wonder whether you are aware of how absolutely ludicrous you are. You're the one living in a fantasy world, of opponents who lay down better hands every time you're dealt AK.

If you get your money in bad with AK, you go broke, just like with any other poker hand. You found the WORST way to play the hand and you troll the internet claiming that it's genius.

There is no special strategy for AK.