AKo in BB

UTG only has $225 to start, and he just limp-4B, but only 3x? Why didn't hero put in a 4B when action was on him the first time, if he wanted to continue?

If the question is what should hero do now, I don't know. It's a weird spot. The 3x raise size from OOP could be FOS, or it could be he was hoping MP2 would 5B him. A limp-4B is usually going to indicate a pretty strong hand.

Even if hero thinks UTG has some PP like QQ or worse, is he going to fold to a back-raise from hero in the BB? Like, if I'm UTG, and the BB back-raises here, I don't think I'd believe hero has AA/KK, so I might just jam with QQ.

Hero can flat call and hope to spike an A or K on the flop, but he still loses sometimes, and it'll be hard to get max value the rest of the time. If I wanted to continue with AK here, I think I'd just jam for $225, so we can see all five cards.

Nothing wrong with just folding. Hero's got $25 invested, UTG only started with $225, and it's a limp-4B.

3-bet the first time against MP2. We're not looking to be up against a LAG OOP.

As played, don't really like any of our options - fold, shove or call with only 150 effective left behind.

I mean a typical L/RR from a player that never gets out of line is AA/KK, and while we may have blockers, if his range is AA/KK, it's still AA/KK even if we have blockers. I think you're way overweighting QQ here.

I think its a tough call between shove and fold here. Perhaps just shove if you really think QQ is realistic and with the dead money, and hoping your read is right and that QQ and AK and some other nonsense might be in his range.

Guessing this is 2/5? I'd need a reason not to be 3! pre. AP, small L/3! over raiser and caller from UTG, and right at 1/3d of stack. IME, this is usually a huge premium, desperate for action from one of the three other players who've shown interest. We block KK+, but they can still have it.

I let it go, and make some comment about nice Aces, hoping they laugh & show.

Without reads as played, I fold to the UTG limp/3-bet for 1/3 of his stack.

6 combos of QQ is not more than 3 combos of AA + 3 combos of KK though.

I think if UTG never has AQ, which seems likely, we can just fold.

I don't know why you're assuming that QQ is anywhere close to being as likely a LRR candidate as are AA/KK.

A semi-pro calls in the BB with AKo?

For 1/3 of his stack, the limp/3-bettor could have AK and just gii on the flop with an SPR of 1. There are half as many combinations of AA and KK since BB has AK. However, it is sterotypically AA/KK. Even if he sometimes has QQ/AK, AK is bad versus his range. Also, if he way deeper, he could maybe have a bluff, but even representing strong, it would be risky to commit your stack with a bluff like T9s or Axs.

This is an observed hand so I assume BB made a fishy flat call and then fishy gii and ran it AA.

Weird flat by the Hero to the aggro player's raise over the limps. I think this is a pretty easy 3bet.

There are exactly the same combos of AA/KK (6) as there are QQ (6). But a player that never gets out of line has is much more likely to play AA this way than any other combo (especially with the sizing that is screaming "I want action"); KK could also be played this way a lot, while QQ would probably only rarely be played this way. Trivial fold against this player type, imo.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Sorry are we calling in the BB because we think UTG only limps to limp-reraise? If so and MP2 also knows this then you might as well just open fold. Otherwise this is the most bog standard 3bet in the world

I think this is key.

The default range assumption of a L/RR from an ABC with a reasonable stack size should always be AA/KK.

Why are you assuming QQ in range? Is it because he's relatively short stacked - a little over 50BB, or because you've seen him do it, or something else?

In another place, the Hero of this hand posted:

Im near the top of my range and someone might see a loose player raising and me just calling as weakness. In this situation the limper may over value many hands with a raise. Your range would be wider and may include AQ hands that I dominate. There is $80 of dead money and by jamming I will realize my equity. Shoving with AK is standard.

Is this 2/5? Not many "semi-pros" at lower stakes. LOL.

The only reason I don't 3bet the first time is because I expect UTG to 3bet for me, so I 100% 4bet now for UTG stack.

FWIW, I do the same at 1/3 or 2/5, although I'm guessing by stacks this is actually 1/3 or the game just started.

You just called preflop in order to induce a light 3bet from a limper? We may need a new dictionary definition of fancy play syndrome

3bet pre

as played: fold. Hero lost the minimum with AK here.