4/8 with a kill. Hero has a respected TAG image. Game is running better then normal with a decent lineup of players. Two friends that play in local 20 games decided to come hang out with me and our game has become very very aggressive which I like. Almost feels like we are playing 4-8 online just to put thinks in perspective.

Hero has AKss in the BB, EP limps and MP (weakest player) 2 bets button calls, Hero 3 bets, EP limper calls and Weak MP caps all call.

4 way action. (16sb) flop: 397

Hero checks, EP checks, MP bets, button folds and all call.

3 way action. (9bb) Turn: J

Hero reluctantly checks, EP checks, MP bets, hero calls and EP folds.

Heads up. (11bb) river A

Hero bets and Villian 2 bets... hero?

Was it wrong to chase the A or K this way. I am almost certain that if A or K hit I would win and just by playing with this Villian A can be good here also. We could honestly have the same hand.

Should I have check raises to slow down action? Thoughts on how to play this hand better. I was getting odds to draw to what I think is the best hand right?

Against the weakest player at the table, I'm assuming loose passive and not a spew monkey, I'd check call river. I'd adjust my line vs a spew.

As played, snap fold.

You absolutely don't have this image. It would be impossible. If you like the fact that the game is fired up and you're not folding every hand while grumbling about how these guys are terrible people, everyone sitting there hates you or likes you as a spot.
He's one of three people who know each other and who have made it a wild and crazy game? From the viewpoint of the MP player, they're all nuts. Sure, they're making thin raises (maybe even normal online ones), but the local 4/8 population thinks that you play LHE by limping preflop and hitting a hand. If you're seen as a maniac, you can't fold top pair here. TPTK? That's crazy.

You cannot play hands in unorthodox fashion and make thin folds. You can't have a maniac image, donk the river on a scare card, and then fold for one more bet closing the action. All the things that make b/f correct in small passive games are missing.

this point was unclear. I thought MP was some random player, caught in the middle of every hand being capped preflop, who woke up with a monster.

Never folding if MP was one of the aforementioned 20 player.

MP isn't one of the 20 players. He's probably a "regular 4/8 player" who limps a lot and thinks the game is just bingo. To a player like this, hero and his 20 friends look like maniacs who raise way too much and bluff often.

MP could be raising with worse if he thinks of hero in this light.

I did a terrible job explaining the dynamics of this game and many of you have made some of your own assumptions as to how you think it was played. Shame.

So is this a substandard peel? We are getting the odds for this so why not peel if we think it's the best.... right?

Except for one thing: We got raised on the river by a fish in a 4/8 game. So sure, calling can never be horrendous in a pot of this size, but this just doesn't seem like the type of player who would barrel twice and raise river with worse that often. I'd probably just check call if we're worried he's going to spew.

That's how I read it. MP is normal guy.
If you can explain how the normal MP guy thinks you're a normal TAG and that he's always got you crushed, then fine. The way I read your OP, that's just not possible.

Here's my view. Everyone comes on the forum and posts "I'm a good strong TAG and everyone at the table respects my game, only showing strong winners for an hour" -- that's part of the attempt to get people here to agree you're a good player. That's fine. Heck, that_pope posts that and he's a hard drinking maniac at the table. He's also a good player, but no 20/40 villain (his regular game) sees him as anything but a total nutjob. In your OP, you said that two 20/40 guys (who are your friends) sat down and made the game crazy, and you enjoyed it. Your image is shot for this session, imo. Callipygiansays stuff like that, and in his Bay101 game, every losing reg told me he was a nutjob who never wins (he wins, they're wrong). See where this is going?

If my read of the situation is that 3 friends sit down and lit up the game is correct, you trust the MP not to get frustrated and go off enough to make this call profitable?

Good gosh Doug L... I can't even respond to this.

I don't even get an honorable mention. :/

You could try. DL's pretty much spot-on as I interpret as well.

I've never played with you or heard anyone you played with say bad things about your game. You could be the most solid, respected citizen in the entire casino. I've played with Captain R. People at the Bellagio were offering to cover the fee to change his flight, to keep him at the table for three or four more hours. I'm not folding K high to him, because he's never beating a K without sucking out on the river.
If I'm wrong, just say "you're wrong and here's why". Maybe I'll respond with "now that you've explained it, clearly I was wrong and I see what you're saying".

Preflop, flop, turn: all seem very reasonable. Pot is big enough that you can easily call the turn with a discounted 3-4 outs and small chance of chopping unimproved.

River: seems close to a fold, but call to see if he has AhKh (or possibly tilt raising with KK/QQ/TT). The guy you're describing probably has AAA or JJJ here. Donking river does seem best to get money from KK/QQ/TT which likely check behind.

Since I got the honorable mention I guess I should respond.

First, a "respected TAG image" is both rare and a negative thing to have at small stakes games. The vast majority of players play too loose and too passively. Their collective opinion is literally worth nothing (if not less). A respected TAG image only really matters where people actually recognize TAG play and understand it wins.

Second, check-raising to "slow things down" is an oxymoron. It only costs you 2.5 BB to check-calldown, so check-raising to save money is pointless.

Third, if there's anyone whose raises you should respect, it's passive players'. People who open-limp TT have really strong raising ranges. And when he caps preflop, honestly, does he ever have AK? Or do you think that because of table dynamics suddenly the 85/5 superfish is going to adjust correctly (in my experience, people adjust exactly the opposite of what they should do - when faced with an aggressive player, they become more passive)?

Fourth, donking the river is probably right. 4/8 villains frequently call KK or QQ so they can show how behind you were before the river, and check behind because obviously you have AK. Snap fold when raised.

I'm not sure why you're "reluctantly" checking the turn. Seems like that's the only play.

NH, now call the raise and hope he's got AQs or some spaz.

Call river and expect a chop often enough to be +EV.