$5 NLHE 6-max: An interesting 5NL Hand, KK vs AQs 3Bet

[Mybeardisevil]

I am very confused by the preflop 4 Bet call with AQs, maybe I am too much of a nit but calling AQ 4bets doesn't seem profitable, I am not really experienced enough to know whether this is a specific read on this player but appreciate your thoughts. Maybe it is the bottom of his calling range. Obviously he isn't going anywhere with the not flush draw and one over card on the flop, although the turn call also confuses me as he doesn't have the odds. Thanks, guys.

https://www.cardschat.com/replayer/5tM7ScA

 

[puzzlefish]

Just a fish chasing his flush.

 

[TheBigFinn]

Poker Cruncher makes AQs a 35% dog to a JJ+, AK, AJs+ range. Even if one adds a few bluffs, he is a dog, but an in position dog, for what its worth.

After the flop, the same range is a race and I am shoving to the raise. AA takes away 2 outs and make Villain a favorite, but with the ace blocker there are only 6 combos of AA posible. Of course I'm calling the shove with the pair of kings too.

 

[300HPGOD]

I think you played the hand well although not picking I would open to 3x and make the 4 bet a little larger as I think you will get called fairly frequently in this spot after the villain makes a 3 bet unless they were air balling their 3 bet which is not often in 5 NL. To me the flop sizing was perfect to make it a 2 street hand which you did.

As far as the villain calling the 4 bet, I think its fine based on they have position and the price they are getting after their 3 bet. To call the 4 bet they are getting almost 3 to 1 with AQ suited. AQ suited has 25% equity against everything except AA, even going against AK with K of spades barely makes it over 25% but makes it. Yes post flop will be difficult for them but they also have position and at rare times can outplay their opponent plus they have the A blocker to AA. In my opinion I dont think it is a bad call of the 4 bet given the sizing and they were suited.

 

[Mybeardisevil]

I think you played the hand well although not picking I would open to 3x and make the 4 bet a little larger as I think you will get called fairly frequently in this spot after the villain makes a 3 bet unless they were air balling their 3 bet which is not often in 5 NL. To me the flop sizing was perfect to make it a 2 street hand which you did.

As far as the villain calling the 4 bet, I think its fine based on they have position and the price they are getting after their 3 bet. To call the 4 bet they are getting almost 3 to 1 with AQ suited. AQ suited has 25% equity against everything except AA, even going against AK with K of spades barely makes it over 25% but makes it. Yes post flop will be difficult for them but they also have position and at rare times can outplay their opponent plus they have the A blocker to AA. In my opinion I dont think it is a bad call of the 4 bet given the sizing and they were suited.

Thank you for your advice!

3bet and 4 bet sizing is something I am working on, what are your recommendations with those? I appreciate your thoughts

 

[300HPGOD]

Thank you for your advice!

3bet and 4 bet sizing is something I am working on, what are your recommendations with those? I appreciate your thoughts

I am working on it myself but to me it depends on a lot of things like position, am I 3 or 4 betting for value or with the hope villain folds, what are the villains stats when it comes to calling, etc. When I am in position then you can raise smaller (unless you want folds) vs out of position. Know that when you are out of position there is more reason for the villain to call so you want to go bigger whether you are bluffing or for value. In this hand, unless villain has wide 3 betting stats, we know the villain has a strong hand since they 3 bet and we have a very strong hand that we want to play a large pot with. Here, I am never 4 betting as small as you did since to me its not juicing the pot enough and just giving OOP opponent implied odds to call us with a lot of hands. Knowing they were on the stronger side and probably not folding much since in position Im thinking more along the lines of a raise to 1.10-1.25. You are getting called a lot and then you have a larger pot to work with for more value later in the hand.

In general 3 or 4 betting small to me doesnt make sense unless we are talking very large blinds and relatively small stack sizes (obviously only in tournaments). For cash I dont see much of a reason deep stacked to be raising smaller than 3x but that is my opinion.

