Firing that Third Barrel

When confronted with a triple barrel from an adversary, it can feel quite overwhelming, particularly if you possess a hand of moderate strength that would have impressed you in other scenarios. Confronted with this kind of aggressive play, our only viable option often becomes folding. showdown Though executing this play is undoubtedly aggressive, it’s important to recognize that it almost always indicates a hand packed with value. In reality, many players do not utilize the triple barrel bluffing strategy nearly as much as they ought to. In an ideal game strategy, we ought to be bluffing in almost 30% of cases in typical triple barreling scenarios. However, average players tend to shy away from this level of aggression.

So, when exactly is the right moment to go for a triple barrel, whether we are bluffing or not? poker strategy If any of this seems confusing, let’s clarify what we mean by \" triple barrelling \". It refers to placing successive bets during the flop, turn, and river. Each of these bets is termed a \"barrel\", and there are three betting rounds (flop, turn, and river). bluffs more like 5% of the time, or never at all.

Typically, a triple barrel is initiated by the player who took the lead before the flop, although it’s also feasible to execute this while calling cold, regardless of position, whether in the big blind or out of position. However, tripling barrels out of position while cold calling is somewhat unconventional, meaning our opponents might not see this line as often as we might expect. bluff and for value?

What is a Triple Barrel, Anyway?

Naturally, many players will tend to triple barrel when seeking value. However, bluffing with a 3-barrel could feel more counterintuitive. Let’s start by summarizing our approach when betting three times for value. river ), and so the name, “triple barrelling”.

A crucial thing to remember is that in most cases, having just top pair does not justify firing three bets for value. Our range for value bets when tripling should consist of two pairs or better .

Triple Barrelling for Value

That said, we must recognize that there will be numerous exceptions to this rule. Let’s explore a few examples.

1 – The Opponent is a Calling Station – It should be fairly clear that if our opponent struggles to fold even a simple pair, or an Ace-high hand, our top pair might indeed net us value over three bets, irrespective of our kicker's strength.

It’s important to qualify 2 – We don't start with top pair but hit something strong on the turn or river – This approach is a bit nuanced, yet it can significantly impact the outcome. Players are generally more inclined to believe we made a strong hand on the flop rather than hitting it later in the game.

For instance, if we hold AJ, we might find it challenging to extract three streets of value. Typically, we should only aim for two streets unless we have a solid read on our opponent. Imagine we double-barrel with AcJc on a 3h board, and then the river reveals an As ; in this scenario, we could reasonably fire off another bet for value. Our opponent is more likely to call with their lower pairs since they might not believe we landed an Ace on the river.

3 – The board runout is unfavorable, making two pairs unvalueable – Consider if we flop two pairs with 8c9c on a board that runs 7sJs . While we may feel confident with our two pairs, intending to bet three times for value, the turn does not alter our plan significantly. However, by the time we reach the river, the situation has greatly worsened. On the river, we face a board with four cards that could complete a straight, and our opponent is likely concerned we have hit that straight, making them less inclined to call with a single pair. Essentially, even if we might still have the better hand, our two pairs don't hold enough strength to justify a third bet, and a check becomes necessary.

So, if we flop top pair on an As7c6c board Initiating that third barrel as a bluff for the first time often requires a good amount of courage. Essentially, we risk a considerable part of our stack without any solid hand, which can create a feeling of discomfort for many players. There is a natural tendency to hesitate when it comes to investing significant sums into a bluff, leading to most players lacking a well-formed bluffing strategy for the river.6c7c 2h However, it does not hold true that every player reacts the same way. A small portion of players seem to possess a unique risk-taking temperament that gives them the thrill of making substantial bluffs. The average player, on the other hand, rarely engages in triple barrel bluffing – this is a vulnerability we must exploit. Generally, we should give our opponents a substantial amount of credit when they do triple barrel, preparing ourselves to make solid folds.

So, how can we turn the tables on our opponents and apply similar pressure with a triple barrel? Typically, there are three key indicators to help us identify when a good bluffing opportunity presents itself.8h9h 2c 1 – No showdown value – The most suitable hands for bluffing are those that lack any value in showdown scenarios. The river is specifically the stage where genuine polarization can take place. We should utilize our absolute best hands for value betting, while our weakest hands become our bluffs. This strategy differs significantly from how we polarize on other streets.

