In poker, a 3 bet is the second raise made after the initial pre-flop raise. It’s a strong move that can force weak hands to call, better hands to fold and cause drawing hands to draw at a disadvantage. However, it’s important not to just 3-bet wildly because if you do it too often you will be giving your opponents information and they’ll pick up on that fact. Instead, you need to carefully assess each situation and decide whether or not a three-bet will produce the most value.
Generally speaking, you should only 3-bet if you think that your opponent has a weak hand, better hand or is trying to bluff. In order to do this, you need to put together a range for your opponent and then assess the situation to determine whether or not this range is good enough. It is also essential to know your opponent’s three-bet calling range in this context because if you 3-bet too wide then they’ll know that you have a big hand and start making big calls.
If your opponent is known to have a weak preflop hand then you can polarize your 3 bet range by incorporating more bluffs into it. This will force them to call your flop bet with their weaker hands and give you a better chance of winning the pot. On the other hand, if your opponent has a solid preflop hand then you should keep your 3 bet range more narrow and only include hands that you want to go all-in with preflop.
Another great way to use the 3-bet is to isolate your opponent by 3-betting against them in late position. By doing this you can force them to fold their stronger hands and potentially get the pot into a heads up situation. This is especially effective against recreational players who are known to play a lot of hands and will often call re-raises from early positions.
It’s also a good idea to 3-bet from an early position if you believe that your opponent will make a large flop bet. This will usually be around 2.5 to 3 times the size of their flop bet. However, you should note that it’s crucial to keep in mind the fact that if your opponent has a monster pre-flop then they’ll probably just continue on to the river anyway.
Lastly, you should consider expanding your flop bet range if your opponent is a strong player. This will allow you to catch them with their big hands and possibly even triple-up if they’re on a bluff. However, you should be aware that if your opponent is a strong player and knows that you are trying to 3-bet them from an early position then they may adjust their calling range by raising bigger on the flop. Nevertheless, if they do this then you will have a much harder time catching them with your bluffs. As such, it’s best to avoid adjusting against these types of players.
