Ok, this is kind of the most awkward pot I have played in a while, and I can't really seem to find where I messed up. This was played in 2.5/2.5 10-handed.

First, some player information.

I am in the CO with roughly 650 chips, and I have a TAG-image at the table. When I open, even from the late positions, it's usually with good stuff.

D is a very straight-forward TAG who also gives my open-raises a bunch of credit. (Stack: ~400)

SB is probably the most competent player at the table and also a TAG, he just picks all of his spots very well. He is not moneyscared in the slightest and also knows, that the money means more to me than it does to him, he likes to put pressure on me. (Stack: ~1000)

UTG is a LAG, who is terribly sticky. Not sticky in a sense of "I call 2:1 on a gutshot with undercards" but more in a "me has pair, me not folding" sense. He is a winning player though. (Stack: ~700)

So UTG and 3 other garbage humans limp, and I have AsQs in the CO. I open to 30 bucks and D calls. Now, as said, he givey my opens a lot of credit so I think he never has a really big hand in this spot. It would just make so much sense to 3bet TT+/AK in this spot against me, since he's most likely getting action and he can knock out the blinds and the limpers to get heads up with me.

Now, SB 3bets to 85 bucks. And he's really the only guy at the table who has a decently wide 3betting-range, I have seen him 3betting KTo and A5s in similar spots before, especially when I am involved who doesn't like to play huge pots preflop, and when there is so much money out there already with one caller and some limpers. The Pot is now 150.

UTG, who has limped, cold-calls which doesn't make me too worried. There are some other players where my alarm-bells are going off, but he just doesn't fold his random broadway-cards or connectors getting this price and also knowing that it's not super likely that either me or D will come over the top. He has a really wide range here.

Now, I'm roughly getting 3.5:1 on a call with AsQs here (call 65 to win 232.5), but the problem is that I didn't realize that D is still in the hand. Based on the price and the low SPR postflop that will make it very easy to play my hand (if I flop an ace or spades, I'm usually just going with it). As said, I thought it was very unlikely for D to have a really big hand in this spot, but it's of course a huge mistake to just overlook him, especially when he has a perfect shoving-stack and I'm giving him a ******ed price + position on me. So this is my first question here, is calling the optimal play right here with a hand like AQs even though D is behind me? Based on price and SPR, I can't really justify a fold but I would like to hear the opinion of others, because this moment right here might have been my escape hatch.

EDIT: Now of course, there is an argument for shoving too. As said, I'm giving D a sick price + position and my AQ will miss the flop a high percentage of the time, but unfortunately I was assuming that I was closing the action, so I really hated shoving in that spot since I though I would see a flop in position. Especially because I was suited, I thought there is just a bunch more possibilities that the flop could bring me, so I assumed I'm better of just calling here. So that would be another question, is a shove in this spot reasonable with D behind me?

So D calls, Pot is 362.5 before the flop and it comes Ad 8c 6c. SB continues for 150 and UTG folds. I'm not shocked that SB continues here, this is just a super straight-forward betting board for him (he C-Bets 100% of A-high boards in 3bet pots), and as said, he is really the guy who can have stuff like Ac5c or Kc8c here. I'd assume KcQc for example is just a little too good to 3bet out of the SB, but the medium suited kings and low suited aces are totally in his range here. Not all of them, but a bunch of them. Even though I completely hate this spot of course with TP 2nd kicker, the SPR is such that I really can't ever fold once I hit my ace, so I shove 150+315, D folds and SB quickly calls with AKo. I had a pretty bad feeling about this, but as I said, SB is really the only guy who doesn't have to have it in this scenario, and if he's got Ace-High clubs, he's never folding in a million years. Equilab gives me 29% against SB's range, which means I need 5% fold equity for my shove to be break-even, but assuming that the ace wasn't a club, I think I'm getting that. He will probably call with his king high clubs, but he has to assume that he's in jail a lot of the time against me, since I can easily have TP with the nut flush draw there. Also, he can have air here too. Very rarely, but he can.

