Moving up to 2/5 and finding a lot more x/raising going on OTF and OTT ..less so OTR. What should my 3bet range be?

Assumptions: HU, you are IP and SPR is deep enough to maneuver. V is competent TAG player at this level. Assume their x/r range consists of value and some semibluffs but isnt way out to lunch.

H1: K-9-8r you hold AKo and get x/r

H2: 6-6-3ssd you hold 9s9c and get x/r

Somewhat depends on pre-flop action as well. Was this a SRP or 3B/4B pot? How aggro / bluffy / trappy is V? Do we expect V to show up here with many hands that beat ours, or is it mostly bluffs in his range?

H1 - probably not 3B'ing, because V could have a lot of 99, 88, 98 and some K9 in his range. He could be x/r'ing JT or 76, but with no flush draw on board, he just doesn't have enough bluffs for us to 3B here.

H2 - probably not 3B'ing, but it's closer. Hard to think V is going to be x/r'ing with worse for value, or that he'd have many 54 combos here. His range would seem to be 6x or flush draws. If we just call the x/r, his 6x might slow down on a flush card.

Most players don't have a x/r-fold button, at least not with value hands. As the PFR, we can 3B over an x/r or just a raise from behind, but it needs to be thick value, and we'd be playing our hand pretty face-up.

My experience at 2/5 is that there's more checking back and less x/r'ing OTF, but more x/r'ing OTT, which isn't thick value quite as often as flop x/r's at 1/3, which almost always seem to be sets or 2P.

I'm just trying to think of scenarios where I would want to 3-bet someone's x/r and I can't think of any. If they're bluffing too much (ie. their range is too weak) I want to just call. If their range is too nutted I want to just fold/call.

It would only make sense if I thought my range was still ahead of their x/r value and stacks were deep enough to not be in by the river, no?

Not sure if this is answering your question or just me thinking out loud...

We should have some post flop 3B's, at least sometimes, but the scenarios would seem rare, most likely cooler situations, and often against bad opponents, where we have a monster, or a monster combo draw. It's got to be strong range vs strong range, unless someone was massively slow playing something.

The first scenario that comes to mind is set over set, or boat over trips. Straight over straight on a two tone board. Flush over flush.

Board texture, stack depths, pre flop action, and position all come into play, when trying to figure out how to get stacks in. Do we want to flat call and risk V shutting down on a scary runout? Are we too face up if we 3B?

There's also the psychological aspect, where V's discount us fast-playing the nuts, and assume we're bluffing with a range advantage.

In game, facing an x/r as the PFR, I think about how vulnerable my hand is or how likely it is to improve vs V's range, and what size bet I'm expecting on the turn. If my hand is likely best, but vulnerable to being downgraded on a bad runout, and unlikely to improve, and doesn't block V's most likely bluffs, I'm more likely to 3B. If my hand isn't too vulnerable, and I think V will over-commit to a bluff on the turn, I'm more likely to just call.

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Okay thanks that makes a lot of sense.

H2 is an easy fold, H1 depends on the villain, his range, and the eff stacks.

If you're in a game with a lot of c/r'ing going on, it's probably not a good game. That's not the norm in my games, most of them are just as passive as 1/3.

Not really. Both of those examples seem like difficult spots where you just have to make the best of what you know about you opponent. 3-betting ranges in most games tend to be super narrow and semi-polarized between nuts and big draws. At the very least they're specific to various situation and opponents. Sometimes someone will show up with a hand like the ones your posing in your examples, but it's rare and always in a hand between two of the better players in the game.

You say half and ignore the other half ... If they are bluffing too much you want to call a lot of value, but raise at least some bluffs (you probably need to raise some value as well). On the other side if they are nutted and you have the actual nuts (or even better, freeroll's) ... don't just call.