Kind of new to poker, been playing on Bovada since casinos closed out here in CO. I’m in middle position with AT off, I raise it up 3X with no callers in front of me. Small blind pops it up 8X and I fold. Lots of 3 betting on this table and it feels like they suspect I am weak. What do I do here?

Tournament or cash? Full ring or 6 max? Honestly though seems like an average play to fold here after being 3 bet! If you noticed they were bullying you and 3 betting a lot then I probably don't even play the ATo from that position like just fold! Then on the other hand if it was the same person always doing it then it could even be a 4 bet! But in general folding sounds right to me!

Moved this to Learning Poker. Mike - can you provide some more info about the hand?

I withdraw if it is a full ring, I pay if it is 6 max

Every decision is a matter of pot odds and implied odds. AT is easily dominated hand and pretty hard to play out of position. If you play poker seriously before you decide you should try to think of some probbabilities.

I think that small blind would bluff about 20% of time in that position. Against a total bluff (hand like 86) you only have 60%-40% winrate. All other possible hands probbably beat you (I doubt a reraise with a hand like A7 etc.). Against low pair you are only 45%, against higher pair less than 30%. Against any higher ace about 20%.

Let's give some probbabilities to opponents hand multiplaying by your probbability to win:

bluff: - 0.2*0.6=0.12
small pair - 0.4*0.45=0.18
large pair - 0.2*0.3=0.06
higher ace - 0.2*0.2=0.04

In total it seems that you have about 40% to win that hand. I didn't count aces and also bad position is a negative. Let's reduce it to 35%. Do we have odds to call?

I have to pay 5BB to win possibly a pot of 18BB.

5/18 is only 27%. It seems it could be profitable to call. The question is how well can you play this hand after the flop out of position?

Delfino, that's great reasoning but we can only say that means we have to call facing an all-in. Future betting works against us with this type of easily dominated hand.

If the small blind is 3-betting a lot, then I would call (or sometimes 4-bet shove depending on the effective stack). Otherwise I would just fold. We would rather have a hand like 87s that has greater playability -- assuming stacks are deep -- compared to an easily dominated hand like ATo.

A10 is one of my favourite hands and it depends on the flop what to do .

if they beat me after 3 bet, with A10 I would have no other option but to withdraw if I am in a bad position. But at 6 max maybe pay, I should first analyze the rivals and their style of play.

Hi there Mike119141,

Good question!
As previously alluded to, there is a lot of pertinent information missing here..

As well as format and previous information on the villain, I would argue that the relevant stack sizes are crucial, and at least a major factor in our decision-making here, if not critical.

What's our stack going to look like if we peel a terrible flop and have to fold?

If we go all in, and get called, are we covered? If not, how many BB's would we be left with if we lose?

The longer I've spent at cardschat the more I've realised how important it is to give as much information as possible when asking for feedback on any given hand..

Alienat3d often recommends screenshotting spots you're uncertain of for later analysis, I think doing so also will help relay a detailed setting when asking for input and is generally an astute thing to do..

While I may not have been able to offer any decent advice on this particular instance, hopefully this post will help you extricate better advice in future.

Regards,

the question you have to ask is:

Who are you playing against?

who is your opponent?

and finally, how are you and him playing?

these issues are much more important than the strength of the cards in your hand!

GL

The player who 3-bet you plays without a position, then either bluff, or a strong hand that will often dominate your hand. Playing post-flop with AT in 3 bet pot is quite problematic. I think here you need to think about 4-bet or give up. Of course, if the opponent's level is not weak. He 3-bet big and after him still have to play two people, if you count BB, then the probability of bluffing is small, I think.

Good question.

Do you have any reads on the SB, or is he playing aggressively like the rest of the table?

If you're regularly getting 3-bet I might consider folding preflop. This might sound a bit nitty, but if you're likely to get 3-bet all the time, I would tighten up and then just get maximum value from my premium hands. I would be calling with ATs for certain.
If you are play ATo, then I would call, because they are 3-betting light, so you could still have the best hand and you will have position on them for the rest of the hand.

I would fold and wait for a better opportunity for a shove back.

Sharing the exact hand history would have helped a lot. Accurate stack sizes are key in these situations. I think throwing is a good decision, re-raising AT is not good to give. If you play micro limits, players will not analyze you.