4-handed Foxwoods 20-40.

Villain reads: I have extensive experience with both villains. Both are probably moderate losing players. They're both rather straightforward, but with occasional random bursts of aggression.

My image: LAG winner. Both villains seem to feel the need to deploy their random bursts of aggression to fight back against me

Preflop: BTN open raises, I 3! A8o from SB, BB calls.

Flop: AK3, two-tone and I have an A-high BDFD.
I Bet, BB calls, BTN raises, I call, BB calls.

Turn:9, no flush
I check, BB checks, BTN bets, I call, BB calls.

River: 7, no flush
I check, BB checks, BTN bets, I call, BB calls.

Entirely standard

i'd of 3bet flop.

This is wrong in more than one way. Hand is fine.

yeah, your'e probably right.

Three betting flop is spew; they might even fold a rag ace on an AKx texture.

I like how hand was played.

I am trying to think of any other way to play this and can't come up with one so nh.

To add, yes it sucks when someone muscles their way to a cheaper sd with A5, but they only gain 0.5 bb versus passively calling down, and risk losing 1 to 1.5 extra bb (or folding the winner). Occasionally we'll have AQ+ and be able to punish flop raises on this texture accordingly.

I reasoned that due to my BDFD I could invite BB to come along OTF. But OTT, after BDFD doesn't come, I really want to blow out th BB with a raise, but I chickened out.

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Trying to make someone told a bigger ace here seems really bad

I doubt that is why he was considering raising the turn. Most likely for value against button and to run out BB draws.

Just doing the math quick: by k/c or k/r I can offer the BB either 7.5:1 or 4.5:1. I figured his distribution contained some 5 out hands that may be correct to continue if I just call.

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Nh

if rather straightforward means button is only raising for value then this is automatic. if rather straightforward means he's raising a lot of draws and waiting for the turn to raise big hands then not 3-betting is a huge mistake.

"rather straightforward" isn't a description. it could mean lots of things.

Is this Chicken-poker what?

in my experience this is most often the case. aggro losing players are so unbalanced in these spots whether they freecard or not.

I'm surprised at the lack of support for a flop 3bet. I feel like you're ahead of BTN's range and pushing out BB has value. I've been playing in some insanely spewy LHE games lately, so that could be giving me some bias.

That said, I also frequently just fold this hand preflop. SB 3betting Axo doesn't become 100% standard for me until A9. I think that 3betting small Ax from SB is one of the more common mistakes I see people make.

Hi boc4life:

I agree with this. In a lot of ways this sounds like a stud problem. Even if you're not ahead of the button's range it can still be close if you think he'll raise most of the time when he just holds an ace. So if your flop three bet can knock the big blind out, it has value. On the other hand, if you think the big blind won't fold, it might be best to go for a turn check raise.

I think the play is close. My default guideline in this spot is to reaise with A6s+ and A8o+. So if your default guideline was A9o+ it won't make much difference. However, I do agree that if you reraise with Ax where the x is a small card, it's probably a negative expectation play.

Best wishes,
Mason

i think folding a8 is way too nitty

Agree w all of this

Imho straight forward players are not raising king x here given the action

btn is rarely bluffing on this board against two players. Only question is if he might free card with a gut shot, pp or kx or value raises worse Ax. My experience discounts those cases. More interesting line is to xr. This is the hand you'd want to do it with -- not strong enough to b/3b but strong enough to put in more action. That involves creating a (balanced) donk check range though, that this forum is genetally against.

Pf fold is too nitty.

I'm experiencing a lot of players raising the flop and checking the turn in spots like this. I'm way more scared when they DON'T raise the flop here! This is LA live poker and player specific. 3rd player complicates matter though. HU I 3 bet flop all day long and check call river.

the existence of BB makes it a much easier 3-bet...

yes, actually I do agree.