Top Pair, Top Kicker With Ace-King vs. a Check-Raise
DECISION POINT: In a live $1/$2 no-limit hold'em cash game, three players limp into the pot and you raise from the button with A?K?. The big blind calls, and everyone else folds. The big blind checks the K?8?6? flop, you bet and get called. Your opponent then check-raises the 9? turn for nearly the rest of your stack. Action is on you...
PRO ANSWER: This is an interesting spot because real world play in this situation can sometimes differ so much from "GTO" (game theory optimal) play.
Given the low stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) on the turn, we should not fold our hand against a turn check-raise from an optimal opponent. If we do, then we will be highly exploitable on the turn. There is $111 in the pot and we only have $148 back. Taking lines that fold top pair, top kicker will not be profitable when we are this shallow.
That said, many Villains in live $1/$2 games are far too tight with turn raises, which means they will rarely make this play without a hand that has us beat. Given this population tendency at $1/$2, folding this hand can often be a viable play, even though we should not fold it as a default in GTO play.
Against very straightforward opponents that only check-raise two pair or better on the turn, we can simply fold this hand.
However, know that as we face tougher and trickier opponents, we should not generally fold top pair top kicker with only 1.3x the pot left in stacks.
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