Six tables remaining, 25 get paid. No history with Villain...we haven't played together for more than a level or two and I don't think we've seen each other play a noteworthy hand. I'd assume we would both see other as solid players.

Hero: 100k (avg is maybe 60-70k)
Villain: 93k
1000/2000/300

Hero opens to 4500 UTG w/AKo, two folds, Villain 3bets to 13200, folds to Hero..????

4bet/call or just jam it? Calling and trying to hit a flop seems terrible, as does 4bet/folding. But I don't play a lot of tourneys, so what do I know.

3 bet sizing looks nutted. How good you are post flop? Calling is not terrible.

Depends on your post flop play ability.
Calling definitely isn't wrong, IMO. I think I like a 4-bet here though.

That being said, if you're going to 4-bet, you have to know what you're going to do if he shoves.

If he shoves, I probably fold here.

If he calls, evaluate the flop and watch his reaction (if any) and play accordingly. You can easily rep AA/KK here, and a call usually says he has QQ-TT/AK.

^ don 4bet/fold AK. Just No.

Not sure why I said that, because if I get 5-bet I'm usually jamming with AK after committing 1/3 to 1/2 of my chips preflop.

This is why I shouldn't post from my phone while I'm at work.

Please don't 4-bet fold. Lmao.

Does this make sense?....

His 3bet is kind of big, so a 4bet basically commits me. I feel like it's QQ-JJ much more often than AA-KK because of the sizing and card combinations. Also, I don't know if he saw this, but I had just raised/folded the previous orbit and was shown AA.

How exactly should we use post flop skills if we call here?

The problem with just calling the 3-bet is it screams "I have AK/AQ" and most decent opponents can play perfectly against you after the flop once your hand is face up. Part of the problem with being out of position I guess.

Calling the raise doesn't seem horrible but if you're against AA or KK and get an A or K flop you lose most of your stack. If he has 99-QQ and he flops a set when you hit an ace you also lose most of your stack. There's not a whole lot of flops you can safely get that allow you to extract value thus giving the preflop jam significant merit.

Perhaps I haven't been playing AK optimally from EP and maybe I should be jamming with it more because what flop texture allows me to extract significant value from my opponent other than maybe flopping broadway vs opponent's set?

OTOH how can getting 50 big blinds in preflop with AK be correct?

Now I'm all confused! Guess I'm in the right place to get answers.


In the past i've tended to raise and call if re-raised when playing AK in EP with a deep stack and when I flop favorably I try to extract value by concealing the strength if my hand when possible. I'm going to have to do some re-evaluating to see if changing things up a bit might be the better way to go.

The bolded can be solved with a good bit of range construction on our part when we continue vs a 3bet here.

As played, I think fold and don't tell anyone is OK.