What makes a hand 3-bet or fold preflop? (1 Viewer)

[andrebttx]

I've been working on learning my NLHE preflop play and ranges, and 3-bet or fold ranges come up all the time. The tactic is also frequently mentioned in discussion, hand history review, vlogs, etc., but for something that is brought up as an option so often, I haven't actually seen or read a good explainer behind the why. Any good explanations or resources would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[Senzrock]

I've been working on learning my NLHE preflop play and ranges, and 3-bet or fold ranges come up all the time. The tactic is also frequently mentioned in discussion, hand history review, vlogs, etc., but for something that is brought up as an option so often, I haven't actually seen or read a good explainer behind the why. Any good explanations or resources would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

My sense is that the best explanations on 3-bet/fold ranges are all available on training sites (Run it Once etc.) If you are interested in this specific topic, just get a free sub for a few weeks and check out a bunch of videos on them. Will be a good investment of your time.

 

[Legend5555]

If you go by Garrett Adelsteins play, every hand is a 3bet or fold.

 

[Moxie Mike]

I've been working on learning my NLHE preflop play and ranges, and 3-bet or fold ranges come up all the time. The tactic is also frequently mentioned in discussion, hand history review, vlogs, etc., but for something that is brought up as an option so often, I haven't actually seen or read a good explainer behind the why. Any good explanations or resources would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

It's less about the cards you're dealt and more about the various dynamics like position, number of opponents, stack size, etc. Whether we're discussing tournament play vs cash games is also important.

The opponents in the game are a factor too.

Instead of open ended questions such as this, it might be more useful if you posted specific hands where you may have struggled to apply the concept.

 

[andrebttx]

My sense is that the best explanations on 3-bet/fold ranges are all available on training sites (Run it Once etc.) If you are interested in this specific topic, just get a free sub for a few weeks and check out a bunch of videos on them. Will be a good investment of your time.

I've been waiting to go in on a training site until I've got a better picture of what I don't know, if that makes any sense, to maximize my time. I would hate to go in without a "lesson plan." But it's good to know that this is the kind of thing covered there. I've only just recently tried to bring a critical approach to my game after having played casually for all my life, so I'm still working through a lot of the stuff that is considered really basic / beginner.

 

[andrebttx]

It's less about the cards you're dealt and more about the various dynamics like position, number of opponents, stack size, etc. Whether we're discussing tournament play vs cash games is also important.

The opponents in the game are a factor too.

Instead of open ended questions such as this, it might be more useful if you posted specific hands where you may have struggled to apply the concept.

I have honestly only learned about the concept so recently that I had not known it was something to consider in the past. Almost all of my life up until recently when I've actually started to study the game, I've had a very basic, linear 3-bet range. So it was not really a paradigm that had crossed my mind while playing. But it'll be something I'll have in my mind going forward, that I could bring back to discuss.

 

[detroitdad]

Position and table selection

 

[joeyshin]

 

[Rhodeman77]

Card removal is an important part of the decision process. If you have an Ace in your hand it makes it less likely your opponent will have AA.

But you need to know who opened, if it is and OMC super nut under the gun opening I’m not putting in any light 3 bets because I have A5 suuuuuuited.

But a pretty agro player in the cutoff opens and I have the A5 suited in the BB I am much more likely to put in a 3 bet.

As others have said, table dynamics are very important. But you usually want to have a hand that has good card removal and that can play okay post flop if you get called.

 

[TheDogg]

The most common position you will typically use this strategy is probably SB facing single RFI.

Because there’s no other callers it makes less sense trying to take a speculative hand like a low pair or a suited connector multiway.

If you do call, you’ll have to be the first to act and everyone else will act behind you, which is a huge disadvantage. In addition, if you call, Bb can follow with a much wider range including stuff that would normally give up its equity like any suited or offsuit connectors/gappers.

