AKo in BB vs UTG open and 4-bet
5/5 NL with $10 mandatory straddle
8-handed
Villian is 40's Asian male, unknown to H, but seems to be a solid player. Over the past 2 hrs, V has been third lowest VPIP player at the table (behind a pro, and H).
H has a tight solid image.
V opens utg to $40.
Folds to H in BB with AKo.
H raises to $120.
BB folds.
V raises to $370.
Effective stacks are $1100
H???
12 Replies
I think you make more calling pre to keep in all the hands you dominate - 4x open UTG to a full table and then you 3bing out of the BB screams you have a nutty range so not like you're fooling anyone 3bing. Would fold this pre fairly quickly to the 4b.
Fold
You are OOP vs a tight player making an UTG open & then a 4Bet. Don’t think villain is bluffing. You are probably behind or in a flip. I don’t play these stakes, so maybe there’s a lot of light 4Betting, but I don’t think that’s happening here.
AK is a drawing hand with great equity, but if you call, you will miss the flop 68% of the time. Then what? You could shove, but villain probably won’t fold a better hand or call with worse. It’s not a terrible gamble as you’ll probably have no worse than 40% equity.
Does he do this with AQ, the hand you beat? If you had AQ, it would be a little easier to get away from, but you should think of this the same way. It’s a mistake to not listen when the betting story says you’re beat.
Correction...
Villain opened to $30.
I then 3-bet to $120.
I don't play this high, but at low stakes, this is a pretty easy fold.
Robots act "weird" compared to live here ... AKo in BB vs. EP open, is a pure call (for 2.25bb).
But it also 3bets AJs/ATs/KTs about half the time, and A5s/A4s/A3s/T9s/QTs/87s about 15-25% of the time (and bits of other things).
It's basically AA/KK/AKs for value 3bets (and even KK calls like 20-25% of the time) and then mix in random bluffs with blockers and/or board coverage.
AKs then just 5bets, if it gets 4bet ... but it's also got a smaller range than you and AKs is near the top of it.
Also don't expect/see many 4bet/folds live, which isn't great for you.
I would very likely fold after the 4bet, without reads. Younger me would probably shove though, and get snap called.
Two of the tightest players in a very tight configuration are going to war preflop. AK isn’t strong enough here. I would be scared with queen or kings.
i would flat pre and play hugely underrepped. As played, I think this is a fold against an unknown
Given V’s image (super tight, low VPIP), his UTG 4-bet range is like QQ+ / AK. You block AK, and QQ+ smashes you. You’re getting a good price, but OOP and deep stacked, it’s still a fold unless you have history.
Preflop is close. As played, fold to 4!
Solvers probably suggest weaker hands as 3!s as sort of bluffs to 3!/fold. With AK, you have a difficult situation to a 4! in solver land.
Spoiler
I shoved. Villain tanked for a while and folded, and told the table he folded AKo. Most of the table's reactions were along the lines of, "Of course you did, his 5-bet shove is always Aces or Kings". My image was pretty tight here.
If villain's 4-bet range is QQ+, AKo+, then my 5-bet shove becomes profitable if he folds all his QQ, or if he folds all his AKo.
AKo has about 39% equity vs a range of AK+, QQ+, so if villain calls my shove with his whole range, then then my EV is about -$116.
Of course, if his 4-bet range is KK+, then I'm losing a lot more.
I'm not saying I made a good play.
