Hi. I just saw that preflop AJo has only fold/raise in this scenario:

UTG folds
HJ folds
CO raises 2.3
Btn folds
SB raises 11
BB folds

Here against a 3bet GTO says there is no call. Despite we are in position.

Can someone explain this?

Because it's -EV to call but plays ok as a 4bet bluff sometimes due to blocker value + some postflop playability/equity

But if villain has low 5bet and 3bet is like 20% for example with a decent sample size (it takes a lot to get enough samples tho)

Isnt call then better? We keep villain's trash and we can 4bet more like 54s or A5s etc.

This is GTO. Solver vs solver.

If someone is 3betting super wide then AJo could fit into your calling range as an exploit.

Sounds good. But yeh I agree, I rather 4bet bluff AJ versus calling. Big reverse implied odds when calling

AJo is a lot of combos. I'd never call. AQ also never call

Over 3b/under 5b by SB would make a 4b more favorable for CO because the SB will end up either folding or calling too much. You don't really want to call 3b w/ offsuit hands in general unless it's AK or AQ that can dominate/cooler weaker Ax. Offsuit hands don't play well postflop.

You are in rough shape vs so many hands that 3B. All of the AQ and AK suited and offsuit combos, JJ, QQ, KK, AA. You end up flopping second best hand a lot. And you aren't ever going to flop a 2 card flush draw or backdoor flush draw, so it will be harder to continue flops and turns. Having the suited cards really helps to let you either get there or potentially bluff later streets.

Even if you have the best hand with AJo, you are going to be forced to fold your hand to worse A high hands, K high hands, etc. Whereas with AJs you can continue more with draws and backdoor draws, where either you make a hand, bluff, or some small amount of the time AJ high will win at showdown.

AJo is one of those problems hands that recreational players don't fold nearly as often as they should. It's okay to open from any position most of the time (debatable in 9 max from the earliest positions). But against the earlier positions opening it's not good enough to be cold calling or 3betting for the most part except when closing the action on the BB. Occasionally it can get in there as a 3bet or 4bet when the initial raiser is in the latest positions like on the button or SB, but that is assuming the 3bettor is really wide and polar and not just linear. So if you open on the button and get 3bet by the bb, and your opponent isn't 3betting with all of the hands like A2s, 65s, J9s that solver says they should 3bet, but they are always 3betting AQo when solver may even call that hand sometimes, then you maybe should even fold AJo in the latest positions.

Of course, for the solver is that calling AJo in the CO vs SB 3b is just -EV. But I think it's important to understand why it's negative EV. There are just so many spots down the road where it doesn't end well for AJo.