When we hold a polarized range preflop, the question arises: do we really bet with our worst hands? While we might include some hands as bluffs, they typically possess potential, like suited connectors or suited aces. We generally avoid preflop bluffs with weak hands like 27o or 32o. Thus, while this strategy can be termed polarizing, the true moment of absolute polarization really occurs only on the river. straight So why do we prefer to utilize our weakest holdings for bluffing? The rationale is straightforward. For instance, if we double-barrel bluff with a holding and river a mid-pair, we might suspect this hand won’t often win by showdown but still stands a fair chance of winning with a certain frequency. In contrast, while holding a 5-high flush draw, that hand will never win at showdown. The potential for checking low is absolutely zero. Hence, if a hand offers a positive expectation as a bluff, it makes sense to pursue that path.

Triple Barrelling as a Bluff

Here are two takeaways:

Theoretically, we cannot bluff in every river situation. Therefore, it’s sensible to bluff with hands that have the lowest expected value when checked, while reserving the highest expected value hands for checks. laydowns .

From an exploitative standpoint, if a hand has a positive expectation for checking, then our expectation for bluffing needs to exceed that of checking to be justified. Put simply, the greater the value of a hand, the more viable checking becomes, and it becomes less likely that we should consider that hand for a triple barrel bluff.

2 – Strong Blockers – This concept serves as a secondary strategy, but as our opponent’s hand strength increases, the importance of this component becomes more pronounced. The idea here is that the cards we choose for bluffing can significantly affect how likely our opponent is to fold or call.

For example when we 3bet Consider a bluff on the following board: polarised Initially, these two hands might seem quite similar. While we initially had an advantage on the turn with a nut-flush-draw, we missed that opportunity, leaving both holdings with the same showdown value on the river. If we needed to choose one of these hands for betting and the other for checking, which one would be the ideal choice?

With the 7s on board, it should be an obvious favorite. Why? Simply put, it holds the best potential. One significant concern when we engage in a 3-barrel bluff is the possibility that our opponent might hold a flush. Therefore, having a heart in our hand becomes advantageous since it minimizes the combinations available for heart flushes in our opponent's possible holdings. This strategic consideration allows us to enhance our chance of inducing a fold by carefully evaluating our hole cards. expectation of checking is non-zero.

If we contrast this to a busted Now, how do you perceive the following scenario?

First, take note of the subtle alteration. In this case, the flush draw was not completed; the 6 is a club as opposed to a heart. Does this change our preferred hand for bluffing? Absolutely. Now, we do not want to hold the heart, as that means fewer combinations of busted heart draws that our opponent could potentially be folding on the river.

1. 3 – Capped Range – Recognizing that our opponent is capped is always an advantageous finding. By 'capped,' we refer to their range being constructed such that they likely do not hold any strong hands.
2. Such a scenario could arise when our opponent calls both the flop and turn on the following sequence: showdown It's intriguing to observe this board's draw-heavy texture. If our opponent held two pairs or a set, it’s very probable they would have raised against our continuation bets during either the flop or turn betting rounds. The river, however, does not help complete any draws, suggesting our opponent's range is likely limited to Jx hands. They might also own Tx hands along with a variety of missed draws. Knowing that it's improbable our opponent possesses a premium hand gives us valuable confidence when contemplating whether to execute that third barrel bluff.

4 – Turn Selection – Alright, we mentioned three main pointers, yet why introduce a fourth? The rationale here is that this tip connects back to our actions on the turn. River play is undeniably interlinked with earlier decisions made on both the flop and turn, which can strongly influence the river situations we encounter.

We should be making our decisions about turn bluffing based on hole cards that hold the most...

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Would we rather hold the Ah7s or the As7s when bluffing the river?

Deciding whether to make that third bet can be quite a challenge. Should you go ahead with a 3-barrel bluff or is it better to cut your losses and surrender? You can discover the insights on this matter here.

The AhThe Art of the Triple Barrel Bluff - Executing the Third Bet blockers Encountering a triple barrel from an opponent can be intimidating, especially if your holding is a mid-strength hand that you hoped would fare better. In those moments of aggressive action from our opponent, folding may feel like the only viable option. texture Although this tactic is aggressive, it’s important to realize that it often signals a solid value hand. Many players don’t engage in 3-barrel bluffs nearly as frequently as they ought to. If we adopt an optimal strategy, we should consider bluffing around 30% of the time during most triple barrel scenarios. However, most average players fall short of that frequency.