AK heads up versus TAG

[Nate tha' Great]

This situation is coming up more frequently as I'm logging more hours at the Party 30/60 game, which can play pretty tight at times.

Case #1. You have AKo UTG +1 and open-raise. An opponent 3-bets in EMP. Everybody else folds.

Case #2. You have AKo two off the Button. An opponent 3-bets in the CO. Everybody else folds.

Assumptions:

1. You consider your opponent to be reasonably tight. In the first case, when he's in EMP, you estimate that the weakest hands he'd 3-bet with are AQs/88. In the second case, when he's in the CO, you think he'd 3-bet down to AJs/KQs/AQo/55.

2. The opponent plays decently postflop.

3. You think that he thinks that you'd probably cap with AKo.

The question: Are you better off capping, or calling his 3-bet?

I don't think that this is a simple question. I'd like to get a good discussion going.

-Nate

[Noo Yawk]

Hi Nate,

Based on your assumptions, in particular the range of hands you give your oppponent, I'd cap most of the time in case #1 and all of the time in case #2.
The better discussion might be with what range of hands do you cap with.

[DeeJ]

I share this concern. When I'm playing with a few regulars who know I'm pretty tight on a full table, raising UTG (or +1) enables them to put me on a very few hands which restricts the action. I would be tempted to sometimes limp with AKo and hope your TAG opponents will let you know they have a good hand, just like a standard limp-reraise hand. I also sense a limp reraise from UTG reduces my EV when the board has an Ace and opponents have a reasonable knowledge of your play. I think you have to mix it up a bit.

But specifically

Case #1 : Probably 50/50 call/cap. He may fold with a pair when you cap fearing KK/AA, otoh he may overbet with AQ/AJ if you only call when he hits an Ace on the board. He will be worried about pocket pairs too, surely, not just AKo even though this is more frequent.

Case #2: Cap more often, for value probably 80% or more.

I may be way off line here since I don't play 30/60 [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]