$2 NLHE 6-max: AKo played poorly

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 98.5 BB (VPIP: 44.44, PFR: 44.44, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, hands: 9)
BTN: 171 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)
SB: 147 BB (VPIP: 10.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)
BB: 94 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)
Hero (UTG): 96.5 BB
MP: 43 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A<font color='black'>♠</font> K<font color='red'>♦</font>

Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, BTN raises to 9 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 33 BB, BTN calls 24 BB

Flop: (67.5 BB, 2 players) 3<font color='red'>♦</font> 4<font color='red'>♦</font> 6<font color='black'>♠</font>
Hero bets 32 BB, BTN raises to 64 BB, Hero calls 31.5 BB and is all-in

Turn: (194.5 BB, 2 players) K<font color='black'>♠</font>

River: (194.5 BB, 2 players) 4<font color='black'>♣</font>

My thoughts


3 BB was deducted from the pot for the jackpot.

Imo once you've cbetted the flop you're committed and basically have to get it in. Don't really like 4betting pre, AK is decent in a low SPR pot but it's just unnecessary. You don't know much about the player and he could be 3betting pretty tight. Would you call a shove pre?

The hand is too 'gambly' when 2nl there's so many fat value opportunities that you don't need to be doing stuff like this.

I do like the idea of posting your fail hands though! Gives you more accountability.

My initial impression after revisiting this was why am I all in after the flop, but I really think that the pre-flop play here is by far worse. The SPR was way high to really back off at all. I think this guy knew exactly what was going on, I missed the flop, c-betted out of habit, and he jumped on it and I sucked out in a big way. To answer your question, I shouldn't be shoving pre at all in this case.

I'm legitimately looking to get better, and I find that reviewing the poor plays give me way more info and posting on the forums does add that accountability haha, even if it's embarrassing. Now if I can only bring that low ego to the table, should plug a few leaks.

This honestly seems fine to me. Maybe JReece is right that there might be better opportunities but this is at least a break-even play. 4betting AKo OOP vs. a BTN 3b can't be bad. You'll take down the pot often and when you don't you're probably flipping postflop. Once you're at the flop with a PSB behind we're not folding and we have to capitalize on our equity (essentially a draw to what is probably the best hand). Continuing the story of KK+ is fine. I don't love their raise but we just can't fold. Well played there are no issues with this. Sizing is fine too.

4-bet pre way too large. 23-24bb is fine. Flop I think is a check-fold. As played, you have to call the raise once you c-bet and are committed.

BluDogg said:

Ok, so I'm trying to post hands I think I played poorly in order to learn better, as I think learning to kill off poor plays that I win is more informative than finding losses which I played well.

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Heh, I post the same way. :top:
It's a nice change from all the beat hands where it's obvious that OP is having doubts only because he lost.


Preflop: the 4-bet should probably be max 27 BB, but with a hand like AK, it's probably best to keep it at 23.5 BB (x2.5 instead of x3), especially vs an unknown where you still have more leeway with your bet sizing.
I'd be fine with flatting the 3-bet too.

As played, once he raises your c-bet, you have to call.
Just check/folding the flop is probably better, though.

But with a strong hand like AK, this is all going to be very close EV-wise. You're not losing all that much playing it like you did here, imo. It's just high-variance.

Metsdude396 said:

This honestly seems fine to me. Maybe JReece is right that there might be better opportunities but this is at least a break-even play. 4betting AKo OOP vs. a BTN 3b can't be bad. You'll take down the pot often and when you don't you're probably flipping postflop.

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If BTN is a solid player, then his 3-betting range is a lot tighter than it usually is, because he's 3-betting an UTG open-raise.
If we were in the CO and he 3-bets us, then sure, he's probably 3-betting light. Not so vs an UTG raise.

Granted, he's an unknown, but I tend to give unknowns credit, especially since 20/20/0 after 10 hands seems solid.


Also, AK vs QQ+/AK is deemed a coinflip, but we're actually a 60-40 dog here. And what do we do if he 5-bet shoves?

I think for enough fold equity we want a bigger sizing than 23-24BB, right?

And generally I just think we give 3bets wayyyyy too narrow of a range. If the 3b range here is literally JJ+, AK then sure we can 4B fold (or even fold OOP to 3b if you're feeling nitty?!?).

I guess I just don't know how 2NL plays, but if the players are decent wouldn't they 3b wider to balance a little (mixing in SC, suited aces), making AK a fist-pump 4B GII?

Idk maybe I'm just really out of sync with this specific game/website, but I really think always assigning such tight ranges might be a mistake...

TimovieMan said:

If BTN is a solid player, then his 3-betting range is a lot tighter than it usually is, because he's 3-betting an UTG open-raise.
If we were in the CO and he 3-bets us, then sure, he's probably 3-betting light. Not so vs an UTG raise.

Granted, he's an unknown, but I tend to give unknowns credit, especially since 20/20/0 after 10 hands seems solid.


Also, AK vs QQ+/AK is deemed a coinflip, but we're actually a 60-40 dog here. And what do we do if he 5-bet shoves?

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ROFL! BTN is not an unknown. He's me.
What a coincidence!

I even posted this hand in my thread.

Metsdude396 said:

Idk maybe I'm just really out of sync with this specific game/website, but I really think always assigning such tight ranges might be a mistake...

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It's not. Even NL2 is reg-infested. Most of them are flawed TAGs but TAGs nonetheless.

Unless you have access to a site like 888, you can't count on tables with more than 1 fish.

Haha what a small world.

I don't mind 4-betting against a btn 3-bet. Probably at these stakes calling is generally better. But if you do 4-bet, then ~22-23BBs is more ideal.

As played, C/f the flop. If you're 4-bet is getting flatted here, you're going to be looking at high pairs more often than AK type hands. So you need to just abort at that point on such a low flop.

if btn raise better call ,and see flop AK vs QQ classic, like coinflip , but you will lost on most cases, think you lucky catch somehow K on turn, miss the flop, you think your hand is best - but it's not...