What is a 3-Bet?
Despite the name suggesting "third bet," a 3-bet is actually the first re-raise preflop. Understanding this terminology is crucial for poker communication and strategy discussions.
Here's how the betting sequence works:
- 1-Bet: The blinds (forced bets posted by SB and BB)
- 2-Bet: The initial raise, called the "open" (typically 2-3bb)
- 3-Bet: A re-raise of the opener's bet
- 4-Bet: A re-raise of the 3-bet
For example: BB posts 1bb (1-bet) → UTG raises to 2.5bb (2-bet/open) → Button raises to 7.5bb (3-bet) → UTG raises to 22bb (4-bet).
Why 3-Bet?
Three-betting serves multiple strategic purposes that extend far beyond simply having a strong hand:
Build Pots with Premium Hands
When you hold strong hands like QQ+ or AK, 3-betting inflates the pot early, allowing you to win bigger pots when you're likely ahead. Against typical opening ranges, these hands have significant equity advantages that you want to capitalize on.
Apply Pressure to Opponents
3-betting forces opponents to make difficult decisions with marginal holdings. Many hands that profitably open from middle position—like suited connectors, small pairs, and weaker broadway cards—struggle to continue against a 3-bet, allowing you to win the pot immediately.
Reduce the Field
In multi-way pots, even strong hands like AK or QQ can be vulnerable. 3-betting helps narrow the field to heads-up situations where your hand strength is easier to realize and your range advantage is clearer.
Balance Your Strategy
If you only 3-bet premium hands, observant opponents will fold everything but their strongest holdings, making your 3-bets unprofitable. Including bluffs in your 3-betting range keeps opponents guessing and ensures you get paid when you actually have the goods.
3-Bet Sizing Strategy
Proper 3-bet sizing varies based on your position relative to the opener and game dynamics. Standard sizing conventions:
In Position (IP)
When you have position on the opener (for example, 3-betting from the button against a cutoff open), use 3x the opener's raise size. If they open to 2.5bb, you 3-bet to 7.5bb. Position provides a significant postflop advantage, so you don't need to oversize your 3-bets to protect yourself.
Out of Position (OOP)
When 3-betting from the blinds or when facing an open from a later position player, use 4x the opener's raise size. Against a 2.5bb open, 3-bet to 10bb. This larger sizing compensates for your positional disadvantage by building a bigger pot when you're ahead and making it more expensive for opponents to realize their equity.
Multi-Way Adjustments
When an opener faces one or more callers before action reaches you, add 1bb to your 3-bet size for each caller. For example, if UTG opens to 2.5bb and MP calls, your 3-bet from the button should be around 8.5bb (3x base + 1bb for the caller). This adjustment accounts for the additional money already in the pot and the extra player you need to fold out.
Constructing Your 3-Bet Range
A balanced 3-bet range combines value hands and bluffs in a ratio that makes you difficult to exploit. The exact composition varies by position, but follows consistent principles.
Value 3-Bets
Your value range consists of hands strong enough that you're comfortable getting all-in preflop against typical continuing ranges. Standard value 3-bets include:
- Premium Pairs: QQ, KK, AA—hands that dominate most ranges
- Strong Broadway: AKs, AKo—excellent blocker properties and strong postflop playability
- Position-Dependent Expansion: From late position against early position opens, you can include JJ and AQs as value
Bluff 3-Bets
Bluff 3-bets require careful hand selection. The best bluffing candidates share two characteristics: blocker value and postflop playability.
Ace-Blocker Bluffs: Hands like A5s-A2s work excellently because they block combinations of AA and AK, two hands that often continue against 3-bets. They also have nut flush potential and can make strong broadway pairs when you hit your ace.
King-Blocker Bluffs: Similarly, K5s-K2s block KK and AK while maintaining postflop potential with flush draws and top pair possibilities.
