Howdy all.

What kind of things should I be considering when I 3bet AK/AQ and get called and I completely miss the flop? For example if the board was 2h 5d 9s I'm really lost on what to. On the one hand I figure I have really low fold equity and there aren't many hands I can double-barrel, but just check folding seems weak.

I'm not really sure where to begin thinking about it, so any pointers would be much appreciated!

Not much you can do besides cbeting or c/f. Depending on Villain(how often he calls 3bets, how often he folds to a cbet afterward etc.), board etc. Don't think anyone will give you a miracle solution. Whatever you do, be careful that you don't give your AK too much credit when you miss. Better lose 9bb than 30bb+, there's no shame in folding.

I often cbet because why not, you could have AA right? Most peoples 3bet calling range are pocket pairs looking to setmine. Even on a flop as dry as this, are they really looking to hero call with 66? No, they missed their set so they're done. Now if they're a calling station I wont cbet because they'll happily call 3 bets with 66. And if they're some super nit I wont cbet either since they'll show up with QQ or whatever.

So in summary I'd start with cbetting most of the time and see how that works for you. If you're burning too much money then just c/f and expand your preflop raising range so you arent always being put on AK.

Cbet because why not, you could have AA right?

Nit wont fold an overpair though :P Not without 3 barreling most likely. And when you 3 barrel, he shows up with a set.

You're behind a nit with a pair, and if villain is laggyfish and has hit a pair with a decent kicker, then they might not let go.

Who calls the c bet on a 2h 5d 9s board?

Anybody with an overpair in their hands isn't automatically going to fold with that board. Anyone who has hit their set won't either and may be floating.

Who folds?

Maybe someone with A and a lower kicker, someone playing two broadways who didn't hit, and a player who hit a low pair on the board but read you for an overpair.

I don't think you have any choice but to c/f the turn if it doesn't hit you.

Play your AK like you would play AA. It has always worked for me.

it depends on a lot but c betting is generally the strategy you want to take because if you don't you will be extremely EZ to play against.

If you only bet your over pairs and check your AK like hands a good villain will call your 3bets and just half pot cbet you when you check to him and you will fold away 9 - 10bb when you miss.

It can get trickier than this at times but generally you want to avoid 3 betting and than just giving up. When you actually do have it and start betting a good player will just fold and when you miss he will steal your pot.

If your plan is to just give up on flops you miss i'd recommend 3 betting very seldom. There is nothing wrong with him catching you in a bluff. It will make you harder to play against when you do have a hand.

Ideally you want to have a nice solid 6 - 10% 3bet but careful of what position you keep doing it in because a lot of times people will 3bet more from the BTN and BB and their numbers get skewed. You don't need to worry about this at low stakes but as you move up in the stakes this becomes very important.

Why would you stop betting. Just bet!

You need to look at reasons for and against c-betting.

Contrary to what might be implied from skimming this thread, it is acceptable to 3bet some fish with your AK and then x/f if it's not profitable to continue. That said you should incline towards cbetting as a default for reasons mentioned above.

Reasons not to cbet include: wet (coordinated) board, board that smashes your opponent's perceived range, board that dodges our perceived range, villain is a station, being out of position.

Speaking for the live game, part of the consider is image and your villain tendencies

there are some villains i play with that equate strong bets with strong hands. So if I 3-bet to $65 and then c-bet $100 they will fold TT/JJ in this spot because they put me on AA/KK

then there are some villains who I need to double barrel because they expect the c-bet. So they will call my first bet of $100 then I need to bet $200 on the turn and THEN they will fold their TT/JJ

But then there are some villains who no matter what I do, they will put me on AK and then call off and play for stacks as long as no A or K is on the board. So against these players I c/f if OOP and check back if in position and hope for a scare card A, K or Q

Also, eff stacks are extremely important. I can't double barrel someone who is at 50bb and I 3-bet preflop to 12bb. Once they call the c-bet they are pot committed and never folding an overpair. But the situation changes if they are 150bb deep.

Last point of consider is their 3-bet calling range and if it is wide enough to include SCs and SGs or if it is exclusively pockets and AK.

They have enough SDV to x/c (possibly all 3 streets) on a lot of boards.

Logically, since I am not so skilled of a player, I tell myself to fold here on this spot. This minimises my losses until I improve my knowledge about the v ranges. It seems that the villains find it more difficult to fold vs your cbet especially when the pot gets bigger. So I try to compensate my missed flop folds, with value bets when I hit something. I am not so sure if this is a solution also as AK is a relatively predictable hand in this scenario and I do not seem to get much calls to my value bets here too. Another issue with calls to my cbet with tptk for me is that it becomes very difficult to fold and lose lots when the v shows 2 pairs or sets to me on the river but I guess this is a discussion point for another situation

I feel the question has been answered pretty well. I’m still learning what to do in this position myself and I’m funding that the short and simple answer…is that there are no short and simple answers.

Look at all the factors that need to evaluated even for this situation:
—Size of preflop bets this hand
—Average size of preflop bets this session
—VPIP of opponents
—Position
—Stack Sizes
—Opponent fold to 3 bet %
—Table image
—Whether hero is giving away tells through timing or bet sizing
—# of cards to a flush
—# of cards to a likely straight
—opponent range
—opponent perception of our range
—How playing this game will affect getting called or bluffed in other hands

It’s both a blessing and a curse that there are no simple answers.

One other thing to remember—if a hand has 75% equity…don’t forget you’re going to lose 1 time in 4. I’ve definitely found myself feeling entitled to a win after waiting two hours for a good hand. But equity is equity, no more and no less.

I bet on dry flops to generate fold equity.
I have two overcards and good equity against his pairs.
It is better to bet than to check/call since check/calling is also much more difficult to play. Why? Imagine you check/call flop and a 7 turn comes and he bets into you again. What do you do? You see, it is better you bet this flop instead and generate fold equity. Keep it simple.