http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAVvDC6Bnyg

Starts at about 3:00. Sands raises UTG with AA, Ivey 3-bets from the SB more than 3x with AKo, Sands 4-bets and Ivey folds. Is this due to the strength shown deep in those positions? Is this an old school play by Ivey? Is the fold based on live reads. Is the play OK? Should he just flat initially?

Ivey being Ivey. Play doesn't make too much sense, but whatever.

Pretty standard way to play it in this spot. You can flat too but 3betting is probably a higher EV line.

Just a good read by Ivey. Think folding probably correct due to stack depth and position of sands and Ivey.
I think he could flat if he is planning to fold to a 4bet but I think given sands opening range in EP Ivey gets a lot of flats from sands with dominated hands.

I don't think doc would/should call AQo to 3bet given positions, you gain a ton of fold equity vs pairs though, be it pre or on the flop.

So you are only getting flat called by hands you are behind or chopping against.

Why not 3b/f T8s and flat with AKo? Can't you get the same folds preflop or OTF with any hand?

Are you trying to get an answer for me or do you really not understand? Your range to continue OOP vs utg range should be very tight and probably be like AQs AKo TT+ (for value, can add some bluffs) or something, and it's perfectly viable to have no flatting range when your range is that strong. In that range AKo is towards the bottom so you consider it kinda like a semi-bluff, but at the same time the hand is strong enough that if utg plays suboptimally and flats too many hands now your hand has a lot of value. Even if the best result is often that our opponent folds pre, we can still feel fairly comfortable if we flop Kxx or Axx, and we can still get our opponent to fold better hands if we miss because the rest of our range is so strong. We start flatting AKo and 3betting T8s now our opponent can continue vs many more 3bets and we win fewer pots, while having a face-up flatting range.

Of course I'm talking theory here and in practice it may be that flatting nets us a higher EV against certain opponents, but I don't think ivey thinks he has a particularly huge edge against doc sands in this spot.

Not a fan of 3bing AK here....If we assume Sands opens tight UTG Iveys 3b here should be a really tight range so Sands isnt going to get into much trouble if he perceives things this way....it also sucks when Sands 4bs which isn't that uncommon if hes opening only strong hands......Id rather flat and punish him pretty hard on Axx/Kxx flops

Seems fine, some dominated hands call and if we think Sands only 4bets KK+AK+ we can fold in Ivey's spot. I'm sure Ivey figured this was the case or he wouldn't have taken the line. Also, possible live strong tells from Sands if Ivey picked something up. I've made plenty of non-standard folds or calls live based on a read and Ivey reads players a lot better than I do