New to table, 30s unknown playing what I guess to be pretty straightforward raises to $35 UTG+2. I am in the HJ with AQss . We are 9 handed and the V has $210 behind. I have $800ish Hero?

I just fold this. It might be too tight, but I'll wait until I have some reads.

I would 3bet/look to GII against a player with 45BBs.

GII is the only other option

when you say he is straightforward, what is his range? If he is only raising with AK+, fold. If he is raising any two broadways and pairs, 3bet to 100/call a jam.

That's useful info if you have it. If you don't, what are you doing in this spot?

my default is to 3bet, however we can always gain info just by looking at someone, the way he stacks his chips, his demeanor, etc.

If don't have any clue what a real opening range is for V (no showdowns), I'd just fold to a straight forward player's EP raise to 7 BB. I don't like calling raises w AQ. If I have any reason to think he's fishy or would open wide, I'd 3-bet/GI and feel fine about it. My default is to give him a tight range (AQ+, JJ+) and fold til proven otherwise.

I think AQ+ JJ+ is far too tight a range to give to a random player. I know he's in EP, but if he's short, there are lots of possibilities here. He might just be trying to get it in pre-flop with any suited ace. He might be a bad player who used to have $1K in front of him but raises trash and calls too light and now he's short. And any number of other scenarios are possible. One thing I will say, if the guy is tight enough to only play AQ+/JJ+, it's unlikely he would be playing this short stacked.

If we think that KQ, QJs, AJ, Axs, 88-JJ, and anything else we beat are in his range, then we should be fine stacking off with one-pair.

Calling pre-flop gives an SPR of 3. And with his stack size, playing fit or fold post flop should get the job done.

calling is the worst option for us. I would fold before I called. There is no dynamic going on where we need to call and play creative post flop, it's much easier to 3bet than call.

35 opens are usually on the larger side in 2/5, so if he has 1010 or JJ, he flats our 3bet, we cbet, he folds ,we scoop.

Your giving a short stack too tight of a range. That's your first mistake. And if you were right, you're playing it wrong.

With 40BB's, If he has JJ, he's going broke on almost any flop that has less than two overcards. If one of those overcards is an A or Q, we win. We can also get it in post flop pretty profitably with any number of draws/combodraws.

He's not calling a 3-bet pre-flop and then folding post flop if he has a pocket pair. He just, isn't. Not with these stack sizes.

Raising pre-flop is a spew. We never get called by worse. We get shoved on by worse sometimes, but not usually.

In what universe is playing AQs in position, heads up, with an SPR of 3, a bad idea??

I wasn't saying he is that narrow, just giving an example. I do it all day, and I get called by worse and also by better (A10o VS 88 or KJ vs AQ and K10o vs 77) and they call to try and hit a flop, then fold to a cbet.

because he if left in control of the hand and we are forced to hit the flop and call his cbet which we will miss most of the time.

I am starting to think your posts are all levels, especially after you said we should limp kings after 5 limpers.

I think calling is OK and that position is way more important than initiative.

call, stacks are too short we cant 3bet/fold

you need dynamic for 3b here imo, not for call

why spike the variance vs a short stack and kill any profit we would have gained from position+postflopskill+goodhand+vs a wider range

I think if we call we're folding most flops anyway and when he fires a cbet when we have a FD he's pretty much commited so we wont have much FE and we're getting it in or calling with bad odds.

I agree with 3! being bad. Probably folding here readless. Depending on who's left to act I think calling could be ok. If we are most likely going to be HU with this villain if we call I think folding is fine.

With position and AQs, seeing a flop for 7bb seems reasonable. If we flop top pair, I'm comfortable stacking off here for and additional 38bb and if we flop a flush draw, it's doubtful V will jam flop at us. We can decide whether or not to draw to our flush based on Vs action and the price we're getting.
If we flat, we might let button and blinds come along, which gives us better odds should we flop a draw, but most likely, this will be heads up and that's ok.
A hand this strong, in position, in a pot that is shaping up to he HU, I like just calling here. See a flop in position.

With V on a tight range and 4 players to act behind it seems really close between calling and folding. I think AQo I am folding and calling AKo/AQs.

If we call and someone with a full stack raises behind us (in position) and V pushes, do we fold now? What if they raise and V folds?

Just wondering, because I'm in the fold camp with raising being my next option (moot, because I fold). Calling would not have occurred to me at a table of unknowns.

In the call camp for all the reasons listed above.

Would probably dump AQo here

If there are spots in the blinds I would call without much thought.

Otherwise I think this hand is pretty much on the line between fold or call, depending on your instinctive read i guess either or is OK aslong as your not auto folding/calling in this spot vs too many people.

I folded and felt like a dirty nit. Glad many agreed it was the right move though.

I'm not folding AQs pre to an unknown, even with an EP open. Until you have some sort of read, LLSNL players are unaware of position and love most Broadway hands or mid PPs and will open them regardless of being in EP.

Fold bro. Don't play with ppl with < 50bb

I'm super pissed when I have to fold in spots like this tho. It definitely tilts me. Usually table changing shortly after. Especially if there are more than 2 of these SS types