There are two solid regs in my 20-40 who have caught onto the fact that I have a really wide opening range in late position, so they've started 3-betting me with hands like QJo, 33 etc. I'm having trouble coming up with a counter strategy. Calling and check/folding unimproved sucks. I've tried capping with most of my range but then they just raise me on the flop with most of their range and we're back to square one. I have yet to try not raising ~A7o in the cutoff when they're on the button, but maybe that's the only way to deal with them? Not letting them have position on me isn't really an option, they constantly move there whenever a seat opens up.

Example hand:

Hero is CO with KTo, folds to me I raise, TAG 3-bets OTB for the 4th time in 5 orbits. Hero?

If I call or raise, what's my plan on an A63 flop facing likely aggression?

You didn't really mention anything about adjusting postflop besides checking and folding. I think the answer lies in your ability to identify and attack certain board textures that give your opponents a weaker range. Subsequently, you will be able to also get thinner value since your opponents will be calling down light.

In short - get better postflop.

First of all,

If you are constantly getting 3-bet, their ranges are a lot wider than you think. Second, if you are calling preflop and then check/folding every flop that you miss and either check/calling or check/raising flops that you hit, you are going to get super owned.

In these 3-bet pots pre, heads-up out of position, generally speaking you should have a check/fold range, and a check/call range only. You do not need a check/raise range, nor do you want to have a bet/call range, bet/3-bet range. Delay your value hands to the turn, along with your competent semi-bluffs.

See more turns, the pot will be laying you 8.5:1 (excluding rake), to see a turn. How much equity do you need to reasonably continue?

So is delaying to the turn hu OOP now the standard play? Isn't that pretty easily countered though, simply by villains checking back turns?

http://www.pokerstrategy.com
Board: Ad6s3h
Equity Win Tie
CO 21.34% 20.25% 1.09% { KTo }
BU 78.66% 77.57% 1.09% { 55+, A7s+, K9s+, QTs+, J9s+, T9s, 98s, A9o+, KQo }

http://www.pokerstrategy.com
Board: Ad6s3h
Equity Win Tie
CO 26.05% 25.00% 1.05% { KTo }
BU 73.95% 72.90% 1.05% { 33+, A4s+, K7s+, Q9s+, J9s+, T8s+, 98s, 87s, A7o+, KJo+, QJo }

http://www.pokerstrategy.com
Board: Ad6s3h
Equity Win Tie
CO 30.33% 28.08% 2.26% { KTo }
BU 69.67% 67.41% 2.26% { 22+, A2s+, K5s+, Q9s+, J8s+, T8s+, 97s+, 87s, 76s, A5o+, K9o+, QTo+ }

http://www.pokerstrategy.com
Board: Ad6s3h
Equity Win Tie
CO 39.53% 37.71% 1.82% { KTo }
BU 60.47% 58.66% 1.82% { 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q5s+, J7s+, T8s+, 97s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, A3o+, K9o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T8o+, 98o }

How wide are they 3-betting you?

The second one looks about right. The worst hand I remember seeing go to showdown was QJo but there usually isn't a showdown.

Have you considered adjusting your own ranges in LP?

If solid players are finding it to be profitable to 3 bet you light, you are almost certainly opening too many hands in LP.

Also capping heads up is a terrible way to adjust.

What if I think my hand is ahead of their 3-betting range? Say KQ or 77

But what if they have ak or 99? What if they have aces?

There are many reasons to never cap HU or even multiway that have nothing to do with this particular situation.

Just a few that come to mind:

1) Capping is incredibly unbalanced unless you cap your entire range.
2) disclosing to your opponent that you are at the top of your range is not ideal.
3) there are multiple ways post flop to make up the small bet lost pre.
4) unless you actually know that you are ahead pre (ie have a very strong holding) you still can get away cheaply post, or show down cheaply, on a bad board.

In short, the benefit of the deceptive value you obtain can grossly outweigh the lost small bet pre - if you play well post flop.

I don't get get it, you open the cutoff and they 3 bet like JQ or K-10 on the button? Isn't this just poker?

I guess I'm confused how you haven't encountered this type of behavior before at 20-40.

I'm new to LHE. If this is "just poker" I hadn't seen it in my small sample and am having trouble figuring out the best way to adjust.

When some fish commented on the dynamic after he 3! from the SB, one of them said its because my "button range is wide open" so it's clear they are responding to me, not just playing their hand or the situation. They aren't doing this kind of thing to each other or the fish.

This is new to me too. He did specify 3b pots, so maybe it's because villains are more likely to fire the second barrel after 3 betting pre and then only getting called on the flop. On the other side of this, I have certainly adjusted to some players that have an almost non-existent k/c flop, k/c turn range.

Yeah, but everyones range from the button is wide. It's normal to 3b LP opens wide. I'd go stupid wide if you were k/folding a lot.

Like DosXX said, just play better postflop, mostly by keeping in mind that their 3b range is very wide.

I guess this is because we'll be peeling wide and we want to merge our peeling and value range?

Bingo!

I don't agree at all that you shouldn't checkraise some flops, i highly agree with jon_locke that this is just a normal poker spot. What do you do when a mid position player raises and you defend your BB (a common OOP spot). You see how the flop texture matches your hand and your range and you decide what to do vs his range. It's not some foreign situation now that you opened and got 3 bet. Assess his range and yours, decide how the board connects with those ranges, and play poker. Hint: the A63 example flop still hits a 3 betting range a lot harder than your CO steal range.

I agree with this in general. However there's a significant difference between defending the big blind heads up OOP against
A) an early position open
B) a mid position open
C) a late position open

contrasted against
A) an early position open and 3 bet
B) a mid position open and 3 bet
C) a late position open and 3 bet

Play the dynamics appropriately. You want to be a good LAGTAG? Get used to playing wide ranges and uncomfortable spots. It'll make you a better player in the long run.

There's less of a difference than you may think. Both situations are hands if poker. In both spots villain will have a subset of hands within his opening range.

The tough TAG's aren't 3 betting the fish? This is likely not the case

They don't really. At least not with the frequency that they 3-bet me. When they 3-bet the fish they are doing it for value, not isolation or range exploitation.

At least that is how it looks to me. I guess I could be wrong/misreading things.

Sure, but the pot sizes are different. In defending the big a flop peel is offering 5.5:1, in the other situations a flop peel is offering 8.5:1.

Depends on what kind of fish, but it makes sense if they're typical loose/passive because they are not open raising as wide in LP.

The fish are likely opening a much tighter range in all positions. OP has likely been identified as someone who is opening very wide especially pre but likely regardless of position to some extent and they believe they can outplay him post flop making it am automatic 3! When he is opening the CO with a huge range because he's super fit or fold when they 3! any atc will show immediate profit in that situation.

So the fish open limps the cutoff and the pro value raises JQo and K-10o, you open the the cutoff and the pro isolates K-10 and J-AQo for range exploitation. Perhaps you just have a small sample size of limit holdem and I assume you come from a nl backround. You'll soon realize limit is different in that good players rarely. Old call (or flat at the nl experts like to call it) so what may seem like weird spots to you is actually just how limit holdem is plAyed.