The phrase '3 bet' can be quite perplexing, particularly for those who are just starting out in poker. New players often make the mistake of thinking that a '3 bet' must be three times the preceding bet amount. Understanding this misunderstanding begins with clarifying the actual definition of a '3 bet'.
3 bet = This is the third wager in any betting series.
Watch an insightful interview featuring Kara Scott speaking with Martin Jacobson about the nuances of 3 betting:
The source of confusion often lies in the preflop betting sequence. When a player makes an initial raise, and we respond with a re-raise, it can mistakenly seem like we've made a second bet instead of a third. The term '3 bet' refers back to the initial small blind and big blind contributions, which are counted as the first bet. So, the player’s open-raise is treated as the '2 bet', while our re-raise earns the title of the '3 bet'.
This misunderstanding extends to postflop scenarios as well. Think about a situation where our opponent places a bet on the flop and we decide to check-raise. While this is clearly the second bet in the overall sequence, many players inaccurately label it a '3 bet'. For a true 3 bet to occur here, our opponent would need to make an additional raise following our check/raise. continuation bet It's not rocket science to recognize that 3 betting generally yields greater profits than simply calling or folding.
Why 3 betting is Important
The primary reason for not consistently 3 betting across our preflop range is the risk of our opponents adjusting their strategies to take advantage of us when they notice we're being too liberal with our 3 bets. The goal is to maximize our 3 betting frequency without allowing our opponents to exploit that tendency. cold-calling In essence, incorporating 3 betting into our gameplay is vital, as it can significantly enhance our overall win rate.
Let’s examine some effective 3 betting strategies when facing opens from various positions. poker strategy The button position is excellent for aggressive 3 betting, as it ensures we maintain positional advantage postflop if our 3 bet gets called.
Typically, our 3 betting strategy is a mix of strong value hands and certain bluff hands. Often, it's wise to execute slightly more bluffs compared to our value-3 bets. The impact of maintaining positional advantage here is considerable—we can sustain a higher bluff ratio when we control the action.
3 betting on the Button
The button The objective of a bluff 3 bet is to secure the pot even before the flop is dealt. While we may not hold the strongest hand, if our opponent folds even occasionally, we stand to gain.
Normally, our bluffs don’t include just any two cards. We prefer cards that can develop into a strong hand by the time the river card arrives. These hands usually blend good playability with strong postflop potential. bluffs Often, we find that our 3 bet bluffing hands tend to be marginally weaker than those we might call with, although this isn't an absolute rule. position The chart below shows our value 3 bets in light red, contrasted with our bluff 3 bets in dark red.
The purpose of a value 3-bet Observe the noticeable gap between that of our bluff 3 bets and our value 3 bets. For instance, hands like ATs usually fall into our calling range, as they are too strong for bluff 3 betting. make money Notice that when facing an MP open, our 3 betting range tightens considerably. It’s also essential to identify the specific hands we choose to bluff with.
Unlike the BTN situation, we generally avoid speculative hands such as suited connectors when bluffing. Instead, we focus on a range of hands that possess solid equity. This focus increases our chances of reaching showdown successfully, especially when we hold position. hands In comparison with out-of-position (OOP) ranges, speculative hands are more dominant in the bluffing range. These hands carry more value when out of position since playability matters more than raw equity. poker equity , maybe something like Axs for example.
Naturally, this new strategy is tighter than the previous pair as it involves responding to an early-position (EP) raise, which typically represents a stronger hand range.
3 bet BTN vs CO
We can also see that while the numbers may seem the same as in BTN vs. MP, the actual ranges differ.
Value 3bet range – 4.52%
Bluff 3bet range – 9.05%
Total 3bet range – 13.57%
This is due to the variety in hands we can successfully cold-call. From the button, we can afford to call a slightly more extensive range because there are fewer players still to act behind us. range Cold-calling from the cutoff (CO) is less favorable, which leads us to lean more towards certain hands for 3 betting.
BTN vs MP
Consequently, although we maintain the same frequency in 3 betting against MP, the CO vs. MP 3 betting range is stronger.
Even against an UTG open, we should possess a 3 bet bluffing strategy. Players who fail to implement this approach could be overlooking valuable profit opportunities.
Our 3 bet bluffing range against an early position open will generally be much stronger than that against a late position open.
