Play AK with me! (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Martino]

The game is 1/3 NL Hold em with a $500 max. Cast of characters are mostly stations. Preflop raises are usually $10-12 and pull in 3-4 callers

Hero has around $600. Villian in this hand has around $350 and is one of the tighter players

Villian is UTG and raises to $9.

Hero next to act with AK off, Hero?

 

[Adam Crowley]

$31 to go

 

[SwampYankee]

Flat call.

 

[MillyS]

Betting $30 here

 

[RainmanTrail]

There are no bad lines on offer here other than shoving or folding, obviously. Flatting is fine, min raising is fine, pot sized raises are fine and so is pretty much anything in between. It's far more important to mix up your play with AK than it is to find the "best line". Next time you're in this spot, take a look at the second hand on your wrist watch (assuming you have one, otherwise use some other randomization method). If it's between 01 and 15 seconds, go for the flat; if it's between 16 and 45, raise it somewhere between $25 to $30, if it's between 46 and 00, make it somewhere between $15 to $20. Be sure to mix in some other hands like 98s/66/JTo in this spot to balance out your range with this seemingly awkward assortment of 3-bet sizes. You need to avoid polarizing your hand ranges to the point where a 3-bet from you in this spot means AQ+/TT+ and a flat means 22-99/87s-QJs/JTo-AJo.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Hero raises to $25, folds to Villain who 4-bets to $85, Hero ?

 

[Kain8]

Call with position and see a flop.

 

[pltrgyst]

.... Next time you're in this spot, take a look at the second hand on your wrist watch (assuming you have one, otherwise use some other randomization method). If it's between 01 and 15 seconds, go for the flat; if it's between 16 and 45, raise it somewhere between $25 to $30, if it's between 46 and 00, make it somewhere between $15 to $20....

I used to advocate this method for all raises, but when I retired and moved to Florida, I gave up wearing a watch.

Now I just mentally choose a random number between 0 and 60, and raise accordingly.

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

Hero raises to $25, folds to Villain who 4-bets to $85, Hero ?

UTG raise four-bet from one of the tightest players? I know we have blockers, but this is screaming aces or kings here. We only have $25 invested in the hand, I think we can fold and wait for a better spot. By your description, I doubt he's going crazy with AQ, so at best we are flipping, at worst we are in real bad shape.

 

[RainmanTrail]

Fold

 

[Anthony Martino]

Hero folds. At that point I'm really feeling like this guy is ranging QQ+ based on what I've seen of him at the table. He doesn't show

 

[AWenger]

is one of the tighter players

If he's really tight, I think I can find a fold here w AKo.

 

[AceOut]

Hero with $25 in the pot.
Villain with $85. (already a quarter of his starting stack).

Difficult decision.
Even if you hit on the flop (except your set) I would worry a tight player like Villian beeing agressive like this.

Fold was a good choice.

 

[tripleflatbarrel]

Good fold.

 

[Ellasdaddy]

Really disciplined fold. I might've gotten felted here, personally. AKo would've been enough for me to call and play along. I tend to push seemingly tight players early on and look them up.

 

[Pierna]

Easy fold for me if I know he's tight.

 

[tjohnsonnpu]

I like the ISO play to thin out the field and get more information from oppenents. You block AA, KK and likely get shoved with QQ-mid pair hands from loose agro players. I don't mind paying loose agro players off in these spots as it usually ends up playing to my exploitative nature. Also in my experience is that tighter good players are prone to fire in this spot with this kind of action that you are describing.

 

[Mockk]

If I know he is playing super tight, I would probably lay down AKo. Although, calling and seeing the flop would be fine too. I would say you have to put him on JJ or better, possible KK or AA, so folding is probably the best option most of the time.