Blind defense w/ AA vs BTN

I pretty much 3-bet with most AA hands that have good texture: e.g., if I don't have every side card in the 8-K range, I usually 3-bet. Factors that might prevent me from 3-betting is if the BB is super loose and will call in 3-way pots with baby pairs or if the BTN's opening range is tighter than average. I don't like the 3-bet or fold approach because a hand like QQAJ2 is likely too good to fold and not good enough to 3-bet. Maybe the best approach of all is to 3-bet with roughly KK except maybe with hands like KKQJT and cold call with JJAKQ and most pairs of queens ( except maybe QQJT9, etc. might be better to fold against a tight BTN ).

Here, you should 3-bet given your HUD stats and good hand texture; postdraw, checking and calling with AAJ or AAQ is pretty standard ( so as not to be exploitable ). You may want to value bet AAK and some improved hands; if so, you probably have to balance by 3-betting with a hand like AK suited ( or weak one pair hands with blockers ), esp. if the BTN is opening more than 30%.

Originally posted by bigpooch
You may want to value bet AAK and some improved hands; if so, you probably have to balance by 3-betting with a hand like AK suited ( or weak one pair hands with blockers ), esp. if the BTN is opening more than 30%.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm going to have to try that some day.

I've raised AK and AQ in SB as a semi bluff, but only vs those BBs that fold more than 60% of the time (and I usually wait for 65%).
I have not tried it from the other side vs players that open too wide.
I can see though, that whether I win the hand or not, the mere fact that I'm putting up resistance will serve to slow them down and thus defend the blinds.

Cheers,
VS

It's important to have a wide 3-betting range against an aggressive player or a thinking player in the CUTOFF or BTN. Here's one of the main reasons that was sort of expounded upon on a rare post by Phil Ivey "eons" ago on the Poker Road forum ( but this was having to do with O8 ); in my own words: when the CUTOFF sees either the BTN or SB 3-betting frequently versus an open raise, in the future, the CUTOFF may cut back on his opening frequency; if so, you've gained future equity because you will have more opportunities to play HU against the BB. Even if this opponent may not change his play significantly, the other players may notice your wide 3-betting and decide not to open wide in similar spots if you are acting behind them which again translates to more situations where you get to play against the blind(s).

In any case, the proper 3-betting range is likely wider than what most players think; in the Mathematics of Poker ( by Chen and Ankenman ), a high level of aggression is found in the optimal game theoretical solution of many "toy games" ( which are useful "microcosms" of poker ).