6m table, 5-handed.
no reads on villain. 150bb deep.

i open A4456ds, FFF, get 3b from BB and i call.

pot 20-ish.
flop 666.
villain bets 15.

My usual line is to just call here and hope for another barrel. But I really don't know, and here's my usual take on it all.

- I like raising here to create a future raising range on super lock boards like this. I don't think it should be a re-pot but maybe 3x-ish to make my future bluffs cheaper. Min-raise seems too suspicious.

- If I flat and turn comes say an 8, he may c/c and my chance to raise him off a better low draw is gone.

- Maybe my only chance to make money is to capture the money he puts in on the turn check/calling for a low, anyway.

- Raising for balance/range protection might be completely irrelevant at this limit.

- Small chance he's a little nuts and will just barrel/rep turn. Or maybe if i'm lucky he has an overpair that binks turn.

- Still, if you're in his shoes with AA/KK/QQ/JJ etc, and you bet turn and get raised how hard can you really go? Prob going into c/c mode or even c/f riv.

- As such, possibly best way to get max money here is if AA or KK decides i'm FOS. Maybe an A2WKK or AA2WW hand that looks way too good to fold with backdoor low draws etc.

Basically I feel like I can go either way. Curious how other people play this spot? I think if I had A26 here I'd be wayyyyyyyyyy more inclined to smooth the cb, then go from there.


Thoughts? Thanks.

Fold pre in HJ, not even close IMO. Calling a 3-bet is probably ok, since now we are IP against a single opponent.

It's very hard to start raising this board, since you are representing only a six, and it's impossible to have blockers. Villain has way way more 2nd nuts (AA) than you. My solution: don't raise this board. Much easier to raise turns.

I don't think it's irrelevant to play your hand in a correct fashion in any limit. Exploiting player tendencies is another thing, say someone always bets AA and never folds to a raise I think you should go ahead and raise your 6 a lot.

Hm yeah I was thinking it was a loose open, really wasn't too sure.

Good points to consider, thanks.

I like limping pre. I think this hand is too strong to fold and too weak to raise. You really don't want to get 3b, since it's so easy to have AA+ a stronger low. Having said that, I am much more of a limper than many people are. I think it's an important part of a strategy, but not everyone agrees with me so whatever.

You just can't raise the flop, at least not as part of some kind of a complete strategy. If you have reason to believe that this opponent will light it all on fire if you do, then by all means raise, but, in general, it's just not going to be a good idea.

i do have a limping range and mostly reserve it for full ring, but occasionally resort to it in 6m. think i agree that i have a hard time folding this hand. and it's not the greatest open from my position.

so where do you guys feel comfortable opening this hand? CO? BTN only?

if SB/BB is 3betting a lot, do you guys advocate open limping?

Open BTN definitely, but I have no hard time folding CO. Limping I'd advocate only in games with very weak players.

oh that's interesting. i always considered these hands more on the speculative side than anything.

how do you guys feel about A3xxx type hands? like i'm typically playing them from most positions provided they have some reasonable coordination (extra wheel card, decent high suit, a couple broadway, etc.).

i did fold Ac Kc 3c 7c Ts from UTG in a semi-aggressive game the other night and that was mostly on feel. but reading these threads i'm wondering if my preflop starting hands aren't all that optimal.