Hey everyone. Had my worst session last night and got absolutely buried. A lot of my mistakes seemed to boil down to pre flop. Early on I got stacked making a play on a limp-reraiser by 4bet shoving all-in with AKo (guy had KK). The hand in question is reflection about my pre flop questions. Is AK just honestly a fold to 4bets and a flat to 3bets at these stakes?

OTTH

Hero should be viewed as slightly tilted and clawing back from being down. V appears very tight, has earbuds, and is just watching a video and playing very few hands.

Hero is in the SB and looks down at AKdd. Sitting $650 (in for a little over 700 at this point)
V is in BU and is sitting $280 effective

EP opens to 15, V 3bets to 50, Hero 4bets to 120. V thinks for 15 seconds and jams for $280 total. Hero????

A spot like this is exactly what lost me so much money last night. I honestly never have any idea what to do in these spots. It feels wrong to flat this 4bet OOP against the SB. Another thing is I think my sizing was too small. Is this just a fold to a 4bet especially against a tight player at these stakes? Is this even a 4bet? Would love some more thoughts on this hand as this pre flop leak has honestly really affected me mentally as I don't fully know the solution. Thank you.

In 1/2 games, the typical 3bet range is very tight, esp a $50 3b over a $15 open. With the read you have, I wouldn't be happy to get all in preflop against the villain putting in the 3b. (Range like JJ+,AK?) But it does seem like once you've 4b to $120, the play is to call the 5b.

What you will find with AK is that it depends a lot on how well you are running. Some of my best and worst days have come from getting a lot of AK. On days where people fold to my c-bets with air and call when I did hit they make a lot of money. On days where I miss every flop and people won't fold to c-bets they end up costing a lot.

At low stakes AK is often a fold to a 4 bet. 4 betting ranges are so tight that you have no edge and the pot so bloated that your committed if you see the flop. What to do against a 3 bet is a lot more situational. You really need a grasp on villain's range because raising, calling and folding can all be best. In the example you give once you 4 bet your committed, villain's stack isn't big enough for you to fold.

Honestly sometimes I’ll 4bet it suited, sometimes flat call a 3bet. I flat with AKo, generally 4 bet suited black AK for ranging. Your bet was a little low but not terrible and yeah you need to call given his stack size. Also the players matter a lot and if it was a Limp reraise that’s at WORST queens against most players in my room.

I will flat call open raises with AK against certain opponents for deception as well especially if I know we will be 2-3 handed.

In online play, or Sim-Land, 4-bet (and then calling a jam) is perfectly standard.

IME, live 3-betting ranges are very narrow. I still think 4-bet (then calling) is fine (at this stack depth), but I honestly don’t hate just folding it against a Villain who’s shown no signs of ever 3-betting light (as this will be the case with most LLSNL players).

It’s been one of my recent adjustments to live play. When I started I would always 4-bet/GII with AK and would just never ever be in a good spot. I now treat live 3-bets as JJ+/AK (absent any history) and respond accordingly.

I think H made the decision to call the jam as soon as H 4b. For 140 bigs I’m really not sweating it. Just hope he has KK and not AA.