By 3B/Folding, you give every hand you play a good chance to not have to play out of position postflop, and you also make the BB’s price to play a hand much more expensive and it’s much more likely that the post flop hands you play will have only a single person acting behind instead of two. In addition, assuming you don’t get 4 bet, you have the betting lead and get a good chance to take down the pot with a continuation bet. With 2 behind it is much harder to bluff to take down the pot.

Generally I find in 1/3 the BB does not squeeze (re-raise into multiple people) enough to punish calling our speculative hands like suited connectors/gappers and medium-low pocket pairs. These are hands we call because they play well multiple ways. They either miss and are easy folds, or make nutted hands or strong draws that we can be comfortable are good against multiple opponents.

 

[Legend5555]

There are lots of reasons to 3 bet or fold instead of calling:

1. As you stated, helps negate positional disadvantage by attempting to win the pot now.

2. Bloats the pot when stacks are deep enough that a single raised would not allow you to easily get all in by the river.

3. Helps define your opponents range.

4. When done in position, forced opponent to commit more money out of position.

5. Makes it easier to win pots post flop on certain board textures.

 

[Kid_Eastwood]

Typically the weak hands of a polarized 3-bet range.

 

[xpt90]

There's a lot of reasons to 3! and it can vary based on situational dynamics. Your 3! range and frequencies will vary based on your position, the RFI position, # of callers, all the tendencies of each player at play. To simplify this, generally you're going to want a more linear OOP 3! strat as the IP player is incentivized to call with their position and play postflop. IP, you can polarize your 3! range a bit more for various reasons such as blockers but ultimately trying to buy position for the rest of the hand, assuming you believe you have an edge against the players. These aren't hard and fast rules just general guidelines for how to approach these situations. Ultimately, how to do you want to proceed with the hand on future streets? Multiway? OOP without the lead? Are you against a strong or weak range? Is there dead money from callers in between the RFI and you?

Edit: forgot to also clarify, 3! Or fold will depend on the same variables as above, in terms of who's RFI, your position, and players left to act, your hand/range.

Most of the times, if OOP, you'll consider 3! Or fold like from SB. This is to make sure you can reduce MW action, with a playable range against who the RFI is. It helps to reduce the positional disadvantage by taking the lead and cleans up equities by reducing MW action.

 

[boltonguy]

I dont think about specific hands being "3 bet or fold" but I do think about playing certain positions "3 bet or fold."

For example, many players will play the small blind (SB) as "3 bet or fold" meaning they will never limp or over call in this position. They will either fold or 3 bet their hand. Limping or calling makes it likely that we either play a multi-way pot out of position with a capped range (which is bad) or a player behind us raises. 3 betting means that either we win the hand now or we get heads-up with the original raiser with an uncapped range. They may choose to 3 bet a hand in the SB that they would fold from another position (e.g. HJ) so it isnt the hand that is played "3 bet or fold" but the position.

 

[bergs]

Q: “What makes a hand a 3-bet or a fold preflop?”
A: Me.

edit: A: Me. And booze.

 

[TheDogg]

Want to add on to/combine/clarify the discussion for “hands we three bet or fold” with the discussion of “weak hands of a polarized 3-bet range”

When you play a position e.g. Small Blind as 3B or Fold, you will play a merged range, meaning all your hands you three bet will be close in strength. When you okay a merged range, there is no calling range inbetween the hands you three bet and continue against 4bet (value 3bets) and the hands you three bet and fold to 4bet (bluff 3bets).

At the bottom of your three betting range, whether merged or polarized, there will be hands that you are on the edge of either 3 betting or folding. A good example of this would be hands like, A9o, ATo, in the small blind facing a raise from dealer using a 3B/Fold SB strategy. These are hands that you can 3Bet but they are your weakest 3bets and playing all of them 100% of the time would weaken your three bet range. So you play them some of the time, and the hand itself can either be a 3Bet or fold. If you play them, it would be as a three bet according to your strategy. A solver can give you more exact frequencies, e.g. ATo 67% raise 33% fold, but at my current level of play I just go with whether I’m vibing with the hand or not.