1- fold
2- shove
3- call and c/shv turn (there are villains that this will be a fold to tho)

Hand 1:

Everyone is saying how this is a coin flip (which it is against all-in's 22+/AJ+) but there's an extra $18 dollars in the pot from blinds and original raiser. Doesn't this tip things toward an all-in in order to get it HU where we lose $80 ~50% of the time and win $95 ~50% of the time?

Hand 2: What hands coldcall a $80 preflop raise? This reeks of AA/KK to me, so unless CO is capable of doing this with JJ/TT or something then I think I fold.

This is not a flip. 57/43 is a healthy edge. If blackjack players could have gotten this big an edge, they would have destroyed vegas back in the card counting days.

If we think villain is shoving 80 with AQ etc, then yea, we shove.

many players i would imagine will call with AK TT JJ as well as AA KK.

Theyre not folding these at 1/2 i wouldnt imagine. And will not shove some % of time as well.

This is why I probably fold AKo and shove AKs...it's more like an actual coin flip with AKs, so the dead money makes it profitable. And no one 3 bets AQo at 1/2.

OP here..

for Hand 1, i think villain's range is typically wider than 22+/AJ+ here, and given that, and the dead money as well, i think i shove. i have seen $80 stacks shove overtop pre with Ax and KTs numerous times. absent any specific reads, i think we are ahead of villain's range.

just out of interest, here are the PokerStove results assuming it ends up heads-up and for villain's range 22+/AJ+:

AKo vs 22+, AJ+

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 50.271% 45.48% 04.79% 981262908 103340190.00 { AKo }
Hand 1: 49.729% 44.94% 04.79% 969559752 103340190.00 { 22+, AJs+, AJo+ }

AKs vs 22+, AJ+

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 52.666% 48.17% 04.49% 346454448 32299464.00 { AKs }
Hand 1: 47.334% 42.84% 04.49% 308114304 32299464.00 { 22+, AJs+, AJo+ }

as you can see if villain's range is any looser than that, we certainly have equity to shove even with AKo.

Hand 1, depends on villian. If he is an older nit, I think this is a snap fold. At 1/2 live you just rarely ever see a 3 bet with JJ+. I have rarely ever seen someone 3 bet ship AQ or AJ unless they are just trying to leave.

Hand 2, tough spot, but probably a fold given that you haven't invested any money yet. The original raiser has yet to act and brought it for 7.5 BB which usually means quite a bit of strength live. I think the CO definitely has AK or AQ, so one of your outs might be dead if you are behind.

Hand 3: I call and checkraise the turn. I don't ever see live players raise that flop with a gutter, so you don't really have to worry about any card coming off and hurting you. I also don't think most live players raise with a set there, I think they wait for the turn. I think button has AK, AQ, A4, or the same hand a fair amount of the time.

Shove.

Shove.

Call and check/shove turn.