Hi all,

This might belong in the low-stress thread, but figured I'd write it up, just tell me I'm overthinking if that's the case.

Hero, early 30s white guy, my girlfriend's sitting behind me (any thoughts on what this does to my image? any thoughts on how it changes if it's a regular V/they've seen her sit behind me more than once?). I think I've been there maybe an hour or so, should be perceived as TAGgy, maybe sLAGgy, hard to say, I haven't played that many pots and haven't really had to show my cards at all.

Villain, late 20s, some sort of Asian/Pacific guy (Filipino, maybe?). He's definitely too loose preflop, seen him limp some soooted trash up front and call a raise, don't know how much tighter his raising standards are, but he has raised at least once before this. He's wearing Beats headphones and has been sitting on around $500 since I sat down.

V2, probably about 40, Indian, seems like a bit of a jerk, but also seems fairly competent, tight-ish, not that bad, anyhow. That's about all I've got on him, he's been snug enough for the hour I've been here that I don't have a great read. My guess is (from the snugness) that he probably has a similar read as me on V1.

V1 ($500), MP1
V2 (covers), HJ
Hero ($310), CO

Hero has AK.

2/3 blinds, Two folds, V1 makes it $16, one fold, V2 calls, Hero raises to $55, folds to V1, who calls, V2 folds.

Flop: ($125 after rake/jackpot drop) A64

V checks, Hero bets $75, V makes it $175...?

I started the flop with $255, so his bet leaves $80 behind.

Anyone hate preflop sizing or 3! in general? Anyone not GII when it comes A-high in a 2 SPR pot?

Standard. Never folding.

You should determine the range of hands that villain would play like this and figure out whether or not you are getting the right odds to get it in vs villain in this spot. If you do that, then you really shouldn't ever need to make a post like this because spots like this are just math.

Step one is to figure out a raising range for V1. Then you can start thinking about his flatting, folding and 4bet range. Once you've done that, you can decide whether the 3bet was a good idea or not. Without this, you run into the danger of creating a range that supports you decision, rather than the reverse. You've seen him raise once in about 30 hands. That suggests a range of JJ+, AQs+, AK. As said above, the rest of it is just math.

Your image is depends on the dynamic going on between the two of you. I've seen guys spewing their rent money away with the gf pleading for them to get up from the table to rental situations. My read is generally they are control freaks. Otherwise their gf would be doing something other than watching them play. If they lose control of a hand, they're likely to tilt badly.

If your girlfriend is sitting with and your having fun together I'm going to assume your a tourist out for a night at the casino. If your girlfriend is sitting quietly behind you then your probably a control freak. May or may not be good in general but are likely to have tilt issues. In any case, if I have played with you before how you actually play is more important then general appearance.

As for this hand, you have an SPR of 2 and TPTK. Getting raised isn't happy but your obviously committed. As for preflop, probably OK but depends on villain's raising range. 1 hour isn't a lot to go by though, so at this point all you know is that he isn't really loose.

In fact, you created the situation by 3! preflop. It's fine to 3! preflop with AK, but realize that this commits you stacking off when you flop a pair (and sometimes when you miss as well).

FWIW, when I'm in LP my frequencies for calling vs. 3! is approx 50-50.

3betting for me probably depends on how loose/tight an opener this guy is. With just 100bb stack and a little dead money in the pot with the first call, if V1 opens at all widely then I'm cool with a 3bet. I'd also go to $55 as it gives implied odds to V1 of 8:1 (he can't profitably setmine/etc. against us with these low implied odds). I'm cool with preflop.

On these types of flops he's either got something worth calling with or he doesn't (i.e. he simply ain't gonna get much money in ever with KQ/88/etc.), so I would ignore the hands he ain't gonna get money in with and simply target the hands he will (Ax and draws). So I'd pot the flop to get the rest in on the turn. We should feel committed on the flop so I don't like our smallish bet as we will actually be giving correct implied odds to flush draws (since we'll never be able to fold the turn if the draw comes in).

As played, I shove. If he outdrew us getting small 8:1 implied odds preflop, nice hand sir. Otherwise, let's get it in against Ax / draws before the draws get there.

GcluelessNLnoobG

My read on guy with gf sweating him is that in big pots they have less bluffs/overplays in their range as they care less about showing off by bluffing as looking stoopid. Doesn't always hold true but that's my rule of thumb.

Venice nailed it here.

As played otf, 6 combos AK, 1 combo AA he shouldn't really be calling with 66 or 44 and if he is then he's also calling with some other worse hands like AQ or KQdd. We aren't getting him off a chop and he could be bd freerolling with AxKd but against a range of AK, AQs, KQdd, and discounting his 66 combos to half of them we are flipping and over 50% to tie.

If he calls with all his 66 combos we are 40/60. Given the callers in between v was calling $34 into a pot of 92 giving him 2.7:1 direct and 8.7:1 implied. Given read in op I'm going to assume v is loose enough to call with his 66 and that we are therefore 40/60 here.

So we are roughly a 1.5:1 dog getting 2.5:1 if we get it in here.

Note if villain has all combos of 66 and 44 in his range we are a 2:1 dog and still priced in to Gii here.

Back to what Venice said... There is a link to a thread in the stikkies about playing AK preflop by Sol Reader. It's worth a read.

Edit: here is the thread
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh....php?t=1307434

Well played; now call.

As played, no choice but to gii here on the flop. I think you are chopping more than anything else, but more likely to be crushed (AA, 66, 44, A6) than you are to have him dominated (AJ/AQ). Unless he is completely lag/spew or thinks you have a lot more 88, KQ in your range than AK, he's not going to play AQ/AJ this way.

TPTK with an SPR of 2 with a straight draw and flush draw on the flop is a no brainer GII

weren't you trying to get in on an A high flop w AK and an spr of 2 w flush and straight draws out there?

this is bread and butter in my opinion, though of course we lose sometimes.

C'mon guys No one here should have a straight draw and with the A being a diamond, FDs, while possible, are small parts of hero or villain ranges.

He shouldn't have many (any?) straight draws in his open raising range, but he probably doesn't have much 66 and 44 from EP either.

I think the most likeliest range we run into here is {AK-AJ, big Kxs, A6, A4}. Are you really going to fold here for 100 BB's with TPTK after putting >40% of your stack in the middle?

This V sounds like a fish and I generally treat them like fish until they prove their competence.

No never folding as we are getting the right price to call off against even a tight range. I'm just saying the fact that there are FD and sd on board has almost nothing to do with that decision here IMO (I think I included like one FD in my range above).

Fistpump shove.

....oh and pics of GF of course.

God damn, gf must have been bored to death... hopefully you impressed her with a super LAGy image and raising 95% of your hands.

As played, this is a pretty easy shove spot and hope V has AQ-AJ or flipping and has Kx . If V1 has a tighter open range, consider flatting pre-flop to keep V1's range relatively wide while also concealing the strength of your hand.