A three-bet is a technical term for what you might know as a re-raise. Why is it called a three-bet? The big blind is known as the first bet, a raise the second and a re-raise is… the three-bet. A 3-bet can be used for value with a strong hand or as a bluff with a weak hand – and you should aim to mix up your play so that you are doing both. In a tournament a very common play is to three-bet shove when you are getting low in chips. But in a cash game it’s rare that you would be shoving, as usually you will have a ton of chips left behind after you three-bet. The learning of the lessons is a must to play at the pkv poker site. The understanding of the poker system is necessary to play the poker games. The use of the right skills will help in the participating in the leagues and tournaments.
Three-betting for value
Three-betting for value is a straightforward but essential skill in any poker game. It’s not quite this simple in practise but a good rule to follow is, ‘if you think you are ahead of your opponent’s range then three-bet for value.’ Those ranges will change all the time depending on opponent, game flow, blind levels and more but there is a general strategy you should follow…
Always three-bet QQ , KK , AA and Ace-King . There’s always a temptation to slow play these hands but overall you will get more value by playing them in a straightforward way and just three-betting.
and . There’s always a temptation to slow play these hands but overall you will get more value by playing them in a straightforward way and just three-betting. In almost all circumstances you will want to try and get all-in with these hands pre-flop too – especially in a tournament where the stacks are likely to be shallower. But even in a 100BB cash game QQ and AK will usually be ahead of your opponent’s range.
and will usually be ahead of your opponent’s range. Against loose-aggressive opponents you will also want to expand your three-bet value range to include TT , JJ , AQ and even AJ suited.
and even suited. Three-betting increases the size of the pot and will usually ensure that the hand is heads-up if it goes to a flop. This is important when you have a big pair as they have a huge statistical advantage when up against one random hand but are more likely to be cracked against multiple players.
Three-betting also has a knock-on effect for the rest of the hand. By effectively raising the stakes pre-flop, you can now size your flop, turn and river bets bigger to get the max value when an opponent lags along with a worse hand.
Don’t worry if it goes wrong and you occasionally get coolered – like Kings vs Aces or AK vs Kings – this is just part of the game. It’s a much bigger mistake never to three-bet hands other than Aces than it is to three-bet for value too often.
Three-betting as a bluff
The single most important reason that you should three-bet bluff is that it will help you win money when you aren’t bluffing!
Doesn’t make sense? Well, if you know an opponent only three-bets Aces you’re just always going to fold, right?
you’re just always going to fold, right? But what if that opponent three-bets a ton of good hands and bluffs with stuff like suited connectors, A-2 and QT? Suddenly your decisions are much more difficult. More information about how to bluff in poker.
What to look for when three-bet bluffing
Your opponent’s style. A bluff s more likely to be effective versus a player who is loose-aggressive than one who only plays a single hand per hour.
Position. Try to three-bet on the button as much as possible so that if you are called you will be in position post-flop. Also pay attention to where the raise comes from – if it’s from late position there is much more chance of it being a steal, and you can take that pot away with a three-bet.
Your hand. Just because you are bluffing it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay any attention to what hand you hold. It’s always going to be better if you have some degree of playability rather than complete junk. So 7-6 suited is much better than J-5 offsuit because you are more likely to hit the flop in a way that allows you to continue playing aggressively.
Size it right
It’s usually best to make the size of your three-bets the same, no matter if it’s value or a bluff. This way you don’t give your opponent any extra information.
Make your three-bets approximately 3x the size of the initial raise. So, if the raise is 3x BB make it 9x BB when you three-bet. You can make this a bit smaller in tourneys, depending on stack sizes.
BB make it BB when you three-bet. You can make this a bit smaller in tourneys, depending on stack sizes. Raise a few BBs more when you will be out of position for the rest of the hand – this will help eliminate the positional disadvantage.
Don’t just jam all-in with AK because you are scared of playing a flop! You miss out on tons of value when you do this!
Final thoughts
Don’t be afraid to three-bet. The only way you will get better at playing in big pots is by experience so start mixing it up today.