Value 3bet range – 1.66%
Bluff 3bet range – 3.32%
Total 3bet range – 4.98%
BTN vs UTG
Given we are up against an UTG and have four players left to act, it makes sense to adopt an exceptionally tight strategy.
Value 3bet range – 0.9%
Bluff 3bet range – 2.11%
Total 3bet range – 3.01%
CO vs MP
Now, let’s explore some OOP 3 betting ranges that can be employed from the blinds.
There are two notable differences regarding the balance of value hands and bluffs in this scenario. squeeze Our bluffing range becomes more 'polarized', consisting mainly of speculative hands, not high-equity hands.
In our range, each value hand sees fewer bluffs paired with it. This stems from the OOP situation—bluffing becomes trickier without position—and because our bluffing hands tend to have lower equity, we therefore bluff less frequently overall.
Value 3bet range – 1.66
Bluff 3bet range – 3.32%
Total 3bet range – 4.98%
CO vs UTG
Be aware that this range is tailored for a 2.5bb open, while prior ranges accounted for a 3bb opening. Nowadays, players often opt for slightly smaller openings, making 2.5bb more realistic.
We can see increased polarization in our 3 betting strategy, which now clearly distinguishes between our value range and our bluffing range of weaker speculative hands.
Value 3bet range 0.9
Bluff 3bet range 1.81%
Total 3bet range 2.71%
MP vs UTG
The value range for OOP against EP/MP openings will be notably strict. In fact, it's advisable to limit our value 3 betting to just AA/KK (0.9%) when considering 100bb effective stacks.
3bet Value range – 0.9%
3bet Bluff range – 1.51%
Total 3bet range – 24.1%
3 betting OOP
An additional crucial range is the BB vs. SB scenario, which is very powerful in No-Limit Hold’em. The SB often opens a wide range, and getting our 3 bet called always assures us positional advantage postflop. We also don't have to worry about players behind us squeezing, which would force us to fold our bluffs, since we act last.
Note how expansive our bluffing range is in this context, partly due to the wide cold-calling range available in BB vs. SB situations (often, we select our bluffing hands as slightly weaker than our cold-calling selections). On average, we should defend roughly 50% of hands in the BB against a 2.5bb SB open, with 35% through cold-calling and 15% by 3 betting.
- It's worth mentioning that in many scenarios, we should be able to 3 bet even more broadly than what we’ve discussed with certain players. This is particularly true in lower-stakes games, where many opponents don't 4 bet as aggressively as they ought to, allowing us to widen our 3 betting range effectively.
- Additionally, it's important to remember that our 3 betting ranges will fluctuate based on the initial raise size. We've previously focused on ranges against 2.5x and 3x raises, yet we must also devise strategies for facing 2x and 4x raises, as well as any other betting sizes we frequently encounter.
BB vs BTN
The ranges we’ve explored represent default selections against unknown opponents. As we gather more information about our opponents, it's usually prudent to update our strategy as an exploitative approach.
Value 3bet range – 4.52%
Bluff 3bet range – 5.43%
Total 3bet range – 9.95%
BB vs CO
Imagine we have an opponent who never folds to a 3 bet. In such cases, we would typically reduce our bluffing hands while possibly widening our value 3 bets. Conversely, if our opponent folds too often in the face of 3 bets, we might shift our strategy towards bluffing more aggressively while potentially even playing some of our hands slower.
Value 3bet Range – 3.77%
Chad Holloway
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Chad Holloway is a celebrated 2013 WSOP Bracelet winner who has worked with PokerNews as a managing editor and live reporter.
Why 3 betting is Important
cold-calling
poker strategy
3 betting on the Button
The
button
bluffs
position
The purpose of a value
3-bet
make money
hands
poker equity
, maybe something like Axs for example.
3 bet BTN vs CO
Value 3bet range – 4.52%
Bluff 3bet range – 9.05%
Total 3bet range – 13.57%
range
BTN vs MP
Value 3bet range – 1.66%
Bluff 3bet range – 3.32%
Total 3bet range – 4.98%
BTN vs UTG
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Value 3bet range – 0.9%
Bluff 3bet range – 2.11%
Total 3bet range – 3.01%
CO vs MP
squeeze
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If you registered from Canada, provision of our services is managed by VDSL (International) Limited. Value 3bet range – 1.66 Bluff 3bet range – 3.32%