I'm talking about the preflop 3better, not the preflop flatter/4better (as the original question is what to do regarding facing the 3bet).

As for the other villain's potential flat of AA in UTG+1, meh, it would probably be my default play here too. You don't have to play it that way. But it's certainly not horrible.

GcluelessAAflattingnoobG

Well, I guess our experiences differ. Our high hand promo winnings here are most definitely not added to the stack (especially since that would circumvent the maximum BI rule).

GbutobviouslyeachroomhasitsownrulesG

reveal..............

I thought about this a looooonnnngggg time.

I probably should have added this little tidbit but it did factor in my thinking. The two guys to the left of v2 had also been 3betting more than a usual 1-3 table.

My first thought was that I have v2 beat. I felt really good about that.

My second thought was v1 was trying to buy the pot. For a brief second I considered saying 'f it' and shoving.

After a few minutes I couldn't help but to think that v1 was sitting on aa in that spot (due to aggros behind him), hoping for a 3bet. I just couldn't put him on anything else.

Then I thought about what potential flops might be and what I might do about it. Any bet with overcards and I'm folding. Not sure I even hang around if there weren't. So, basically I figured I was set mining.

Hero folds

Flop QK7 rainbow

Hero pukes
V1 leads $225
V2 folds

I asked V1 about an hour later what he had. He told me JJ and I definitely believe him after watching him play more and talking to him.

So...I'm a MAWG (early 50's), but pretty aggro. I'm not afraid to 3B when an older fellow with your sort of table image opens UTG, unless you're extremely nitty. With V1 calling your open, V2 is incentivized to 3B to isolate you and get V1 out of the pot. V2 is going to have a range that includes a lot of hands QQ beats, and some Ax and Kx hands that are going to out-flop you with some frequency.

Because you have a very strong hand, because V1 is still left to act behind you, and you also want him out of the hand, because you're ahead of V2's range, and because you're out of position, I'd be 4B'ing in your position, pretty much 100%. With your table image, both V1 and V2 are going to give you credit for having a VERY strong hand, and should not call with the worst parts of their range. I'd expect V1 to fold pretty much everything he has.

When you take back the betting lead, it makes your life easier post-flop. You can c-bet for a small amount on just about any flop. V2 is going to be over-folding. If the flop has an A or K, I'd still c-bet small, and check turn if he calls our flop c-bet. He probably won't hazard a bet on the turn without AK or better, because you could easily be trapping.

If you 4B pre and V2 jams, I'd probably call. He's going to have more AKo than AA/KK, and he's going to be jamming with AK a lot, because he's blocking AA/KK, making it more likely that you have QQ, AQ, or worse.

The problem with flatting pre is that you'll be giving V1 good odds to over-call, and you'll capping your range, and you'll be out of position against not one but two opponents, one of whom (V2) is aggressive and has an uncapped range, the other of whom is more passive, with a capped but pretty wide range that is going to connect on a lot of flops. Your hand has very little chance of improving on the flop, so it will be very difficult to navigate post-flop and realize your equity.

This is why I like to 4B with QQ. V1 could be trying to steal, or he could have been sand-bagging something huge, expecting one of the players behind to try to squeeze.

I could go either way here, either a very disciplined fold, or just close my eyes and jam. V2 can't possibly be that strong here. V1 is going to have some semi-bluffs in his range. Your open-flat line looks like you've got some middling pair, like 77-TT, maybe JJ, that just wants to see a flop but won't call V1's back-raise behind V2.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone take a line of open UTG, flat a 3B, then back-5B over a back-4B and a flat call, but if there was ever a spot to be an old-time gangster, this is it. Everyone here is going to think I'm nuts, but I think I jam here, in your spot. These V's are full of $hlt.

OMG. I nailed it.

With all due respect to those saying V1's line in UTG+1 is AA more often than not, because it's an aggro table, I disagree.

I was just in this exact spot last session, in UTG+1 with AA, and an older gent opening UTG on my right. I thought about flatting for a second, hoping someone would 3B behind me so I could back-raise, but the problem is that once I call, there are 7 more players who are more likely to call than risk a 3B squeeze when the opener's range looks so strong, and I'll be playing AA multi-way and OOP. I felt it would be better to 3B and hope to get the hand heads-up and in position.

V1 having JJ, AKo, or even AQs here makes some sense. JJ is probably the one hand that V1 might think is the perfect hand to play this way.

When you look like a nitty old man, you really have to take advantage of that table image, by putting max pressure on opponents whenever you actually have a strong hand, and opening up your bluffing range.

A factor to consider here, given that all three players are deep-stacked, is that we are in worst position, and the deeper the stacks, the bigger the disadvantage that poor position burdens us with. We have a premium pair. Our hand plays better with lower SPR. We should four-bet to something like 150 and call a non-jam 5-bet.

I read results but still believe V1 has aces almost always and fold.

I would 4b fold before that though. Don’t think V2 is jamming AK at this depth in these positions with our image.

For what it’s worth, given results, V2 didn’t have a good hand and would’ve been in a bad spot if we 4b.