 

[Vallet]

You made a standard raise, so the opponent raises to isolate and other players could not enter the pot. But his problem is that he underestimated your hand and still wants to watch the flop, having a position. And the flop is not bad for him in fact. Because now the chances are almost 50-50, even if you have queens or kings in your hands. You were a little hasty with the conclusions that the villain has no chance on the turn. He has a 23% chance of winning even after all in. It seems to me that the fact is that the size of the pot is already too large and makes up almost its entire stack. The villain's mistake was to build up the pot on the preflop. Therefore, he could not slow down on the turn. That's the whole point.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
Pretty standard by both players, and the main thing, I would point out, is, that your 4-bet was very small. For this sizing and in position he is getting the odds to call with pretty much anything, that was good enough to 3-bet, and certainly with AQs. Folding AQs getting almost 3:1 and position would be insanely nitty and even more so in a late position battle like this.

Flop
In a 4-bet pot I would generally tend to bet a little smaller to give him a tough decision with all the hands, that missed. If he has exactly JJ or QQ, you are getting his stack on most runouts anyway, but he could also have a lot of hands like A high, that missed, and have an easy fold, when you bomb it like this. For him he has a standard call with the nut flushdraw and two overs.

Turn
As played you only had a pot sized bet left, so anything other than jamming would be fairly awkward. Villain was only getting 2:1, so he needed around 35% equity factoring in the rake, and even a 12 out draw, assuming his A was life, only has 25%. He did beat a bluff though, unless you were bluffing with exactly AK, and for that reason its probably an ok call, if he think, you are ever bluffing.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
Pretty standard by both players, and the main thing, I would point out, is, that your 4-bet was very small. For this sizing and in position he is getting the odds to call with pretty much anything, that was good enough to 3-bet, and certainly with AQs. Folding AQs getting almost 3:1 and position would be insanely nitty and even more so in a late position battle like this.

Flop
In a 4-bet pot I would generally tend to bet a little smaller to give him a tough decision with all the hands, that missed. If he has exactly JJ or QQ, you are getting his stack on most runouts anyway, but he could also have a lot of hands like A high, that missed, and have an easy fold, when you bomb it like this. For him he has a standard call with the nut flushdraw and two overs.

Turn
As played you only had a pot sized bet left, so anything other than jamming would be fairly awkward. Villain was only getting 2:1, so he needed around 35% equity factoring in the rake, and even a 12 out draw, assuming his A was life, only has 25%. He did beat a bluff though, and for that reason its probably an ok call. If your range was JJ+, AKs (for partial AK) and A5s (as a representation of bluffs), then he had 36% equity.

Now at 5NL it can be argued, that the general population dont have bluffs, when they take your line, so folding could be a reasonable adjustment. But if you move up to 25NL or higher, you need to play AQs exactly like, your opponent did, because otherwise people can just bluff you to high heaven.

 

[Mybeardisevil]

Preflop
Pretty standard by both players, and the main thing, I would point out, is, that your 4-bet was very small. For this sizing and in position he is getting the odds to call with pretty much anything, that was good enough to 3-bet, and certainly with AQs. Folding AQs getting almost 3:1 and position would be insanely nitty and even more so in a late position battle like this.

Flop
In a 4-bet pot I would generally tend to bet a little smaller to give him a tough decision with all the hands, that missed. If he has exactly JJ or QQ, you are getting his stack on most runouts anyway, but he could also have a lot of hands like A high, that missed, and have an easy fold, when you bomb it like this. For him he has a standard call with the nut flushdraw and two overs.

Turn
As played you only had a pot sized bet left, so anything other than jamming would be fairly awkward. Villain was only getting 2:1, so he needed around 35% equity factoring in the rake, and even a 12 out draw, assuming his A was life, only has 25%. He did beat a bluff though, and for that reason its probably an ok call. If your range was JJ+, AKs (for partial AK) and A5s (as a representation of bluffs), then he had 36% equity.

Now at 5NL it can be argued, that the general population dont have bluffs, when they take your line, so folding could be a reasonable adjustment. But if you move up to 25NL or higher, you need to play AQs exactly like, your opponent did, because otherwise people can just bluff you to high heaven.

thank you for your analysis, what 4bet sizing do you recommend, there seems to be a lot of conflicting advice online?