$1/2 Spread Limit

Hero is in MP, 1 villain in BB, 1 directly to my right and 1 on button. All villains are considered loose/passive.

Hero raised to $17 PF with AKo, flop 9c 8h 7d rainbow.

Flop checks around, pot is ~$68.

Turn: Kc, brings a 2 flush to the board.

All reads on Villains aside, I mean when it comes to 4 handed boards like this, to me, reads seem less important. I can't soul-read 3 other hands, so I feel reduced to playing the odds here and that tells me that one pair in this spot es no bueno. Generally, I feel it's overly optimistic to think that: 1) We are ahead here, at least the majority of the time 2) Even if we are ahead, there are loads of bad cards for us on the river. (10, 9, 8, 7, J, 6, 5, clubs)

I don't want to give 3 players a free card but I don't want to commit a PSB with so many drawing hands connecting well with this board.

Checks to hero on the turn.

Hero?

Much of how I would play this hand depends heavily on the stack sizes of all players involved, would be helpful to know!

So is this the relevant action pf?

MP-1 limps, you bump it up to 17, button calls, BB calls, mp-1 calls?

Flop is checked through (I like this, against most loose passives they aren't going to bluff at it esp after you were the PF raiser, and they aren't going to fold if they caught a piece either. You're turning your hand into a bluff 4-way against loose passives if you bet, and that's generally a losing proposition).

Turn i bet if it's checked to me, and depending on stack sizes and what I know about my opponents I will call or raise if BB/MP-1 bets it.

Yes - sorry.

Stack sizes - Hero $200, BB covers, MP1 $100 and button $150.

didn't read the HH... didn't need to... saw AK in the title and I already know what to do.... seeeeeeing how I was there for this I will wait for some other responses before I chime in, if needed. Any other info on villains that is needed I may be able to help with.

honestly, I feel like any draw or any pair is calling here. I think we should just check behind and hope to check it down or if the river is a blank maybe v-bet small. I just can't see you folding out 3 hands.

What is the SL limits?

Without any specific reads here, you have a very wet board, virtually no one is folding here, someone at the table is wishing they had their hand back for sure.

You are WAWB here, but have decent value in your hand, so bet it, about ~$40 (this will be influenced by the betting cap). I doubt you get anyone to fold here, and most people are not raising this without a monster combo draw. So b/f turn and bet most rivers that don't make a 4 to the draw.

$100 max bet

Simply put, yes, I like AK OTT but I am not in love with it. Tons of river cards that suck. With that said I think a bet is in order with a more than likely checked river that you hope will be showndown without a bet.

The board is so gross I'm starting to think of my TP as a bluff-catcher not a value hand. I might do something silly like bet $25 to collect dead money, depending on who is in the hand.

Thanks for the validation guys, this is exactly what I did. I figured I was probably ahead (but unsure) so I made a small VB, knowing that I was going to get 2-3 callers and hopefully they'd all miss and I'd be getting 3/1 on my bet. My bet was probably a little too small, but again I don't want to over-commit nor drive out any bad draws - such as the button who called first, with a gutty.

The river came a Qc and the BB bet out $50 pretty fast. I leveled myself and mucked, but the button called with 2nd pair and it was good

Don't beat yourself up too much. Not every hand is going to be easy to play, even with optimal play.

I ~pot size bet here on turn. If it helps, on boards like this I try to evaluate flop play: Here (on flop) BB could have anything and want to checkraise all his good hands. Player to your right could also play his good hands like BB but less so as there are only 2 players left to act for him to checkraise. Button checking after you check=no (big)made hand for him. K on turn and then check-check before you IMO validates BB and player to your right still don't have made hands or they would bet big to get other draws out, and K should not have helped Button hand so bet this and get draws out, like you say so many river cards make you cringe.

This was my first thought.

I would bet something like $25-30 also do we have the Ace of Clubs, not usre how important that is? If I get raised after betting or the river card is ugly I am pretty much done with the hand.

I was actually thinking the opposite, checked to him twice, im bet calling here. If villains have made hands i would expect them to be trying to protect their hand on that board

Seriously. This +1. A lot of people seem to be getting very very MUBSY here, but flop checked through, and if turn checks to hero this is an automatic valuebet. If someone decided to check through 2 streets with a monster here, hats off to them. I have no problem getting it AI with this hand vs the 100 and 150 stack. The 200 stack I sort of hope they don't get too entangled.

And that's a bad thing?

GlimittoNLnoobG