AK on Button vs a UTG Raise- A Sticky Wicket

This is a very common situation which I'm embarrassed to admit is still giving me trouble after close to 2000 tournaments. I fell victim again last night giving up a double stack early in a $26 buy-in at Full Tilt. I don't have access to the HH at the moment (maybe I'll post it later) but that's not important as I'm more interested in the general situation than any specific hand. Suffice it to say for now that my AKs fell to AJs on a rivered str8.

Here's the problem. Early in an MTT you're on the button with AK with a stack of 50-100 BB's facing a standard UTG (equal stack) raise of 3-4 BB's. (In the case last night the blinds were 25/50 and Villain raised to 150.) The blinds are still live but all others have folded.

With little information on your opponent you assume a strong hand AJs-AK, QQ-AA. My standard line is to tripple his bet (in this case to 450) assuming that AA and KK will 4 bet or just shove and all others will just call or fold. The question is, what is your plan when you do get called? If you miss the flop do you automatically CB if checked to? Are there certain flop textures you avoid? What do you do if your opponent bets out? Call? Fold? What about a check call? Do you 2 barrell it? If you don't you risk being tested on the turn, then what? Once you start flatting you're as good as admitting you bricked. This is one of those tough spots where I just don't have any good answers. Any and all opinions are welcome.

As any other hand, I think it depends. If you're against a loose player and reraise PF, you're going to get called or reraised, but if he's tight you might take it down with a PF reraise. If a tight player calls then bets out on the flop, you can reraise if you sense any weakness but if he calls or reraises you I think you gotta be ready to lay it down. A loose player might be calling no matter what you do. It just depends on how many chips you want to gamble with. If you're near the money you might just want to reraise and if he calls then bets the flop and you miss, lay it down and find a better spot to get your money in.

lektrikguy said:

As any other hand, I think it depends. If you're against a loose player and reraise PF, you're going to get called or reraised, but if he's tight you might take it down with a PF reraise. If a tight player calls then bets out on the flop, you can reraise if you sense any weakness but if he calls or reraises you I think you gotta be ready to lay it down. A loose player might be calling no matter what you do. It just depends on how many chips you want to gamble with. If you're near the money you might just want to reraise and if he calls then bets the flop and you miss, lay it down and find a better spot to get your money in.

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True..

I am willing to CB on the flop, we have to bet for value here, don't we.
I've let AK go many times.
I know a tight players will let their hand go if they don't hit the flop or have a good high pair.. Loose players, that becomes a pain.

Why do you feel you need to 3bet an UTG open with AK? If the player is decent/tight his range for continuing has you crushed where as if you call he'll be OOP often times with a hand you have dominated. Now if he's loose and calls 3bets OOP too much building the pot by 3betting is fine, but it doesn't have to be your default play.

ITS SAFE TO SAY THAT WHEN U GET AN UTG RAISER AND U 3BET HIM AND HE SMOOTH CALLS BOUT 80% OF THE TIME UR A COIN FLIP AT BEST IT EASY TO PUT HIM ON 10,10 - Q,Q AT THIS POINT HOWEVER ALOT OF PEOPLE WILL SMOOTH CALL WITH KK,AA TO TRAP ALSO . HOW I PLAY THESE SITUATIONS IS ONCE MY 3 BET IS CALLED I FIRE A C BET AND IF ITS CALLED OR RAISED I SHUT IT DOWN INSTANTLY. ITS A LIL MATH THING I DO I ADD THE AMOUNT OF hands I DO WANT TO SEE VS THE AMOUNT OF HANDS I DONT WANT TO SEE AND IF MY WANT TO SEE HANDS ARE DOUBLE THE DONT WANTS THEN ID FIRE 2 AND MAYBE A 3RD BULLET BUT IN UR CASE THE ONLY HANDS U REALLY WANTED TO SEE WAS A,Q A,J A,x BUT ANY PAIR U DONT UNTIL U CONNECT WITH UR AA,OR KK BECAUSE A GOOD EXPIERENCED PLAYER IS ONLY GONNA GIVE U CREDIT FOR A,K AA KK OR QQ THE WAY U 3 BETTED SO IF U A GIVE ANY SIGN OF WEAKNESS OR HESITATION HES GONNA PUT U ON A,K AND CALL U DOWN WITH ANY MED OR BIG PAIR BASED ON HIS READ AND WE ALL KNOW WITH SOME OF THE PLAYERS ON FTP U MIGHT GET CALLED DOWN WITH BOTTOM PAIR . SO I THINK A C BET FOLD WAS GOOD IN UR SITUATION

WVHillbilly said:

Why do you feel you need to 3bet an UTG open with AK? If the player is decent/tight his range for continuing has you crushed where as if you call he'll be OOP often times with a hand you have dominated. Now if he's loose and calls 3bets OOP too much building the pot by 3betting is fine, but it doesn't have to be your default play.

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I see your point but at the same time I really think it would be a mistake not to raise here. Here is my reasononing. I guestimate there are around 70 hands he might be raising with here including a few loose ones like QJs, JTs, AT and maybe even some lower pocket pairs, but most likely I'm up against AJ-AK, JJ-AA. The only hands that have me crushed are AA and KK and since I have one of each that leaves only 6 total hands. All the rest I'm doing a favor by not raising. I'd sure hate to give a free ride to AJ or AQ. Also, as I mentioned in th OP, AA and KK are usually (but not always) going to RR in this position giving me an easy fold. If I just call and an A or a King falls on the flop I'm toast, not to mention the fact that I might be giving the blinds good calling odds. IMO raising in this position is usually the correct play. With 2 or more callers I'm probably going to call and reevaluate on the flop.

And when JJ or QQ reraises you your fold is a mistake considering the dead money in the pot. Nothing wrong with playing a smaller pot in position with AK.

That's what happened to me. I had AK unsuited on BTN facing a UTG 4xbb preflop raise and a CO call. I decided to just call because it was the first raise I saw the player make. 3 handed flop is junk (236 rainbow) and he leads out with a big bet. I folded.

I would call. The only reason to raise would be if you know the person is a loose player and to put him on a strong hand. Poker is a game that people do the opposite of what you think they would. You need to learn how to try to understand the image of each player in order to maximize the benefits from each player. I am not that great at this, but it's a skill that you get better at with loads of practice. There is not a straight answer unless you know the person.

I think knowing the buy-in here is very important. People in a micro game will raise UTG with A6o. They will also call a re raise with any A. The good news is that if they catch a brick on the flop they will fold to most anything especially if they check. If the flop seems dry they have hit something if they bet. C-Betting isn't common ground in these games. I have no idea what levelbuy-in this changes at but this is my experience up to $5 games.