3-betting in live cash games: which hands, how big and when to bluff
A 3-bet is a re-raise of an open raise before the flop. In live £1/£2 and £2/£5 games it is the move that turns a small pot into a big one, so it matters which hands you do it with and how big you make it. This lesson covers why to 3-bet, which hands to use, how big to go in and out of position, when a bluff can work and what to do when someone 3-bets you.
What a 3-bet is
Bets before the flop are counted from the big blind. The big blind is the first bet, an open raise is the second and a re-raise of that open is the third, so it is called a 3-bet. A re-raise of a 3-bet is a 4-bet.
A 3-bet made after an open and one or more callers is called a squeeze. The callers have shown they did not want to raise, so a squeeze often wins the pot at once or leaves you heads-up with the opener.
Why 3-bet
There are three reasons to 3-bet rather than call:
- Value. With your best hands, a 3-bet builds a bigger pot while you are ahead of the hands that call.
- The lead in a heads-up pot. Calling an open in a live game often invites more callers. A 3-bet usually leaves you heads-up against the opener, with the initiative.
- Folds. Some openers fold to a 3-bet with hands that still had equity against you, so you win the pot now.
The cost is that a 3-bet makes the pot big compared with the stacks. Decide before you 3-bet what you will do if you are called, and what you will do if you are 4-bet.
Value 3-bets and bluff 3-bets
Your 3-bets fall into two groups.
Value hands want to be called. Against any opener, QQ+ and AK are 34 combinations, about 2.6% of all hands. Against the cutoff and button, whose ranges are wider, add JJ, TT, AQ and KQs: that makes 66 combinations, about 5.0%.
Bluffs hope for a fold but keep some equity when called. Suited wheel aces, A5s to A2s, are the usual choice. They can make straights and flushes, and the ace is a blocker: it removes some of the hands that would 4-bet you. With A♠ 5♠ in your hand, the opener can hold only 3 combinations of aces instead of 6, and 12 of ace-king instead of 16. Of the 34 combinations of QQ+ and AK, only 27 are left.
Which mix to use depends on your opponents:
- Against players who call 3-bets too much, 3-bet more value hands and fewer bluffs. Players who call with hands such as ace-jack, king-queen and small pairs are behind your value range.
- Against players who fold to 3-bets a lot, add some bluffs, especially in position.
- Against players who open only strong hands from early seats, 3-bet only your strongest hands.
How big to 3-bet
A common starting point is about 3 times the open in position and about 4 times out of position, plus one open for each player who called. Out of position you go bigger to give the opener a worse price and to leave less money to play for after the flop, where you act first on every street.
At £1/£2 with £200 stacks and an £8 open, if everyone else folds:
| Spot | 3-bet to | Pot before you act | Folds a pure bluff needs | Equity the opener needs to call | Pot if the opener calls | Stack-to-pot ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Button, no callers | £24 | £11 | 68.6% | 31.4% | £51 | 3.5 |
| Big blind, no callers | £32 | £11 | 73.2% | 36.9% | £65 | 2.6 |
| Button, one caller | £32 | £19 | 62.7% | 32.0% | £75 | 2.2 |
| Big blind, one caller | £40 | £19 | 66.7% | 36.0% | £89 | 1.8 |
Three things stand out.
- A pure bluff needs a lot of folds. A 3-bet to £24 with no equity at all must win the pot at once about two times in three. Real 3-bet bluffs such as A♠ 5♠ win some pots when called, so they need fewer folds. The fold equity calculator works out how many.
- The opener gets a decent price. Even against the bigger out of position 3-bet, the opener needs only about 37% equity to call. Expect to be called by players who like to see flops.
- The stack-to-pot ratio is low. In every row it is under 4, so top pair with a good kicker will often go all in. Choose 3-betting hands that are happy to get the money in on that kind of flop. The stack-to-pot ratio calculator shows how deeper stacks change it.
Try it: price a 3-bet
Enter the open, any callers and your 3-bet. Set your blind already in to 0 on the button, or to the blind you posted if you 3-bet from the blinds.
Pot before you act £11. Common sizes: about £24 in position and £32 out of position (3 and 4 times the open, plus one open for each caller).
Assumes the opener is not in the blinds, everyone else folds and no rake. A bluff that has some equity when called needs fewer folds than shown.
