Flop Analysis
OOP in a 3‑way limped pot on an ace‑high board, checking our whole range is correct — we’re not the aggressor, the ace connects well with BU’s limp range, and betting third pair here would just bloat the pot with a marginal hand.
Checking down pre and on the flop is standard, but facing the small stab we can usually continue once with bottom pair given our equity and villain’s wide range.
OOP in a 3‑way limped pot on an ace‑high board, checking our whole range is correct — we’re not the aggressor, the ace connects well with BU’s limp range, and betting third pair here would just bloat the pot with a marginal hand.
Against the BU stab, folding third pair is a bit on the tight side; facing this sizing we usually want to defend some bottom pair to avoid over‑folding versus a wide, stab‑heavy range. **Math:** We’re getting about 2:1, needing ~33% equity. Third pair with a reasonable kicker has that kind of raw equity versus a limp/call range that stabs ace‑high boards with lots of air and worse hands (random floats, 4x, some 5x, backdoor/straight‑draw type holdings). **Equity Realization:** The main argument for folding is poor realization: SPR is shallow, and many turns force us into tough spots where BU can put in the rest and we hate calling down with bottom pair. Still, we only face one bet so far and many turn/river runouts will go check‑check, allowing us to realize equity and win against BU’s bluffs and random high‑card hands. **Ranges:** BU limped and now bets half‑pot when checked to; that line includes strong hands (Ax, 5x), but also a lot of automatic stabs with misses that “shouldn’t win at showdown”. If we fold almost all 3x here, our range becomes too weak, letting BU profitably stab any two. --- > **Takeaway:** Versus small bets in limped pots, we should usually peel once with bottom pair, especially when the bettor’s range contains a lot of automatic bluffs.
Note: Folding third pair to a half‑pot stab is slightly too tight; calling once is higher EV given our pot odds and villain’s likely wide stabbing range.