So I said the shove is a super simple SPR decision even though the odds were far away from perfect. Am I correct about approaching the flop-decision purely by SPR? Because if I am, the only way of getting away from this is folding pre, which I don't know if I should have done that or not.

The hand is well-described - but it's easier to read if the action is stated without commentary and then the commentary added.... (it's just a little hard to read through to find the bare bones)....

I don't think there was an escape hatch with the fact that D still was behind you on the 3bet pre. He had had a chance to escalate IP and he didn't after your bet... I don't think there's any reasonable worry about him suddenly getting active now. I also can't see folding AQs to the SB unless you know he's a nit and that this means qq+/AK (lots of players like that). If, as you say, he's prone to 3-betting light - then this is an easy call.

My only possible criticism is OTF. I know you can't fold - but not sure why you have to shove. He's probably never folding a hand better than yours (as he proved).... and if he's on AJ/AT or something like that - he may well continue... I suppose you are protecting against D having a FD... but I'd prefer the smooth call. (In this case you are probably going to get felted anyway - but I'm thinking of the general case).

so SB has a light 3betting range and there's lots of added dead moneys in the middle?

shove pre & embrace the variance

I just don't think that the smooth-call does anything. The pot will be 600 bucks with me having ~300 behind, so I am always going all in on any turn card. There is literally nothing I'm scared of, I just can't fold at that point. All my smooth call does is allowing my opponent to catch up for free if he has a hand like Kc8c. If the SPR would be 1-ish after my call, I could totally see myself smooth-calling there just because my shove really doesn't ever get called by worse, but 0.5 is really the dead zone, I'm never folding anyway because I'd just be too exploitable especially against this opponent.

If V has A5 or K8 then he's calling your shove anyway and it's irrelevant (for the same reasons that you aren't folding). Similarly if he currently has you beat - it's all going in.... BUT... the case I'm targetting is the hand that simply c-bets on any 3bet - but is very vulnerable. Like TT. If he had a hand like this and you called the cbet (but didn't raise)... I think he might well think you just needed on more push to knock you off the hand.

I grant it's debateable (him barrelling with TT) ... but he might have you on the FD.

12x open? If that's standard, then your game plays far far bigger than 2.5/2.5 and you can play AQ as you might on 100bbs. If not, then you've made a pretty nasty sizing mistake 250bb deep that limits your options and has you playing a big pot with an oft dominated hand.
Now, if the game does play this big, and you can legitimately 4b shove for value w AQs against SB, UTG ranges, then do it. Otherwise, I guess it's a meh flat and hope to flop big.

This game is pretty soft and super limp-heavy. When the action is on me, there is 15 in the pot already and I open-raise to 30 just because I don't want to play a 7-handed pot with AQ. Only when the 3bet to 85 and the call from UTG happened, reverse implied odds came into my mind, as I open, 5 out of 6 players left to act could have easily called with a worse hand. A "standard" open-raise size to 3x or even 4x would have accomplished absolutely nothing in this particular game, it would only have bloated the pot without knocking out a single player. And as you see, even my big open and a 3bet out of the SB ended up in a 4-way pot which would never happen in different games.

I just don't think he barrels out of the worst position into 4 people with TT. As I said, picking his spots is what he does best at this table and I can't imagine a good reason for him to do this. Even against the best players at this table, there is no need to be truly balanced in spots like this, they don't even pay that much attention.

In one response you said this: "I'm never folding anyway because I'd just be too exploitable especially against this opponent." Then in a follow-up you said this:

So first you say you don't want to be exploitable, then you say it's fine to be exploitable (there's no need for balance). Basically what you're saying is, and we've all been there, "**** I got stacked tell me I did the right thing." But tbh, by the end of this thread the advice will be all over the map, cuz we all play different and like most poker situations, this one's not clear cut.

