I just call there with AK. I don't fold but maybe that's the correct play. What you call "a squeeze" is often a rare reraise from the players in my 1/2 game with JJ or better. I always call this but maybe against their ranges a fold is better.

A large plurality of 1/2, 1/3 players are only going to 3-bet with QQ+. That the V has not played a hand in the orbit doesn't mean he's one of those players, but it's less likely it means he's not. Without a read, getting involved in this hand means you are going to be playing for stacks with an unmade hand, out of position, against a range that is nearly likely to have us dominated. I'd fold pre for a better spot or a better read.

This is a really good post (esp first bolded part) until the last sentence. This thread is about a cash game, not a tournament. What does it matter if we get better spots in the session or not?

Yes we'll get better reads over time but meanwhile we shouldn't fold profitable hands just because our read isn't great. (It should be symmetrical; why would he have a better read on us than we have on him? ) You summarized well what it means to use our population read but shade it very slightly based on nine hands of him folding.You've made a good case for the very strong range that implies and I agree we're behind that range hot-and-cold (about 40-60 if he 3-bets AK, QQ+)

But calling hopefully yields a 3-way pot with $150 and about $300 behind--NOTE: other stack sizes not in the OP matter quite a bit here!--so it's not purely about hot-and-cold. It's about getting AQ or KQ or worse to pay off when we both flop top pair and the 3-bettor flops an underpair or has AQ. (Occasionally we'll flop top pair and lose a stack, too, but less often based on card combos.) Based on this thread I've changed my view to calling > folding > 4-betting.

Just curious as to how you arrived at this number maybe my math is off or something but I'm fairly new to the game I'd like to be able to come to these conclusions as well.

I meant the combos, to be specific.

Also the use of "squeeze" in the OP and calling something like AQ or AJs a squeeze is really confusing. A squeeze is a semibluff reraise (usually preflop) usually in a multiway pot with a weak hand hoping to get folds including from cold callers.

If he plays AQ or AJs that way he's probably making a reraise with a wide (too wide?) value range. Are people really opening 44 or AK in OP and then folding to a 3-bet in live $1-2?

I played 2 hours at flamingo and only saw 4 3bets. 2 went to showdown: a guy 3bet my $8 Utg+2 open to $18 from the LJ with JJ (this is terrible, both the decision to 3bet and the sizing), and a guy in the SB 3bet a $10 LJ open and HJ call to $27 with AA (I guess when you only 3bet the nuts, sizing small makes more sense?).

I'll take the L on my previous analysis, I still don't know if folding AKo is correct but it's not as ridiculous as I initially thought.

Anyway sorry for the thread hijack. I hope at least some people were interested in the more general discussion of playing against nutted 3bet ranges. I'm gonna take a shot at playing 1/2 and 1/3 like a maniac preflop, maybe I'll make a thread about this if anyone is interested.

Flamingo is probably full of local nits especially if they have a freeroll promo if you play X amount of hours. Caesar's would be a much better place to test your theory. PH too because it just attracts a ton of donks even with the freeroll promo (not sure if they have it during WSOP).

I'm not so sure it's true everywhere but at the Flamingo 1/2, you should definitely find what you're looking for. The other morning a MAWG flatted a $12 open and bunch of callers with JJ in the SB because "I'm out of position." When questioned (not by me), "I don't need poker lessons." LOL

Lol I saw a guy limp the cutoff behind 3 other limpers with QQ. No such thing as too cautious! One of those limpers could have been trying to limp/reraise with AA.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, a MAWL at Caesar's 1/2 one early morning last week was the 3rd caller of a $10 open and then also flatted my cold 3! to $50 with KK.

Poker's dead, folks.

I know it comes as a shock to this forum, but there are many different profitable ways to play poker. It would be interesting to know the winrates of those example players above being chided for passively playing their big pairs preflop in the game that they play in with the opponents they play against. *If* they're rocking an ok winrate (and, admittedly, who knows if they are), but it's *possible* it's not nearly as lol as you might think (especially when playing against a lot of players who think the opposite of them a la "I never limp/overlimp")?

As for the project regarding taking a shot at playing like a maniac, the problem will clearly be that you are unlikely to put in enough hours to really figure out how it's working. Want the best winrate ever? Play super loose and super aggressive and, oh yeah, simply run well in your short sample size. But the real test is how you do over the long term; and who knows, maybe you will do well, but the bottom line is that you won't be able to conclude anything over your short sample test.

GactuallyhadtoGooglewhether"chided"wasawordG

Stuck five figures this week in Vegas so on my last day here I made a return trip to the Flamingo 1/2, which is now probably the only game in town I'm rolled for. Once again in 90 mins of action, I only saw 2 3bets and the only one that went to showdown was a $16 HJ 3bet with KK over an $8 UTG+1 open and a LJ call (the UTG+1 opener jammed a $95 4bet shove with AJdd; thanks to this thread I now know this is like throwing money onto an ignited grill!).

One thing we haven't talked about is that flatting opens loosely is pretty OK when nobody 3bets. At one point a guy UTG+1 flatted my UTG open with KJo, I still think that's a hair loose for my tastes but flatting KQo is probably fine there.

Once again, Flamingo is probably full of OMCs and diamond nits. Who was the 3 bettor? Was it a 25 yo TAG or grandma? Better luck next trip btw.

i would fold preflop, but if for some reason i didnt fold preflop i would make it like $150 and probably shove on like 90% of flops.

Yeah, only reason I play at flamingo is so I can get beers from the American Beer bar in between flamingo/Linq.

The 3 better in this hand was a 40ish black guy (later, someone 3bet his $10 open to $30 and he was astonished at how big the 3bet was. This one didn't go to showdown). The 4better was a 30ish white guy.