[5NL] AJo, OOP in 3bet pot, facing flop min-raise.

Villain is 14/6 through 51 hands. Had only faced one previous 3bet and didn't fold to it, he 4bet with TT. Folded to 1/1 cbets.

PokerStars - $0.05 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): $5.00
UTG: $5.00
MP: $13.03
CO: $3.53
BTN: $2.16
SB: $11.07

SB posts SB $0.02, Hero posts BB $0.05

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.07) Hero has J A

UTG raises to $0.15, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.60, UTG calls $0.45

Flop: ($1.22, 2 players) 6 7 A
Hero bets $0.85, UTG raises to $1.70, Hero ???

Pre - Is this 3bet pre spewy? I remember reading a post Spoon wrote about not 3betting with KQs but 3betting with KQo as he didn't feel you can call with KQo profitably. I applied it to this situation but looking at it I don't think it was the right situation to do it. I'm not sure what villain just calls a 3bet with? He 4bets TT+, he is tight, so I doubt he calls with small PP's.

Flop - He min/r me. In all my time of 2/5NL a min/r usually means somebody is absolutely begging for a call. I don't like my hand and I don't like it even more OOP. I think we can rule out TT+ due to 4bet in a previous hand. What could villain have? I am struggling to see anything other than 77 or AQs/AQo ( on the basis that he 4bets with AK, might even 4bet with AQs ). Maybe KcQc/KcJc?

I'm really not sure at all.

Ill take a crack here and someone can come along later and correct me so take this with a large grain of salt.

From what I understand from an exploitative POV it's best to 3b a linear range OOP as opposed to a polarized one.

A linear range would look something like TT+, AJs+, AQo+ while a polarized range would look something like QQ+, AK, 45s-9Ts, 46s-8Ts. (these are just examples of what these types of ranges would look like in case you didn't know)

So where does AJo fit into a linear range? At best it's probably the butt end of a linear value range and I don't even think it should be included in a linear value range so it's probably a fold pre, maybe a call I'm a lot more unclear on good spots to call OOP but I fold this vs. this player as a default.

Obviously as the opponent's range gets wider you can also widen your value range etc. etc.

And as played I fold the flop, though TBH I'm probably too bad to do it at the tables :P

Alright there's my try. Someone pick it apart

3betting an UTG raise with AJ OOP against someone who is very tight isn't a good play imo unless you have something telling you he folds too much and even then I don't think you should be turning AJ into a bluff you should do it with another part of your range so that if he calls your bluff you can still hit the flop in a way that you're confident about. I'd probably fold pre.

Also a hand like KQ imo is better, you only get beat by pairs who have AK when you hit a K and AQ when you hit a Q. Whereas AJ has AK and AQ beating it, both massively in villains range. There is also only one overcard if you hit a pair with KQ, whereas if you pair your J, K and Q are scary cards.

He has so many hands in his range which you hate. In this spot I think you fold. The only times you win are when he thinks you are cbetting too much and is turning something like KK or QQ into a semi-bluff (if that's the right term)

I'd fold pre.

This wouldn't actually be too bad if you were IP and knew you were bluffing with the intention of ending it pre-flop. That is adding AJo into your 3 bet bluffing range vs tight UTG openers that fold to a fair amount of 3bets.

Fold flop, your going to be out kicked nearly all of the time, or up against AA.

Villain is 14/6 huge nit AND he's utg.

This is a very easy fold pre, and maaybe call I suppose if villain plays poorly post. The last thing I want to do is 3b AJ vs an utg nit who over-values their hands and 4b light relative to their image (ie: no way a 14/6 nit should be happy to 4b get in TT)

Fold pre, fold flop.

You can cbet smaller on flop. This is a definite way ahead / way behind spot. Villain either has AK and maybe AQ, or TT-KK.

Originally Posted by griffey24

Fold pre, fold flop.
.

+1. cant think of a reason to 3bet this hand, and we are not doing well equity wish once this villain raises us OTF

also please include number of hands in future cobra.

Woah, that 3bet! As others have said, this is a fold pre as AJo plays like a sack of shit oop against a nit.

Spoon can obviously clarify, but I think you're taking his advice well out of context in this instance.

Originally Posted by Cobra_1878

I remember reading a post Spoon wrote about not 3betting with KQs but 3betting with KQo as he didn't feel you can call with KQo profitably.

I think what spoon was trying to point out is that you'd rather 3bet KQo than KQs because;

KQs has a lot more post-flop playability than KQo, this means you can play it aggressively on a variety of flops as a semi-bluff whilst KQo relies a lot more heavily on it's pair making ability, i.e when you flop a pair with KQo it's frequently going to be good at showdown. Although this can also be said for KQs as well you've just got far more playability with KQs why would you waste such a playable hand by 3betting it when you can 3bet KQo which has the same effect on the opponents range i.e the same amount of blockers, then call with your KQs combos which flop well and you can take down pots by playing your draws aggresively.

Originally Posted by rpm

also please include number of hands in future cobra.

Number of hands is in OP?

my mistake. havent been awake this early for a while

+1 to insta fold pre vs nit's UTG raise, unless you want to 3b bluff, but then you give up if you don't take it down preflop.

As played, what hands in villain's range do you intend to get value from when betting this flop?