NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (8 handed)

MP2 ($175.50) <-- Cold-Caller (playing 60/10 after 100 hands, and just terrible)
CO ($106.05) <-- Cold-Caller (tighter stats, not much read)
Hero ($149.40) <-- Me (button)
SB ($88.50)
BB ($130.70)
UTG ($124.90)
UTG+1 ($100) <-- PFR (playing tight, 10/5 after 25 hands)
MP1 ($20)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 raises to $4</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP2 calls $4, CO calls $4, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $21</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 raises to $55</font>, MP2 folds, CO folds, Hero folds


Is this pretty standard? I don't like chucking in 20% of my stack to fold to a rr, but since I'm probably in great shape against either cold-caller I thought it might be worth it.

I'm assuming UTG+1 range is almost excusively AA/KK at this point, so I can't call or shove. Do you like "squeeze" raising this PF, or rather calling and playing a smaller pot in position w/ AKs? Maybe raise more(?) or less?

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

I dont hate that line much, but I think I'd prefer to call and play this in position is a smallish pot. Someone with those stats raising utg+1 narrows his range down a bit and I'm looking to spike an ace on an A-low-low board or a King on a board with a couple of high cards (or of course some monster flop with a pair and a flush draw). The first would be nice because its the best chance I have of being ahead of villain, the second because I can make it look like the flop nailed me. If I whiff the flop I can get out cheap when he cbets and the morons tag along.

Just some thoughts.

TRWIII

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

considering its only 25 hands its ok, but 10/5 over a large sample is not someone I would generally do this with
this is a spot i could see calling with AK

meh, actually i'd probably still squeeze here. you are in a great spot vs anything but AA and KK

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

I think you need to shove over the 4bet.

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

[ QUOTE ]
UTG+1 ($100) &lt;-- PFR (playing tight, 10/5 after 25 hands)

[/ QUOTE ]

how can villain be 10/5 after 25 hands? this means he has played 2.5 hands and raised 1.25 hands.

I think this is a fold, villains small 4bet to $55 looks like he is begging for you to come along

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

I think your fold is good, but if you plan on folding to the 4 bet, you shouldn't raise to 21, it's overkill.

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

5% PFR gives him a range like TT+,AJs+,AQo+.

He might tighten up in EP, but there is nothing in the OP about his position play in terms of varying his PFR standards.

It is unlikely that UTG+1 has a "deceptive" hand, like 78s, but not impossible.

AKs is actually a marginal favorite over a 5% PFR range, so if you end up called and have to play a pretty big pot post flop, you're not in bad shape, plus you will have the button.

However, reraising with a pot-sized raise to try and fold UTG+1 and hopefully scoop the cold callers' dead money is a great idea, IMO, and better than just calling on the button in a 4-way pot. I like it better than calling because you'd rather find out if you're up against AA or KK in UTG+1 preflop than after you flop top pair. Moreover, since you will miss the flop 2/3s of the time, you'd be happy to take the dead money already in the pot without needing to see a flop. Plus, if you only ever reraise here with QQ-AA then you become too easy to read. Reraising with no more than AKo and AKs adds 16 combinations to your hand range and makes it tougher for villains to know exactly where you are when you reraise even if you are so tight that you only reraise QQ-AA/AK.

Once the tight EP raiser 4-bets, however, he just narrowed his range to QQ-AA/AK (against which you have ~41% equity), or maybe even as little as KK-AA (against which you have ~23% equity) depending on the player. At that point, folding is best. If this were a short-handed game in which UTG+1 might still have a much wider range of hands, you might want to felt AKs preflop. But in this full ring game vs this tight EP raiser, his 4-bet (even though it is a min-3-bet) just announced "I have a big hand," and you should believe him. So, fold.

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

Ty for all the replies.

PLAYOFFS - you mentioned my raise to 21 was overkill (considering I feel way behind his 4betting range), but how much smaller would you go? 18? 15? Much smaller and I'm really just pumping the pot for value (and info), rather than hoping to take it down PF.

Albert - Seems like you're also kinda torn between raising and overcalling (although you say you like raising better). Would you raise less to, say 17 instead of 21?

Re: NL100 - preflop w/ AKs, 3-way squeeze?
 

i think your play is fine here, no need for being result oriented. Raise to 17 is a bad play, its gonna induce everyone to call.