My advice is to clean up your thought process.
1. Either you want to play "unexploitable" (whatever that means...usually it means refusing to fold), or you're fine with hero folds.
2. Either he is "picking a spot" and you're likely ahead or at least have good odds, or he doesn't "barrel out of the worst position into 4 people with TT", in which case you have to give him a range and decide. If you think he only fires here with something, the widest range you could give him is AT+, sets, 2p, Ax clubs, and KQ-KT clubs. Against that range you're an underdog otf, though you obv have equity vs some of it.

If you think he's picking a spot, call the flop and any non-scary turn. If you think he won't barrel into 4 with less than something very good, folding the flop is tight ("exploitable") but defensible.

So idk if there's any shame in going broke on any of these streets, or in folding at some point, as long as you know why you're doing it. You had a read that had a reasonable chance of being correct, and oops, this time he had it.

UTG limp/calling a 3bet cold for 34BB is the most concerning to me.
Also, taking TT/JJ/AK out of D's range is probably a mistake.

Flop raise is worst option.. Either fold, or call and get it in on the turn.

Oh, my bad. That was related to SB, I don't think he feels the urge to be truly balanced in a spot like this and thus doesn't necessarily continue with something like TT.

Actually, I'm quite happy that I now found a bunch of mistakes that I made in this hand. I probably couldn't live with this hand if I played it perfect and just got screwed, so at least I have a lot of stuff to work with before the next session. Thx!

I don't think it's a shove here on the flop. I would call and see what the villian does for the turn. I could easily see a fold here on the turn because of their range and you only have a pair...

What is "2.5/2.5"?

What are "garbage humans"?

2.5/2.5 are the blinds. I know it's weird but that's just my local casino. garbage humans are players, that are not going to matter throughout the hand

I have to say I really dislike that term.

Yeah... I was going to give him a hard time about it. But w/e... welcome to the Internet, eh?

Lol at "2.5" blinds. Must be a rake thing. E.g. blinds are 2/2 and house takes 0.5/0.5 each hand preflop.

Think you have a major flaw in your reasoning. If you assume SB is a good player, the 3bet is never light here. Just because he's 3betted light in the past doesn't mean that he will do so in this situation. 3betting light is good when you expect your opponents to fold or 4bet, so you can balance your range with pure value/trash with blockers (polarized range). 3betting light is HORRIBLE if your opponents call often as you'll be playing bloated pots sometimes oop with junk (3bet value instead if they call too much). If SB is good, he knows that his sizing makes calls, especially in position, very likely, so his 3betting range here will always be weighted towards value. Otherwise he is not as good as you think he is and you should rethink your read.

Don't post results as it skews all the answers, and i'm trying to give you one with out my opinion being skewed.

I think your raise is open to $30 is too big. That is a massive over bet that is getting 3bet. I don't think it's a good idea to open this big. The big blind is 2.5? so that is a 12x raise which isn't horrible, but i'd much rather see you go $25 or $20. So when you open that big, and he is 3betting, especially from the SB - is he light ever here?

I'm gonna range him on JJ+ - I think your range of KQs is a little off, as I doubt he is doing that in this spot since it would be too much gamble in this spot.

Any ways, once the ace flops and he bombs it, you are never getting worse to call if you jam. So that is not the correct mindset. A much better approach would be call / call / call if you want to continue with the hand.

Pre i'm on the fence about, but it's not awful since you have position.

I think the flop bet really puts you in a tough spot, and if you think he could be bluffing here, i probably call and dump it on the turn if he jams. You are just too deep to go broke with AQ. Also your massive open induced this massive 3bet, which also got you stacked.

Grunch.

Calling PF is a good play, IF you are OTB and HU. If you're not in that spot think about whether there's a better approach to the hand.

Playing AQ, even AQs, in a multiway pot is a very tricky proposition. If you avoid it most times, you'll do better. In this spot, multiway getting 3-bet from the blinds, I would tend to give up on the hand.

It's just not the TYPE of hand one should play under these conditions. I would rather have TT in this spot, so I'd know I'm getting the chips in good maybe 40% of the time. But even TT is cringe worthy here though. You want the type of hand that will get polarized by the flop, so you'll avoid RIO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6PDcBhODqo