$15 ACR $7.5k 6max, mid-early stages.

Here with the A8 and two offsuit 7s on the board, there's only 1c left of 87s left as well as only 6c of A7. Villain is recreational, so can definitely be opening a non-standard amount of x7, but I couldn't think of any better blocking combinations off the top of my head during the hand.

My question is... because BTN's bet size is a little silly and polarizing, should we mainly be looking to x/c up to 3 streets in these spots? Or should we maybe bluff (though we have some lower equity gutshots, flushdraws, etc.) or release the hand OTT or OTR?

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - 150/300 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: 15.72 BB (VPIP: 22.01, PFR: 16.07, 3Bet Preflop: 7.80, Hands: 373)
CO: 74 BB (VPIP: 19.73, PFR: 15.35, 3Bet Preflop: 10.71, Hands: 231)
BTN: 71.39 BB (VPIP: 22.50, PFR: 15.79, 3Bet Preflop: 6.25, Hands: 40)
SB: 53.69 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
Hero (BB): 33.07 BB
UTG: 56.48 BB (VPIP: 25.86, PFR: 21.05, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 58)

6 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.3 BB) Hero has A 8

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 2.62 BB, fold, Hero calls 1.62 BB

Flop: (6.53 BB, 2 players) 4 7 7
Hero checks, BTN bets 4.17 BB, Hero calls 4.17 BB

Turn: (14.87 BB, 2 players) 2
Hero checks, BTN bets 9.43 BB, Hero?

Why don't you run this through an equity calculator with A8s vs a standard button and continuing range (hint: it's a lot) and tell us what you should do and why for flop and turn.

Now adjust your range for the rec based on your reads... so is he raising a small range and limping the rest? What's his rfi otb? This is key in determining your equity for your postflop actions.

Once you've done that figure out your overall continuing range by calling and raising. What's your worst hand here? Is it or is it > or < A8s and why?

You do this and then I'll give you my answer.

Here is my BTN range for ~40bb with antes:
{AA-22,AKs-A2s,KQs-K2s,QJs-Q2s,JTs-J3s,T9s-T4s,98s-95s,87s-85s,76s-75s,65s-64s,54s,AKo-A2o,KQo-K7o,QJo-Q8o,JTo-J8o,T9o-T8o,98o}

vs this range A8 has 55.6% equity... ignoring the fact that villain might not be betting range here (though I would, only, with a much smaller sizing), I'm guessing this means we should call, right? Is this a simple case of don't bluff with a bluff catcher? My only hangup with this is that it would be very irritating to allow him to accidentally vbet us thin with A9+ or realize his value with some nonsense hand.

BTN is playing relatively normal stats. I'd have to find the HH again to look at the note I had on him, but it was most likely a spewy postflop spot since I gave him a more aggressive tag.

I would 3b preflop and consider c/r flop. We have a big flop range advantage and nearly no equity. We can also bluff stuff like 56s as well sometimes.

3b/f to 8bb
Cbet/fold 6bb
Shove turn


Also, use your stats... Fold to 3b? Attempt to steal? Rfi for LP? And postflop stats too, fold to CB in 3b, aggression frequency in all streets, fold to CB too
Plan your hand before committing any chip in the pot

Cool. So as you can see everything is going our way and you put it eloquently with the above statement which is why the two gents who replied mentioned raise pre. Now I feel you can call pre and raise post on an agreeable board like this one... is ok as well... As long as you get a raise in on one of those streets.

3b is kinda big, 6-7 is enough.

We should be checking our entire range if we flat the BB.

Did you do the math of the pot geometry? Or you use sizing based on a feeling? What fold equity can you get with your sizing?

Automatic plays are bad, you have to learn to think your lines before committing chips.
Your proposed sizing leaves you with an awkward SPR and doesn't get enough folds preflop ( its a 3b bluff, not for value)
What sizing you cbet on flop and turn? How villain's range will respond with smaller or bigger sizings?

Fold flop. Better hands to continue, like A8s in any other suit.

Bill Chen spoke of such stuff.

I like all suited Aces when the chips start to get down

I am using calculated preflop ranges. A8s might work great as a 3bet when we're deeper, but we have better bluffs here at this stack depth. To that end, I would 3bet at a minimum to 9bb. I think with any less we have barely any fold equity and at this sizing we're still not committed with 100% or our 3bet range.

Well, I was trying to reason through this without a solver, but I'm too puzzled. According to GTO+, we're supposed to flat flop and fold turn with all combos except A8 versus this sizing, absent any reads. I think in general if we raise this hand postflop, we're bluffing too much and we don't have enough calls (what are we doing with all of our 3-8x gutshot type hands and our other A5-A9 ish type holdings?).

The way the actual hand played out was actually pretty hilarious, but I guess we're not supposed to post results here, right?

Right, we don't have the backdoor draw here, but I think that on this texture we're forced to continue with a decent chunk of our Ax hands, regardless of backdoor equity (which is only an extra 4% or so anyway).

A8s isn't really a bluff as a 3b versus a btn raise but it's kinda like when you jam "ok" hands later but figure you're flipping/ahead a bit of the range and rather they fold kind of spot.

I mean this is 6m and we're facing a btn raise and everyone wants to act like this guy can't just have a mega wide range pre and on the flop. The issue with just open stabbing flop is it's hard to balance and are we just really gonna bet out this flop with our various 7x hands which defend here?

The reason for the sizing is we don't want to be polarized versus a btn open when we 3b hands like this. If we're polarizing then we want A5s not A8s etc. But given btn should be folding quite a bit we want to be able to get in the mix a bit with some 3b's at this point and on 33 blinds. I would much rather play exploitable and if they do exploit us or we feel we are then we can just size this way with the smaller part of our range. We're going to have way more spots where we want to be able to 3b here than we want to upsize for our JJ+/AK part of our range.

Also look at the fact that the ante is 13%, that's pretty high. Meaning we want to be able to take more pots and steal more, not be polarized. If antes this big are in play we want to be polarized versus strong ranges and ICM spots, not at early stages with large % antes. This is the time to accumulate chips and gather up to that 40-60 blind mark and stay above average.