A Guide to 3-Betting – Part 2

Table of contents for A Guide to 3-Betting

The marginal hands, meanwhile, are three-bet for speculation, with the three-bet achieving a number of things. Firstly, a player that three-bets a hand like T♣9♣ represents a hand like A♠A♥, and either forces his opponents to fold pre-flop, or sets up a bluff on the flop if a Ace or King hits. Secondly, he’s also building the pot should he hit the flop hard with his suited connectors, meaning his opponents will be unlikely to see the straight, and also be committed to large bets and calls post-flop marked poker. Thirdly, he can easily fold to a four-bet (a re-re-raise) pre-flop as the stacks are so deep.

In low stakes tournaments, however, many less-experienced players will limit their three-bets predominantly to very strong starting hands.
Because stacks are deep, position is all-important. That means anyone three-betting out of position is most likely to have a strong hand that they’re betting for value.
You must also consider the size of your (or your opponent’s) three-bet. A standard three-bet size is anything between 2.5 to three times the initial raise. So if the blinds are 10c/20c, the initial bet is 60c, the raise is $1.80, then the three-bet would be between $4.50 and $5.40.
Less-experienced marked card tricks players will usually make their three-bets smaller the stronger the hand they have, purely because they want to get called when they have Aces or Kings. Conversely, the bigger their three-bet, the weaker their hand will be, in the hopes that it will induce a fold, but still have some value if called.
You should be aware of this tactic, and use it yourself sparingly. You only have to get caught playing this way twice for your opponents to get a very quick read on you, so make sure you mix your bet sizes up when three-betting.

• Fighting the Three-Bet

Four-betting is an option, but in the early stages of a tournament you should only make this play with monster hands like Aces, and virtually never as a bluff. The big thing to consider in this situation is whether to shove all-in, or whether a smaller bet will induce a call or over-shove from your opponent.
Flat calling is another option, and has two obvious benefits. Firstly you can flat call for deception when holding Aces or Kings, and also you avoid giving your opponent the option of folding hands like A-Q or J-J when you’re a big favorite.