Suited Connectors: Hands like 76s, 87s, and 98s have excellent playability when called. They make strong straights, flushes, and two-pair combinations while remaining disguised. However, they lack blocker value, so use them more sparingly than blocker-heavy hands.
Avoiding Trouble Hands: Hands like KQo, KJo, or A9o seem strong but play poorly when facing resistance. They're often dominated by value hands that continue against 3-bets, leading to difficult postflop spots. These hands generally belong in your calling range, not your 3-betting range.
Position and 3-Betting Frequency
Your 3-betting frequency should dramatically increase as you move closer to the button, reflecting both your positional advantage and the wider ranges opponents open from late position.
From the Blinds
The blinds 3-bet most frequently—often 8-12% against early position opens and up to 15-18% against button opens. This aggression stems from two factors: you've already invested a blind, making it cheaper to fight for the pot, and you'll be out of position postflop, incentivizing you to either win the pot immediately or reduce the field.
From Early/Middle Position
When facing an early position open from MP or HJ, 3-bet conservatively—around 5-7% of hands. Early position openers have strong ranges, and you still face action from players behind you, so tighten up accordingly.
From Late Position
Against a hijack open from the cutoff, 3-bet approximately 10-11% of hands. From the button, this increases to 12-15%. Late position allows you to 3-bet lighter because you'll have position postflop, and late position openers typically have wider ranges that are more vulnerable to pressure.
Adjusting to Opponent Tendencies
While GTO provides an unexploitable baseline, the most profitable poker comes from adjusting to opponent-specific tendencies.
Against Tight Openers
If an opponent only opens premium hands and folds frequently to 3-bets, dramatically increase your 3-bet bluffing frequency. You can profitably 3-bet almost any two cards if they're folding 70%+ of the time. However, tighten your value range—if they only continue with QQ+/AK, don't 3-bet JJ for value.
Against Loose Openers
Against opponents who open wide and call or 4-bet frequently, tighten your 3-bet range overall. Increase your value-to-bluff ratio, 3-betting more premium hands and fewer bluffs. Your bluffs should favor highly playable hands like suited connectors over pure blocker hands.
Against Station-Style Players
If an opponent rarely folds to 3-bets, eliminate bluffs entirely from your range. Only 3-bet hands you're comfortable playing postflop or getting all-in with. This polarizes your range heavily toward value.
Common 3-Betting Mistakes
3-Betting Too Tight
The most common leak is only 3-betting QQ+/AK. This makes you extremely exploitable—opponents can fold everything but premium hands, making your 3-bets unprofitable. Incorporate bluffs to balance your range and ensure you get action on your strong hands.
Using Incorrect Sizing
Deviating from standard sizing (3x IP, 4x OOP) without good reason signals hand strength to observant opponents. Oversizing with premiums and min-raising as bluffs is transparent and easily exploitable. Keep sizing consistent across your range.
Poor Bluff Selection
3-betting hands like Q9o or J8o as bluffs creates problems when called. These hands lack both blocker value and playability, leaving you with difficult decisions on most flops. Stick to hands with blockers or strong postflop potential.
Ignoring Position
3-betting the same range from all positions is a critical mistake. Your range should tighten from early position and widen from late position, reflecting both your positional advantage and the likelihood of action behind you.
Practice Your 3-Betting on FlopMAX
Understanding 3-bet theory is only the first step—developing intuition requires repetition against realistic opposition. Use FlopMAX's Play Mode to drill your 3-betting strategy against GTO-based bots that mirror actual player tendencies.
Key practice points:
- Use the Insights button to check your current 3-betting range and compare it to optimal frequencies
- Experiment with different bluff candidates and observe which hands perform best postflop
- Track your 3-bet success rate by position to identify leaks in your strategy
- Practice against custom bot personalities that replicate your real opponents' tendencies
The Sequencer Tool allows you to walk through complete 3-bet scenarios step-by-step, visualizing how ranges interact from preflop through showdown. Use it to build intuition for which hands belong in your 3-betting range from each position.