SB vs button openraiser.

[Ikke]

Button openraises in a PP 5/10 5 max game. I'm in the SB and 3-bet with A7. The BB, a very loose player preflop, but reasonably tight afterwards, calls, as does button. Button is a very tricky player, but IMO he makes tricky plays too often.

The flop is K62 r

I bet and both call.

Turn is a 9. I check, BB bets, button calls and I fold.

Comments?

Regards

[Dynasty]

The main point of 3-betting pre-flop with A7o is to drive out the big blind. If he's loose pre-flop and won't fold anything but his worst hands, you shouldn't 3-bet unless you have a premium hand.

You could consider checkraising the flop. In fact just calling pre-flop and then checkraising the flop should be in your arsenal even when you miss the flop.

You've got a fold on the turn.

[Andy B]

While I'll usually three-bet before the flop when the button open-raises and I have an Ace in a short-handed game, Dynasty is correct that you should refrain if that isn't going to get the BB out.

Betting the flop is fine. When they both call, you've got to figure you're behind. When there's a bet and a call back to you on the turn, you have a fold.

[Ikke]

Preflop, I agree with Dynasty and Andy B. Under normal conditions, that is, reasonable opponents, it's IMO almost always correct to 3-bet, because it will often force the BB out. Here, however, it was a mistake, and I think it somewhat crippled my options for my flopplay.

In a 3-handed pot I almost never check when first in after being the preflop aggressor. I think to make up for the information you give away by checking, you should often make future plays by checking the flop which are inferior to betting out. I hope it's somewhat clear what I mean by that, can't find the right words right now.

Would there be any circumstances (for instance different opponents), where leading out on the turn again can be the right play?

What would you do if BB raised and button folded? And BB folded and button raised?

I think especially the second scenario can be quite interesting. Thoughts?

Regards

P.S. BB bet the river and got called by button. BB had KQo and took down the pot.

You haven't told us the nature of the button raiser and this also ties in with how tight/loose the big blind plays. If the button raiser is a good player and knows the big blind is pretty loose, then you are bettter off folding your A7 not just because the big blind will call, but because the button knows this too and probably has more of a legitimate hand then he would have in a straight steal situation. The problem with your A7 is that you may be in a situations vis-a-vis the button where you either have a marginal advantage or are a very big dog. In general I agree with a preflop "reraise or fold" approach when playing these five-way games, but I also think the "fold" option is not considered often enough by most players in a situation like the one you describe.

Sorry - looked again and you do say the button is a "tricky" player, I guess meaning he is capable of imaginative plays but has a tendency to overdo it sometimes. In that case I like the reraise with A7o even less because if the button is creative you'll have a harder time reading him after the flop. I think with tricky players the point is not to try and out-trick them but play your legitimate hands strongly. The point about the button knowing the blind is loose still applies.