First mistake is 3betting pre. Accomplish nothing at all when we can just call and see flop 100% of the time with good pot odds.

Flop:

We will loose two bets vs all hands that beats us no matter if c/c,c/c or bet/bet or b,c/c so point in looking how we do vs AQ AK.

Question is how we maximize vs QQ JJ, KQs, QJs JTs 99-22 w/e you think his range is.

I would bet the flop for value to get called by QQ JJ KQ QJ JT instead of checking and letting them realize their equity. Its not a spot they will start to barrel to often so I think flop bet is the best.

As played I would c/c turn since its the strongest hand i will have in my checking range (dont like to c/c AK)

Main thing about this is DONT 3bet preflop. You just take away all worse Ax and many worse Jx from their range and it will be tough to valuebet post flop.

I looked at this and found it quite a tricky one, then thought the problem wasn't betting or not betting, imo it was preflop, but then I am snug with these situations without a fair bit of history.

I wouldn't squeeze, just seems a bi optimistic given the respective positions imo and I don't like building a pot out of position here v a utg opening range and a button calling range versus that, with this hand type.

Having got there I would bet flop and fold to a raise, but on that blank turn I'd probably bet again but not exactly fist-pumping it. I'd check and call sometimes on the river and fold some others dependent on what turned up and action.

So do you guys think calling is better than folding pre flop? I can't see us playing AJo OOP ev+ if we call against 2 regs.

Thoughts?

Not a hand I would squeeze UTG with. It's also out of my calling range unless I have solid reads on how villains play.

As played I prefer checking the flop, and agree that the turn is a fold against most opponents.

I think the optimal preflop decision will vary a lot between players. On paper both calling and bluff 3betting AJ here make sense to me (as it will be the top of your folding range against some particular nitty or good players especially OOP) so the only way to know what to do here (at least until we solve this whole poker thing) is to filter out those spots and see if AJ was profitable for you so far. I'm fairly confident 3betting will, in fact, be a better play for non-trivial % of players.

As played I think check/folding the turn would be too weak though I'd most likely get away on many rivers. Oh and cbetting the flop is obviously the way to go.

Although squeezing AJo versus an UTG opener isn't a bad thing, once called you have to be prepared for the fact that they called with better aces and play the rest of the hand with this knowledge. I would play flop the same - I think this wet flop has to be cbet as it is so wet and hits a 3b calling range - more draws than an episode of take heart. The turn is a relative blank - 6 isn't helping anyone unless they called the 3b w A6 (which if they did makes your pre flop play even better). You are obviously now in a WAWB situation and tbh I would XC (depending on villains stats) and re-evaluate river.

If you had history of villain and know that he stabs with a wide range versus missed turn cbets then it makes the turn check call easier. If he's 12/10 and aggression factor is 1.1 then I'm obviously check folding.

Calling is better if you know how to play postflop. Fold is -100bb/100 and im sure with even decent postflop play you can beat that.

Ofc 3betting or calling is dependent on the players we are facing but when the OP doesnt mention anything in the hand i go ahead and assume 15% for the utg and 5%-15%(10% range) for the BTN.

I for one don't agree that this is close the the bottom/at the top of our calling/folding range, so for me its a clear call.

If I find the spot to be good for squeezing bc they fold to much I would use a weaker Ax so we dont have to 3bet bluff hands that is profitable to call with. This should make your defending range bigger and we will have fewer hands that fold and gives us instant -100bb/100.

Dont think we can come up with to many situations where we 3bet this spot for value if not any of them are a whale.