[mike l.]

"In particular, it's not very obvious that 3-betting preflop is the best course of action."

against an obvious blind steal from the button i think 77 is too good not to 3 bet here. in other words you are certainly losing EV by not 3 betting here (provided you play well post flop, yadda yadda).

"It's also not clear that calling the turn is best either."

i didnt advocate calling the turn. i suggested reraising. it's clear that button could easily have a hand that doesnt include an A or 6, that he could behind w/ some low pair and he'll call you down to the river, or that he has overcards that he will be forced to fold on the turn. so your 3 bet here would protect your hand and give you the pot a decent amount of the time. those would be my main reasons for 3 betting. another consideration is that by 3 betting here w/ 77 you are sending a message to this guy that he will be played back at fiercely when he attempts to steal your big blind. so you profit on future hands.

the argument that you have reverse implied odds here w/ your turn reraise because it commits you to betting the river (or at least check-calling, perhaps to induce a bluff, but also to avoid getting trapped for 2 bets on the river) is valid. one major consideration would be knowing how likely this button is to value bet 88-JJ here on the river should you check to him after making it 3 bets on the turn. also how likely is this guy to attempt a steal w/ a 6 in his hand? some players would auto raise w/ almost anything when folded to on the button 4 handed, others would throw many small card hands away. something else to think about.

hope this helps clarify. how'd it turn out?