Facing a 3-bet
When your open is 3-bet, you can fold, call or 4-bet. Start from the price: you opened to £8 and face a £24 3-bet from the button, so you call £16 more and need 31.4% equity, before allowing for playing the hand out of position.
Then think about the range. Against a player who 3-bets only QQ+ and AK, hands such as ace-jack and king-queen are in poor shape, and even ace-queen is behind every hand in that range. With A♦ Q♣ in your hand, the 3-bettor still has 24 combinations of QQ+ and AK to choose from. Against a player who 3-bets a wide range, call more often in position and 4-bet your strongest hands.
Small pairs need care. Calling £16 more to flop a set, with £176 left behind, gives 11 times the call. That is below the 15 to 20 times rule of thumb from the straddle lesson, so a small pair is usually a fold against a 3-bet at 100 big blinds unless the stacks are deeper.
4-bets
A 4-bet re-raises a 3-bet. In most live £1/£2 games a 4-bet is very strong, often aces or kings, because few players 4-bet as a bluff. Unless your notes on that player say otherwise, continue with only the top of your 3-betting range and fold the bluffs. With stacks of 100 big blinds or less, facing a 4-bet usually means deciding whether to get all the money in before the flop.
Common mistakes
- 3-betting only aces and kings, so observant players fold everything else to you.
- Bluffing with a 3-bet against players who never fold before the flop.
- Using the same small 3-bet out of position as in position.
- Forgetting to add an open for each caller when you squeeze.
- Calling 3-bets with small pairs when the stacks are too short to pay off a set.
- Calling a 4-bet with the bluff part of your range.
Check yourself
At £1/£2 an early player opens to £10 and you 3-bet to £30 on the button. If the blinds fold, how often must the opener fold for a pure bluff to break even?
The pot before you act is £1 + £2 + £10 = £13. You risk £30 to win £13, so the bluff needs £30 ÷ (£30 + £13) = 69.8% folds.
You hold A♠ 5♠. How many combinations of QQ+ and AK can the opener hold?
27 instead of 34. Your ace leaves 3 combinations of aces and 12 of ace-king; kings and queens stay at 6 each.
You open to £8 with 4♣ 4♦ and face a £24 3-bet. Stacks are £200. Is it a set-mining call?
Usually not. You call £16 with £176 behind, 11 times the call. That is below the 15 to 20 times rule of thumb, and the 3-bettor will not always pay you off when you hit.
Key takeaways
- 3-bet for value with hands that are ahead of the hands that call, and add bluffs only against players who fold.
- Size it about 3 times the open in position and 4 times out of position, plus one open per caller.
- 3-bet pots have a low stack-to-pot ratio: plan for being called or 4-bet before you raise.
Sources and method
Original Overshove writing. Prices assume £200 stacks at £1/£2, an £8 open from a seat that is not in the blinds, no rake and everyone not named folding. Combination counts were made exactly over all 1,326 starting hands, with your own cards removed where stated. The hand advice is an editorial starting point, not solver output and not a promise of results; adjust it to your notes on the players at your table.
Questions
What is a 3-bet in poker?
A 3-bet is a re-raise of the first raise before the flop. The big blind counts as the first bet and the open raise as the second, so the re-raise is the third bet. A re-raise of a 3-bet is a 4-bet.
What hands should you 3-bet in live poker?
Start with QQ+ and AK against any opener, and add JJ, TT, AQ and KQs against late-position opens. Against players who fold to 3-bets often, add a few bluffs such as suited wheel aces. Against players who call too much, use more value hands and fewer bluffs.
How much should you 3-bet?
A common starting point is about 3 times the open in position and about 4 times out of position, plus one open for each player who has called. At £1/£2 against an £8 open, that is about £24 on the button and £32 from the blinds.
What is a squeeze in poker?
A squeeze is a 3-bet after an open raise and one or more callers. The extra money already in the pot means a bluff squeeze needs fewer folds for its size, but it has to get past more than one player, so size it bigger: add one open for each caller.
How should you play against a 3-bet?
Compare the price of calling with the range the 3-bettor is likely to hold. Fold hands that a tight 3-betting range dominates, call more in position against wide 3-bettors, and 4-bet your strongest hands. Small pairs need deep stacks to call profitably.