The 3-bet in poker is a pre-flop re-raise where a player raises an initial bet by more than twice. This is a very aggressive move that works well in both cash games and tournaments. The 3-bet is one of the strongest moves in poker and can significantly improve your long-term expectation in a hand. Knowing when to 3-bet and when to just call is an important skill that all players must develop.
When to 3-bet in poker
In general, you should 3-bet your strongest hands for value as much as possible. This will allow you to make much larger pots and also balance out your range when it comes time to bluff. It is very easy to overdo this and end up bluffing too much, but when done correctly it is an extremely profitable strategy.
To maximize the profit of your 3-bets for value you should aim to make them at least twice as large as the original raise. This will give the original raiser a very wide range of hands they can call with, which in turn will maximize your value. It’s worth noting that if you are only raising strong hands for value it won’t take long for opponents to realize this and start folding to your 3 bets. Therefore, you should include some bluffs in your 3 bet range to prevent this from happening.
A great spot to make a bluff 3-bet is when an opponent opens with a weak hand in early position and you are in late position. This is because your 3-bet will force the weak player to fold and you will usually pick up the pot preflop.
Another good spot to make a bluff 3 bet is when you have the best hand and an opponent raises preflop. This is because you will usually be able to call the raise with a good hand and then flop a great one. This will result in a huge pot and also give you a big advantage when it comes to post-flop play.
When to 3 bet for bluffs
In general you should be making bluff 3-bets when you have the best hand and an opponent who is calling too many hands preflop. This will usually give you a huge advantage in the long run and will help you to win more pots.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when making a bluff 3 bet. The first thing is that you should try to limit the number of players in the pot. This is because if too many players are in the pot it will be very hard to extract value from your hand. Also, if you are out of position then you will be facing a massive disadvantage in post-flop play since you won’t have any initiative.