20/40

SB: flying Russian fish
Bb: solid younger kid
UTG: all I need is a hope and a dream and my chips go in(straddling to $40)
+1 solid reg
+2 dead money
HJ: hero
Button: solid with some leaks

Folds to hero with 88 3! (obvious move)

Button schmmmose calls 3
Small blind calls
Bb folds
Straddler calls

Flop: AK3 rainbow

Check check check
Hero bets button folds
Sb: raises
Straddler calls 2
Hero calls

I think my line is standard here:

Questions:

What if straddles 4! Pre do we 5!(cap)
There is no chance anyone else is folding

Do we always bet the flop here?

I fold after raise and cold call on such a dry board.
Not capping pre if reraised.

I'd have to know his 4b tendencies in this spot before capping myself and even then I'd prob not do it. sounds like a good game anyhow. My observations of this game is that people generally wait until the turn to get value with their big hands. That said though unfortunately you don't beat much and you don't have any real draw other than your two outer ... you ve got a bluff catcher and you've got to Dodge two streets of nearly half the deck. I think the plus ev thing to do is to just fold now. You can call and play poker on the later streets (call OTF and hope it checks to you ott) and if it were hu with you and the sb I might go that route seeing that we have position ... but with the other fish in the pot that complicates things. And yes cbet there is good OTF btw.

I believe you have the implied odds to spike a two-outer on the turn. I would be folding the turn unimproved.

yeah, getting 20-1 closing the action, and you are guaranteed to get at least 6 more sbs if you spike an 8 turn and likely more, I call the flop and fold turn UI.
I don't always C-bet this flop 5 ways, I am happy to have it check through, or let button bet and fold when it gets C/R. I don't bet because most better hands are calling and we aren't getting any real value here on a AK board with 88.

Also, I'm not capping pre if it gets 4 bet.

Ya, can't fold to the flop raise once we bet getting (I think) 18:1 with really good implied odds. Easy fold on the turn assuming its still 3-ways.

Flop seems like a Check. A bet is really only targeting Qhi, Jhi & Thi hands, of which QJ, QT &JT are never folding. If we Check and Btn bets I think we can fold if both call, probably a fold if only 1 calls as well.

This.

Flat call / fold if an 8 doesn't spike. Yeah, face up play, but these two guys sound clueless and will pay you off if it spikes anyway.

Right, I misread the OP for the number of ppl in the pot...

I'm all in favor of c-betting and all, but with 4 opponents for 3 bets, how likely is it that none of them have an A or K (not very likely), so the flop bet seems like pure spew.

I check the flop with the hope of seeing the turn for either 0 or 1 bets, to best realize my set-mining equity.

3 opponents not 4 btw, not sure if I posted wrong but BB folded

The only person I really expect to have an A or a K is the button, the other two show up with 2 random cards a high percentage of the time. I have a lot of history with the straddler and the Sb has made some of the dumbest plays I've seen at the table, I wouldn't be surprised if he had bottom pair. But it is completely off my reads on their past play. Lows & Simon probably know who they are. Both are 50+ and probably top 10 weakest players in the game.


That being said knowing they have a wide range preflop do we still bet the flop?

Vs mostly passive calling stations is it worth betting in position to see a free river instead of checking flop and Folding when bet into?