A-Ko in Early Position

[snoopy1239]

In a 6-handed middle stakes ($1/2-3/6) cash game, you receive A-Ko under the gun (or utg+1). The table is a mix. Two tight aggressive regulars (both with full stack), one calling station (still not complete mug) and a couple of unknowns with around half the max. One regular is directly to your left, the other is in the small blind. Table hasn't been notably tight or loose.

(1) If you raise, how much? Do you ever limp here? If yes, do you reraise or smooth call a raise?

You raise in early position and are reraised to 3 times your bet by the regular directly to your left. He is a very solid and rarely makes mistakes. He does like to reraise from position, but doesn't do it to often. He continue bets around 70% of the time, normally for around 3/4 the pot. If he is bluffing, he normally gives it up on turn and river. Flop comes 2-5-7 rainbow.

(2) What's the plan here?

Let's say he flat calls behind you preflop. Same flop.

(3) What's you action now?

[TheChipPrince]

I'm mlore and more reluctant these days to get to involved with A high on raggy boards, its a big leak of mine i think, or was...  If you flat call on a 2-5-7 board, the turn comes any card apart from AK, you check he fires again, what now?

There's a lot better spots to get your money in i think, especially OOP

[AlexMartin]

You mean he re-raises from the blinds?

[snoopy1239]

You mean he re-raises from the blinds?

Sry. I meant 'left'. Will edit.

Don't know my left from my right, what chance have I of playing A-K well?

[AlexMartin]

AK is literally the nuts in my games anyway, i get it in pre about 60% of the time v the reasonable ones and 100% of the time v the looser ones and expect to make a decent chunk from the times they fold junk/10/JJ/AQ/QQ (lol) pre and never be in terrible shape anyway. 

[snoopy1239]

AK is literally the nuts in my games anyway, i get it in pre about 60% of the time v the reasonable ones and 100% of the time v the looser ones and expect to make a decent chunk from the times they fold junk/10/JJ/AQ/QQ (lol) pre and never be in terrible shape anyway. 

So you'd just push all-in? Ie. $1/2, you raise $7, he makes it $22, you push for $193 more?

[AlexMartin]

AK is literally the nuts in my games anyway, i get it in pre about 60% of the time v the reasonable ones and 100% of the time v the looser ones and expect to make a decent chunk from the times they fold junk/10/JJ/AQ/QQ (lol) pre and never be in terrible shape anyway. 

So you'd just push all-in? Ie. $1/2, you raise $7, he makes it $22, you push for $193 more?

lol no, 4bet to 70, snap shove. I assume you are 3betting and 4betting light a good amount

[geeforce1]

if i am 1 buyin deep, the original raiser and facing a 3bet with ak in a 6 handed cash game i 95% (+) of the time am 4betting. Once i 4bet ak 1deep there is never a fold. i balance this by 3 and 4betting a wide range. However, i am more likely to pass when i 3bet ak and get 4bet but obv Vs some players ak is never passable 1 deep.

after playing some hungover 1-2 a few months ago i can see that this is profitable in the same way as at 10 20, but it all depends on how u are percieved on the table. i find posting on PHA very hard b/c i think image and game flow even online dictate what action is correct.  

to answer ur specific questions,
1) i always raise, infact i dont think i ever open limp 6 handed. my utg range (even 9 handed with less frequency) consists of low suited connectors so i believe that makes me tricky enough to play. i think value is lost too often in 6 handed cash by open limping. a raise will be in the region of 3x to 4x (3.5x is pretty std for me)
2) given that i flatted pf (like i say not my usual play), and he has not been getting out of line i check fold on this flop. pretty standard, utg Vs utg+1 his range cant let u be too creative. even if he has been getting out of line a little its probs still a fold given the positions (this is why i like to get my money in pf and see 5 cards)
3) i fire a shell, i expect a float, or even a call with like TT, but its def a spot where i can fire 3 bullets if say a Q and a J turn and riv. its too dry for him 2 give u credit for 1 or even 2 shells.

not slept for 30hrs and cant be arsed to reread for errors

[geeforce1]

AK is literally the nuts in my games anyway, i get it in pre about 60% of the time v the reasonable ones and 100% of the time v the looser ones and expect to make a decent chunk from the times they fold junk/10/JJ/AQ/QQ (lol) pre and never be in terrible shape anyway. 

