$1/2
H & V both around $450.
V (UTG) seems like a decent reg. Nothing to be worried about or avoid but not a donkey either. On the tighter, ABC'ish side.
H (LP) been opening light and keeping the aggression up. Table surely views me as LAG.

V opens to $10, H looks down at AQo and raises to $37, folds to V who tank calls. I assume V is genuinely contemplating the action, not Hollywooding. (As a side note the BTN claims to have open folded K's because he knew an A was coming).

Flop ($72)
J44r
V Checks, H checks back. I think V will call with any PP, any J, possibly AK and obviously a 4 should he had any of that.

Turn ($72)
J44r Ar

V checks, H tanks for ~20 seconds and puts out $40, V looks nervous and raises to $120. H is now in a tougher spot than he needed to be. Is anyone checking back turn? What about the action now?

Actually I think AP this is a super simple spot, my bigger question is was there any logic in checking back the turn?

I don't like the 3b pre. An UTG open from a tight player is a fairly condensed range & we usually fold out all we beat when we raise.

As played, I think the flop is a c-bet almost always. I'm prepared to double barrel to get those sticky pairs + AK to fold. The best pair V can have is QQ, which we block. Our range has KK+ in it.

I hate every action you took.

Given your read there is no reason to 3! this villain. I don’t know what your position is, but HJ+ you are fine flatting AQ here. You want to keep his AJ/ATs/KQ hands in, as well as his PP’s that are going to x/f on Axx Kxx Qxx and some Jxx flops. You can play super exploitatively and bet the Kxx and Jxx flops while x back Axx and Qxx to try to extract value later.

As played, flop is a pretty mandatory c-bet.

As played, once you decide to x flop turn is a x and maybe get some value on the river. I don’t know what you expect to get called by that you’re beating when you bet the ace.

I don't mind the turn bet, though I agree with others that flop is a standard cbet

As played, folding without evidence of creative bluffs from villain

I actually like the flop check-back, as I've found that LLSNL Vs are ridic call-happy on paired boards. They just don't believe c-bets on those boards at all.

Other than that, I agree with johnny buzz.

Pretty certain V was boated so H folded. After thinking for 15 seconds I'm behind AA, AK, chop w/ AQ, behind to AJ and nearly dead to J's and A4s. The turn bet was ******ed.

Not an easy spot.

Pre-flop and flop seems fine.

Betting the turn is also fine - especially with our laggy image. We can definitely expect to get called by 99+.

As played, I think we should call and contemplate calling a bet of 160 on the river. Villain's line doesn't make a lot of sense. On the one hand he thinks we've been reraising him light and might expect us to bet the A turn with ATC. But then he is representing an extremely narrow range - essentially only JJ. But if he had JJ, and puts us on a wide range, it would make more sense for him to flat the turn, allow all bluffs to continue and wait to see if we try and value bet the river with Ax before springing the trap.

The fact that villain sems nervous does worry me but meh, call and reassess on the river.

I don't like the 3b pre for reasons given above.

I'm checking this flop back often when I do have a legit 3b hand; it's dry like the morning after and I don't expect three streets of value.

I don't mind the turn bet. Against an ABC reg, it's an easy bet/fold. I also don't mind checking it back again. We're in good shape against his check/folding range, so there's not much need to deny him his equity. As you'd expect from the sentence above, I'm folding to the x/r.