Villains are UTG and BB.

UTG is a maniac who keeps buying in for 60, losing it eventually after some roller coasters, then buying back in again for 60.

BB is quiet mild mannered clean cut dude who looks like he's 36 but could have honestly been 24. Young face but older looking style of dress.

BB was playing about definitely < than 10% of his hands, tight passive, but would show up with A rag out of nowhere and got lucky with it more than once. Hardly saw him raise preflop.

BB had about 140 tops.
UTG has about 50 tops.
I have about 650.

UTG limps, MP limps, i make it 12 w/ AQo out the SB, BB calls, UTG calls, MP folds.

Flop: 2 5 8 rainbow ($38 )
Checks to me, i bet $20, SB calls, BB calls, MP folds
Turn: 2 5 8 J ($98) [2 clubs]
I check, SB bets 10, BB shoves for 24, I wtf?

Ok, so my options are

1) fold because i have no clue what is happening with this 10 dollars into 98. BB is tight passive and i havent seen him go to showdown hardly ever. Have not seen him bluff. But 10 bucks into 98? wtf. Even a drooler is capable of taking a stab at a pot once in a while. Also, I didnt think he'd bet 10 to encourage me to come over the top, he's not thinking at that level.

However - I like this line:
2) Stick a hundo in to force BB out and take it HU against maniac UTG. I know im ahead of his range and im willing to call him here with A high. However, if i push that hundo in and BB calls, i know im behind. But, BB was so ****ing passive, i almost positive he would lay down something like AJ to an All-In from me. In other words - he is probably willing to go HU against UTG but not 3 way to the river. Unfortunately because i hardly saw him in a hand, i dont know if he'd slow play a set or if he'd put his money in when he hits. I missed one of his A rag hands where he took a pot from the lady to my right and she was talking to me about it and saw him catch 2 pair on the river but only call a sizable river bet to TPGK, so no re-raise with 2 pair nut hand.

However at this point I thought calling would be stupid, even with the ridiculous pot odds im getting. Its not that im afraid of a check raise as much as its a situation where calling here definitely commits me to a river bet pretty much.

Can i really just call here? Or should i be pushing out BB? Or am i being ******ed and should just fold. I built this stupid ass pot, im not committed as ive only put in $32, however both BB & UTG were committed on the flop whether they know it or not.

Would this have been easier if I PSB flop?

If you're wondering why I am unconcerned about UTG, its because UTG had no fold button.

Im really interested in hearing some arguments that favor the bold and why.

Fold. The tight BB re-raised on the turn here. I think you should refer to Baluga and in addition to that because he's tight passive that makes this a fist-pump fold. I don't think you're going to be able to push him out if he's playing 10% of hands and decided to re-raise here.

If the SB raised the BB and you could come over the top of both of them then that's a much better option than the one with which you are presented with here.

If you had some kind of hand better than A hi I would like your like your iso raise here. It is real likely the BB will fold leaving u heads up with the maniac. Unfortunately the maniac, imo, prolly has a pair of some kind. (even maniacle fish pair the board sometimes...lol). That leaves you with 6 outs or about 13% which means you need about 6.5 to 1 pot odds and ur getting 5.5 to 1. You may actually be ahead w/ AQ but that prolly ballances out with the times when the BB has you crushed.

Fold. Pick a better spot. You are obv much better than these two fish. You will surely be able to stack them later in a better situation.

I must be missing something here.
You say you make 12 w/ AQ out of the SB.
Then you say it checks to you , you bet , and SB calls.
What is your position on the table?

LOL at the 10 bet into a 98 pot.

So you are trying to take it down 3 way with Ace high?
Seems like a fold.

i ****ed it up.

On the turn:
I check, BB bets 10, UTG shoves.

and now i cant edit the post.

Sorry about that guys - i know that mistake drastically changes how some were interpreting the hand.

I should add - UTG tossed his last monies in like a hail mary pass and is too much of a drooler to even comprehend "oh i act weak when i am strong".

Or more specifically - when at a table, you internalize a lot of information. Sometimes its readily obvious "he's too calm and cahtting up with his neighbor when he shoves, its most likely not a bluff, but whats he willing to get it all in with?" -- other times its a gut reaction to the way someone acts "i have a feeling this is out of character for how he's played in the past but i cant put my finger on what it is that's giving this away."

This is a long winded way of me saying - Im beating UTG with A high. I am uncertain about BB. Is it ******ed to call 10 here and fold to any c/f river? Or is it better to push him out?

Yes - there are plenty of other spots to take these dude's real monies. Unfortunately, I am in this spot right here where I think I might be able to take their real monies. Its live, not online, so I see 2.5 hands an hour. I tried multitabling, but the floor caught on and issued me a warning. plus i kept missing my blinds.

@poloboy - read my above post - i screwed up when i typed the hand history.

@Joe - see this is what im getting at - I was pertty certain i could get BB to fold to a sizable raise here. And yeah, there will be better spots where its easier, but as i said above, its live play - you dont see a lot of hands, im here to maximize my winnings. Maybe im asking a stupid question, or the point im getting at is stupid: I was about 60% certain BB folds to a raise to 100. So is that enough?

@Draidin - lol at 10 into pot yes exactly. which i why i was so certain pumping it up would be teh awesome for me.

Bottom line - yes, UTG could have hit a pair. UTG plays every hand. UTG seemed to me to be putting his money in on a prayer in a sort of "oops, i called a huge PF bet out of position, and now im committed, fml. whatever"

I was almost offended that BB bet into me like that and only 10 bucks to boot. It's a wtf, am i letting him push me off teh A high nuts here?

Im kind of playing devil's advocate - i just really want to hear why someone else in this position would say "fist pump it up to 100 and scoop pot w/ A high!" but also provide a really good reason why it could be so obvious.

This ^^^. Pick a better a spot. Yes, 25 hands/hr is a lot less than on line, but u prolly will have to wait less than 10-15 hands to iso the fish and be heads up with him. Just mho.

What did you do btw?

Calling the 10 in a 120 pots is definately easy. Raising though is not as easy becuase you are betting Ace high in multiway pot. That just does not seem very +EV to me.

Yeah I see what you are trying to do here. Maybe the tight BB is just making a weak steal at the pot. Or he thinks he trying to get value with a weak paired J or two pair and does not want to bet you out.

I played like a b**** and folded. I just couldnt pull the trigger on raising that 10 bucks, but it just seemed so suspect. Even if it was a J attempting to VB w/o pushing me out, he could have bet 30 bucks there. that 10 just seemed like a "i jhave nothing, maybe 10 bucks wins this? ell oh ell?"

BB turns AQo, UTG shows 36s for complete air.