4Bet Pot OOP with AKs

I think that calling the 3-bet or raising to $275-$300 is better, since AP we're now at the flop OOP with an SPR=1. It's difficult to believe that hands like TT/JJ/QQ/AK are going to fold for $400 while calling for $275.

Once it's HU and 3-bet, there isn't a reason to blast-off with a 4-bet unless your plan if called is to basically GII on the flop regardless of the cards.

Yeah, I think a standard 4bet here is less than 3x. It's also typically not advisable to raise to >1/3 of effective stacks. Like, would you 4b AA this big?

When we get to the flop this way, with less than 3/4 pot behind and backdoor straight and flush draws, I think I would just jam and hope he folds a chop. You still have 30% equity against black queens when called. The other option is to bet small on flop and jam any turn, which probably looks stronger. I don't think betting flop and check-folding turn is a good play, and I wouldn't want to check-fold flop either.

Are you going 5x with your whole range pre? Seems large. It is maybe okay when you get 3b very infrequently and get called by worse frequently. Since you went so big and still got 4x 3b by an older player, I would lean towards just calling the 3b. It's already mainly a call in theory, but I expect the population of 55 year olds 3betting you to 100 ate not 3betting enough with A5s, KTs type hands like they should in theory.

4b size is way too big. Because you went 5x and got 3b 4x on top of that you aren't deep at all. 250-300 would be a good size. You might as well have jammed pre if you were going to pot commit like this. I guess we can go 125 and pray AK folds, consider jamming some turns, but the way preflop played makes this flop situation pretty bad. Checking or jamming might also be okay. Nothing is amazing.

I size down pre in 2/5 and raise to $15. The 4bet should have been smaller (~$300).

As played, I just shove flop.

You’re repping AA/KK. I’d continue the story and stuff it. Puts a ton of pressure on QQ-

I think you were initially squeezing pre. I believe AK suited gets most of us in big trouble easily. I am prone to put V on mid to strong pair most likely 77-JJ max QQ. Possibly suited big Ax or possibly KQ suited at worst. I would actually size down with option B on open here to his comfortable starter bet of 100$ maybe 150$ but no more. I believe we will get to see another street since he most likely isn't folding for 100-150$ but may also see the bet as too questionable (possibly a trap since you 4! pre) to go big possibly putting you on kk or aa.

Also a bet of 200-300$ on flop could make your hand to transparent as big Ax and lead him to 3! you as he did pre. Plus going even larger we are repping a big pocket pair and hoping he doesn't have a bigger pocket pair/set, if he calls larger even he's pot committed and no amount will make him get away. I really don't like jamming here especially on an older guy with no read most of the time I think he will call putting you on junk bonds to buy the pot.

I think a $100 - $200 bet looks weak to most players and he'll just jam w/ a pair or even AK.

He might just call, but he's not calling w/ worse than AK and then we really need to see a good turn -- doubt he's folding to anything except an A or K on the turn if we jam, though. Maybe it will check through.

Grunch:

PRE - don't 4B to 40% of your stack. Either flat call or jam, or 4B smaller, like $225-$250.

FLOP - I'd c-bet small, like 20% pot or less.

Theory says we're supposed to use a fairly small size with our 4B's, and c-bet range in 4B pots as the pre-flop 4B'er. I don't hate the 5x open, but I might just flat call the 3B, and see a flop with a much more manageable SPR.

If you flat call pre, the pot is $200 and we have $900 behind. We can usually get to the turn, if not the river, without pot committing ourselves.

The 4bet size is too big, now we have to call a jam if he raises while knowing he has aces.

I would raise/fold to 250. That's 25% of our stack, so it leaves us room to fold to a jam if we need to.

Even though we don't have any reads on him, I would sometimes use the situation as a read in itself. We raised 5x from UTG+1 (we're representing a strong range), and he 3bet us to 4x next to act... Even if we have no reads, this is a pretty strong line from him and sometimes I would just fold to an unknown who appears to be a rec, but that's just me.

As played I would check. I don't think we're getting him off his hand, even if he has queens he'll probably still call since your both unknown to each other and he'll be hoping you have AK.