So you'd just push all-in? Ie. $1/2, you raise $7, he makes it $22, you push for $193 more?

this is an error for me. if u do that over thousands of hands you dont open up yours opponants range enough. personally i 4bet to 540-650, but this is with my entire range. if i think he is being over agg i will do that 4bet with just about any two (maybe not aq b/c 4bet fold with aq isnt a play i like. it plays well on flops but not so well AIPF Vs the majority of ranges but i feel a 4bet with aq commits me too often). if i have 4bet with a high frequency and got people to fold then they are more likey to get in dominated Vs ak by shoving AQ Aj KQ or anytwo over my 4bet. they will rarely call off their stack with these hands if ur 4bet is just an open shove

[snoopy1239]

Hand from today. $1/2 6-handed. Both players have circa $200.

I raise utg to $8 with A-Ko. I have been raising about 1.5 hands per round (at a guess). Player two to my left (solid regular, makes few mistakes, tight aggressive) makes it $24 total. I don't want to smooth call out of position against a tough player, and suspect his range may be beyond A-A, K-K, Q-Q, so reraise to $62. He pushes all-in. Not sure what his range is now.

Do I call or fold?

Did I play the hand incorrectly? Will this lose me money in the long run?

[geeforce1]

Hand from today. $1/2 6-handed. Both players have circa $200.

I raise utg to $8 with A-Ko. I have been raising about 1.5 hands per round (at a guess). Player two to my left (solid regular, makes few mistakes, tight aggressive) makes it $24 total. I don't want to smooth call out of position against a tough player, and suspect his range may be beyond A-A, K-K, Q-Q, so reraise to $62. He pushes all-in. Not sure what his range is now.

Do I call or fold?

Did I play the hand incorrectly? Will this lose me money in the long run?

this is pretty much what i described in my 1st reply, and is a very standard way to get ak in preflop. once u 4bet AK and ur 1 deep its bad to fold, after all ur only big dog to aces. against a faceup KK its a fold, but versus KK as part of a potential range u cant pass ur ak with $262 in the pot and $138 to call. i think u played it fine as long as u did call and yes its a winning play and style in the long run. i would go further to say its an optimal play, esp if u place the villans range before the push as wider than AA, KK, QQ (and AK).

people describe as $1$2nl as super nitty atm, and if the game is playing like that then this is not the style i would use (u said his range PF was greater than premium, therefore not nitty). as i said before, i try and push people around so in my experience the games dont play that nitty as people get frustrated and play back in bad spots. for this reason i would only strongly argue this style at $1 $2nl if u think players are either, very good, very bad or getting annoyed, (NO RAKE RACES!!!!).

[snoopy1239]

Hand from today. $1/2 6-handed. Both players have circa $200.

I raise utg to $8 with A-Ko. I have been raising about 1.5 hands per round (at a guess). Player two to my left (solid regular, makes few mistakes, tight aggressive) makes it $24 total. I don't want to smooth call out of position against a tough player, and suspect his range may be beyond A-A, K-K, Q-Q, so reraise to $62. He pushes all-in. Not sure what his range is now.

Do I call or fold?

Did I play the hand incorrectly? Will this lose me money in the long run?

this is pretty much what i described in my 1st reply, and is a very standard way to get ak in preflop. once u 4bet AK and ur 1 deep its bad to fold, after all ur only big dog to aces. against a faceup KK its a fold, but versus KK as part of a potential range u cant pass ur ak with $262 in the pot and $138 to call. i think u played it fine as long as u did call and yes its a winning play and style in the long run. i would go further to say its an optimal play, esp if u place the villans range before the push as wider than AA, KK, QQ (and AK).

people describe as $1$2nl as super nitty atm, and if the game is playing like that then this is not the style i would use (u said his range PF was greater than premium, therefore not nitty). as i said before, i try and push people around so in my experience the games dont play that nitty as people get frustrated and play back in bad spots. for this reason i would only strongly argue this style at $1 $2nl if u think players are either, very good, very bad or getting annoyed, (NO RAKE RACES!!!!).

Well, I did call, and he aces, and although this is only one hand, I did wonder how often the regulars were getting it all in preflop without having aces or kings. Of course, his range for the initial reraise is wide, but how much does this change when he pushes all in? Is his range now down to just two hands and thus worthy of a fold? I rarely call an all in like this against a tight aggressive player to see them turn over queens or less, so I'm starting to think I should be folding to the all in after my 4-bet, especially in $1/2 where uber-aggressive regulars are few and far between. I guess I need a wider batch of stats before I can answer that question though.

[geeforce1]

yeah, i often show ppl at 1 2 my 4bet bluffs as it is often transparent that they are just 3betting me cos i did it to them last round (seems a vvvcommon play). then i can easily justify getting in with ak later on. i dont show at 10 20, suppose i manipulate the games 2 get them more agg for fun