Party 1/2 nl (6max)

Stacks:
Hero ($250)
Button ($200)

Hero dealt A K in the CO.

Hero opens for $7 in CO, Button reraises to $21, Hero calls $14

Flop (2 players, $40)
K 8 2
Hero checks, Button bets $30, Hero raises to $80

I don't have a read on this player. How do we play the flop after we flop TPTK? How do we react to an all in push?

I like the line you took. Only conceivable hands that beat you are AA, KK, and 88. AA and KK are obviously not as likely given your hand. If Button comes back over the top of your raise (presumably with a push), then, well, you'll have to decide whether he has one of those hands (but given that you'd be getting 3-1 with TPTK, it would be hard to lay down).

If the flop wasn't suited, I'd look hard at a check/call line, allowing villain to bluff on multiple streets.

I think if you check raise here you are risking a lot of money, if you have any thoughts of folding this you should just lead it is much cheaper.

I liked the check/raise. I opened from the CO so I think his reraising range is quite large. I don't think I"m behind on the flop here very often and after the reraise preflop we can be fairly certain that he will bet this flop. If the flush draw were not present I would check/call the flop as this seems like a wa/wb spot.

Edit: I was thinking about the check/raise. I think a made too small of a raise. If I were to play it again I would probably raise between 110 and 120

playing without reads on opponent is dangerous. you should be more cautious around players you dont have a read on.

how would you approach this hand without a read?

call push, chop or lose to AA.

yeah i was calling. i didn't realize I would be getting 3-1 until just recently.

I am trying to figure out what hands would push here after the reraise and how many I'm actually ahead of. I'd like iggy, jordan, krup, cobalt or scott (to name a few) who play these limits give me some insight into that. I don't normally play this high.

shameless bump........i really would like to get a couple more on this

You're right. We should just fold everytime a player we have no read on wants to get involved with us. Awesome.

Anyways, I like check raise as I think he could be betting with anything. If he calls check raise then fire turn again hard.

If he pushes then were in trouble because theres a variety of weaker hands that could possibly push but theyre unlikely ith typical villian. we have no read but a reraise on the button could easily be suited connectors and he could be doing this with flush draw. More likely AK or AA if he pushes though and you have to lay down without a read and no kind of backdoor draws.

Unfortunately, these are tricky situations and with an AKs against reraise I only truly feel comfortable if I flop the flush, a strong draw to the nuts or the Ace with two rag cards. I recently was stacked in a situation like this when the baord came AK2 and he had AA.

The pot is so big preflop that you are committing yourself to TPTK on the flop. Stacks aren't deep enough to sensibly fold this to a push. I don't mind the check-raise on the flop, but personal preference would be to bet $25. This looks like a probe bet and gives him chance to commit a lot with QQ/JJ. You are going broke if he has you beat here so how you play it in those cases is irrelevant. It's all going in. The key here is getting him to commit a bit more with the hands you are beating.
If (as is common at these kind of stakes) he just calls $25 with QQ/JJ then I like checking the turn.

I like the c/r.

I think villain's range is pretty tight here...QQ/JJ/1010 probably. Even if he calls/pushes, you're committed to this pot. Get your money in with what is likely the best hand.

Hands I see pushing here is any hand that was an air bluff to begin with, I know id at least think of pushing. AA is almost certainly pushing, any set might let you bet the rest yourself. QQ down might push thinking they are being bluffed. KQ could do a lot of things. I think youve commited yourself to calling a push, and Ill be the 778th donk to say 'i like betting the flop'