A♣K♦ BTN vs BB, preflop, 100 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: A♣K♦
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 100 bb
- Pot: 14 bb
BTN opens 2.5bb, BB 3‑bets to 11bb.
Best response IP with AKo facing the OOP 3‑bet?
See the answer
Best play: 4-bet to 26bb
Why
Principle: at 100bb, AKo is the strongest non-pair that can 4‑bet without committing the stack to AA/KK. Applied to AKo: it dominates AQ/AJ in villain bluff/call ranges and removes an A from their value combos. So: 4‑bet for value isolation + fold equity, not a flat that lets villain realize cheap equity OOP.
Key idea
AKo is a 4‑bet, not a flat: it dominates villain's continuing range and blocks their AA/AK/AQ value while keeping fold equity.