Hi all,

2/5/10 straddle. Hero opens AKo on the btn to $30, I have been fairly active preflop today, just getting our fair share of good hands, and sb 3! to $140. Folds to us and we 4! to $385. He calls $1,200 eff. I think sb is a decent pro or semi pro who is down considerably this session after taking some beats. Our only big showdown hand was calling with QQ and we were good.

Flop ($775): J77cc. We have Ac. He checks we bet $270, he calls.

Turn: ( $1235): 3h. He checks, we jam $550 eff. Not sure if we have enough fold equity on the turn to get him to laydown TT or QQ, could have the other AK/AQ too.

Thanks,
DT

What is rake like? In lower rake games we can do a lot of calling of the 3bet pre. This spot is actually very different from a game game where there is no straddle. SB range should be stronger, but we can also continue wide. Also, assuming low rake you are allowed to trap some with AA, KK, and also flat with AKo, AKs. GTO Wizard has this at 25% call with AA, 37% call with KK, 71% call with AKo (17% small 4bet and 12% 4bet jam, balanced by jamming JJ some). You also get to continue with like all the suited connectors down to 54s pure, J8s pure, 86s 95% of the time, most of the AXs. Our calling range is basically well protected.

4bet sizing too big. You are in position, not that deep. Go 2.2x, like $310.

On your initial raise you can also go $25. Keep the blinds wide, give your self a chance to steal cheap, keeps stacks deep for more maneuverability playing a pot in position.

Flop bet is kind of big now that stacks are shallow. I think I would prefer something like $150-$200.

Turn is a check. For sure not expecting QQ to fold. TT should call sometimes considering the bet is now small compared to the pot.

It’s $5+$2

I prefer just calling the 3b unless you think he's going to ship over your 4b light. Being IP this is the perfect spot to call the 3b dominating his Ax,Kx,etc - if those hands fold its really a disaster imo. As played I might go a little smaller OTF - turn I'm probably giving up as he called 270 so I would think he makes a crying call OTT a lot.

Seems like call and 4bet would be a mix with a fair amount of calling, something like 60-70% calling frequency. 4bet also seems fine, but my sizing comments still stand.

Your reasoning on the other hand you think your bets are getting called by 88 on board like this on your river bet. And in this almost exact same hand you want to know if 1010 and QQ lays it down to a jam? Do you see where your logic is all over the place? QQ is not laying down to a jam. 1010, yes quite possibly. Do you see why in the other hand your targeting of 77 and 88 with a river bet makes little sense?

I like the 4bet but would keep it to 300-350. Just jamming wouldn't be awful. Calling is OK too but button vs SB I like to do a lot of 4betting.

Stack sizes are awkward. I don't mind a flop bet/turn jam but would make the flop bet smaller to try and get more fold equity on the turn with a bigger relative bet. As played with less than half a pot sized bet left you had probably best check back.

We have set up a commitment spot with our preflop sizing, given the SPR. We block the NFD and I'm just jamming it in here on flop also blocking some of V's AA/KK combos.

We have taken a polar line and I would just continue. We would offer V roughly 2-1 on his call and it's very tough for him to continue with the lower end of his range - TT/99 and AKo/AQs. He might even fold his QQ incorrectly.

AP: Instead, we basically offer him direct 4-1 to continue on flop (plus IO). This just folds his air. It also sets up a pot size where V will get ~7-2 to call our turn jam. So we sacrifice nearly all FE and positional advantage.

If we're going to take this flop line, I'd rather check turn brick and try to hit the river. We have already folded his air, but we would get 7-2 to chop if he jams.

I take back jam preflop. OOP yes. IP might as well use position to your advantage, I still like the 4bet, calling is fine, jamming negates the positional advantage

With 1200 effective, I do not mind neither the 4bet, nor its size.

OTF, you have 815 effective and a pot of 775: this means that the choice is between check and shove.
Betting small doesn't make much sense here, especially as a bluff.

This isn’t really true for 4bet pots, although people who haven't studied 4bet pots often play them like that in live poker.

This shallow SPR is super common for 4bet pots and the best bet size is almost always going to start with a small bet on the flop like 25%. Sometimes even 10% pot or 15% pot even.

If OP sized down the 4bet a bit and sized down the flop a bit, he had more maneuverability postflop and can still have fold equity on later streets. And with all the overpairs in our range and the threat of barreling on later streets, we can often bet small on flop with both value and bluffs. Turn and river have to introduce a good amount of give ups though. Obviously there are more combos of AK than AA and KK, so we can't blindly bet off all our AK.

I would prefer smaller 4bet and smaller flop bet. Them, turn we could mix barreling and checking, planning to jam river if a C comes out to represent the nut flush or even a hand like AA or KK which can still go for value when the flush comes in when ranges are so condensed and the SPR is so low.

Agree with most of what you wrote.

Sizing down the 4bet and c-betting small is most likely the optimal line (mixed with some flatting to the 3bet preflop).
Although sub-optimal, I do not mind a bigger 4bet preflop, as OP did. In this case though, check or shove are the only options postflop.