Have you heard the term “3-bet”? A 3-bet is one of the most important actions in poker. In this article, we’ll clearly explain what a 3-bet means and how to use it strategically. Use these ideas in your own games.

1. What Is a “3-Bet”?

A “3-bet” mainly refers to re-raising preflop after an opponent has already raised.

Even though it’s the second raise, it’s called a “3-bet” because we count the big blind as the first bet and the initial raise as the second bet. In the same way, the third and fourth raises are called a “4-bet,” “5-bet,” and so on.

If you want to learn about the “open raise” (entering the pot with the first raise preflop), check out this article:

https://pokerqz.com/blog/open

2. What Happens When You 3-Bet

• You can make other players fold

  When you 3-bet against an opponent’s raise, your hand looks strong from their perspective. As a result, your 3-bet can force folds and win the pot immediately.
  

• The pot gets bigger

  If your opponent calls or re-raises after your 3-bet, you’ll play for a much larger pot. When you have a strong hand, this can lead to bigger profits.

3. What Size Should Your 3-Bet Be?

The best 3-bet size depends on your position relative to your opponent.

• When you’ll act first postflop
  (= “out of position,” OOP)

  In poker, acting later is an advantage because you get to see what your opponent does before making your decision. When you’re OOP, postflop play becomes harder, so there’s more value in making your opponent fold. Also, players in position tend to fold less often, so you generally want a slightly larger 3-bet size. From OOP, many players 3-bet to about 4–5x the original raise.

• When you’ll act last postflop
  (= “in position,” IP)

  Because acting later is an advantage, the player who must act first postflop is more likely to fold. That’s why 3-bet sizes from IP tend to be smaller than from OOP. From IP, many players 3-bet to about 3–4x the original raise.

Also, if someone has already called the raise and you then 3-bet, that play is called a “squeeze.” When there’s a caller in between, you should generally use an even larger 3-bet size.

4. What Hands Should You 3-Bet With?

There are two main reasons to 3-bet: to make your opponent fold and win the pot, or to build a bigger pot and increase your profit. Choose hands that match each goal.

1. Very strong hands

   Start by 3-betting with hands that are likely ahead of most of your opponent’s raising range. “Very strong hands” include:

   As Ah Kd Kc Qs Qh

   Ad Kd Ac Qc As Js

   Ah Kd

   With hands like these, you’re often ahead of the hands your opponent raises, so you should raise to build the pot and maximize value.

2. Hands that play well after the flop

   Once you’re comfortable 3-betting strong hands, start adding hands that can also win by making your opponent fold. However, if your opponent calls your 3-bet, you’ll have to play postflop, so 3-betting with hands that are too weak is not a good idea. A good approach is to 3-bet hands that you’re happy to win preflop with, but can still play reasonably well if called. Examples include:

   • Suited hands containing an Ace (such as Ah 5h)

     Because you hold an Ace, it slightly reduces the chance your opponent also has an Ace. You can also make the nut flush, which makes these hands relatively playable postflop and well-suited for 3-betting.

   • Suited connectors (such as 8d 7d)

     These hands can make straights and flushes more often, so they tend to play well after the flop. Another benefit of mid-ranked suited connectors is that they’re less likely to be dominated by the same card with a worse kicker.

Conclusion

What did you think? In this article, we explained the basics of the 3-bet. The 3-bet is a crucial action if you want to win at poker. Use these concepts as a guide and practice applying them in real games.