Villain 1 is mid 50s male TAG. Plays tight and positionally aware ranges. Doesn't stack off light. $900

Villain 2 is super loose preflop (ATC), running very hot. Came here to gamble. $2.5k

Hero has a neutral/losing image, lost a bit of my $1k buy in a few cooler spots. $700.

V2 posts winner's straddle of $10 on the Button. Action begins in the blinds.

OTTH:

Folds to Hero who opens UTG+1 to $45 with AKo, V1 calls in MP, and V2 completes on the BTN.

When V1 called he shook his head in disappointment at the situation. Seems like he may have a marginal hand if he is to be believed.

Flop: A Q 3 (pot: $140)

Hero is probably not going to get 3 streets from a worse hand, and he's not vulnerable to many cards on the turn. Betting into 3 players here looks super strong, so he decides to check for a bit of deception. V1 checks and V2 bets $120. Hero calls and V1 calls.

Turn: 2 (pot: $500)

Hero checks, V1 checks, V2 bets $320.

Hero has $535 in his stack.

Hero?

I'll post results later today.

Might as well just jam the rest, he's never folding an A or Q and will be priced in with flush draws. We don't want to call and see a river and either lose value or be unsure whether we should call when the flush comes in.

Flop line is fine though I think with V2 in the hand and the straddle on, I'm happy to play for stacks with AK. Bet/bet/bet line could work well.

If you have the Kc, I'd make a frustrating fold given the bettor descript.

There are 9 combos of QQ/AQ, chopping w/6 combos which V1 likely slows down on turn (AK).

I don't know if you mixed up the Villain descriptions? V2 who is the aggressor is the loose player. V1 checked both streets and is probably capped at AJ.

This is what happens when you don’t cbet the flop. We have no clue where we’re at. There’s no way I’m underrepping my hand OTF to fold it OTT. You have to sigh GII now.

A better line would be to bet/fold flop for $75 if V2 was to raise flop, which would indicate 2p+ in my games.

I sigh shipped it, V1 sigh called, and V2 snap called. The river came a blank and we were good. Took in a $2k pot.

Despite the outcome, the hand still confuses me. V1 apparently had a combo flush/straight draw. At first V2 commented "I didn't think you would check an Ace on the flop", which indicates that he had overvalued AJ. Later he claimed that had misread his hand for AQ. That would be consistent with his betting pattern, but I am still suspicious he may have invented an excuse to avoid embarrassment.

Still not sure about my play, especially the flop check. Lately I've been having a lot of good results slow playing strongish hands as preflop aggressor on safe boards -- I won a huge pot last week by checking KK in a 3bet pot on 862r and some dude went nuts for 200bbs with JJ.

Flop check is far more standard than what’s being discussed so far. The only reasons I would lean bet is bc you’re 65bb eff and can stack off efficiently on most turns OR if you’re in a game where fishstomping takes priority.

fyp

Just last night in my 2/5 game, someone opens 25, Asian guy 3b to 80, BB cold calls.

Flop AQX Asian cbets 145, BB xr to 310.

Asian folds AK face up.

BB shows AQ and says good fold.

That might be a touch aggressive. Playing your hand face up muiltiway is never awful. Results wise, we just happened to run into a person close to the bottom of their range (or just misclicked/misread their hand if their justification is to be believed).

I’m actually cool with the check. But given descriptions and stacks I’d be check raising villain 2. Even against that size, I’d make it like 290 and ram the rest in on the turn


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Is your point that both these players are horrendous? Legit not sure what’s worse, potting flop or min raising the guy potting flop with the nuts. Close one. Good post though. Tough tough game.

Anyways back to trying not to suck: Here’s a fantastic idea w AK 4 ways on AQ3s... check! Wait what? Ok ok I’ll admit you can’t execute crusher 101 bet folding strat when you check, and that sucks because we know bet folding is how we win all the money in multi-way pots, but still, give it a whirl and tap the felt or say check or point at the next guy or say ‘pass’ and tilt tf out of everybody. Every once in a while your 1p hand is the best hand on the turn too, sometimes even on the ever elusive river (One time in 2003 I made it to the river w AK, but sadly had to bet fold). It’s a funny thing about one pair hands 4 ways OOP in good ol 4 street poker, they just don’t do great getting raised.

The point I’m trying to make is most players (unless maniacal) don’t have the balls to raise the PFR on AQX if they can’t beat AK. Like in the above example, pot was actually $240 on the flop since the PFR called the 3b too. Then, the PF 3bettor proceeds to bet $145 into $240 and gets raised to $310 when both players were $1200+ effective, and the guy proceeds to correctly fold AK.

Honestly, that is how most TAG straight forward players would play AK in that spot. The BB cold caller is never ever xraising a worse hand than AK OTF if they have half a brain. It’s such a disaster for AQ to not win more against AK on that board though. But nobody exploits this by bluff xraising in this spot on AQX.

Everyone is watching all the free content on the crushlivepoker YouTube channel these days and likes to bet/fold.

This is why I suggested bet/folding $75 OTF in the OP’s hand at a straight forward table. Against maniacs who can bluff, I prefer xc flop xshove turn as a trap. But it definitely carries the risk of not being able to bet/fold for cheap when we get outflopped and they let us know by raising.