Unblocking diamonds is not a significant detail at this level where passivity is the norm and players are almost never shoving with a naked flush draw.

The reason you have to call is because your opponent could (absent reads) be making this play with AJ.

Well, your opponent was doing something stupid but he happened to be doing it with a better hand.

Villain flatting preflop from UTG+2 is terrible. There was already a bet and a call and he is still in EP. Flatting is just inviting everybody into this pot to out draw him.

On the flop you had the one likely hand he beats that is going to call. AA/JJ both beat him, AK/AQ whiffed and check/fold this flop, TT/99 fold to the shove. There are no draws you can be on.

It's one of those cases where villain is doing something so bad you can't logic your way to his hand. You just have to learn from experience what this sort of player will have in their range.

Doesn't look like there was a caller inbetween OP and Villain. This is actually a pretty common play and undoubtedly the most common spot where you'll see big pears flatted preflop (by a mile). If OP opens wide and can fold to 3bets, or if table is super tight, or if there are some 3betty players at the table, I don't despise the preflop play (but I'm not a fan of his postflop play as there are too many players who could have the nuts that he could be shoving into, plus as Quad says there are few worse hands that have a snap call and unfortunately you had one).

I had a similar spot last session. Dude opens to $13 UTG but table is quite loose and passive so I feel forced to 3bet my AA next in. He calls, and then folds QQ face up on a J high flop in an SPR 2 pot. Obviously super results oriented, but I have a much better chance of getting this type of persons chips with my image if I just flat preflop (but then I'd need the <Q flop, no other callers, etc., but it would have been ez pz to get chips in an SPR 7 HU pot in position). But I guess I could have checked back the drawy flop too if I knew he was capable of super nit folds.

GVillain'spreflopplayisn'tgreatbutit'salsoundersta ndable,imoG

You shoved for 2x pot on the flop?! Holy crap that is bad

I didn't say whether I shoved (although that is in fact what I did), keeping in mind the "2x" shove is for a rather lol $$$-wise for 1/3 NL. Since that's exactly how I would play AK / board was drawy / villain knows any bet is a commiting one, I doubt it's horrible as you think (although obviously I could also play it differently, and mixing in checkbacks and 1/3 PSBs is also fine too).

GcluelessNLnoobG