Poker 3 Bet Sizing

Light three bets in the micro stakes are needed, but they are not absolutely critical to your success. In small stakes and medium stakes games, light three bets will play a much more pivotal role. Light three bets are used primarily to balance out ranges, something that is not at all necessary in the micro stakes. If you are completely unfamiliar with the terminology, a light three bet is a pre-flop re-raise that is made with a weak hand. In other words, if you raise with one of these hands, it is not because you want to get all of the money in pre-flop. Instead, the goal of this play is to force as many folds as possible.

Even when a three bet fails, though, it will still derive some benefits. A failed light three bet will allow you to play with a weaker image, which in turn gives you a stronger opportunity to value bet hard when you have made hands. If you don’t understand how to utilize the outcome of your light three bet, whatever it may be, you will probably be better off not making light bets at all.

When I 3bet, i change my bet sizing depends on my position and villain's open raise size. If I am in position, for example, UTG open raise 3bb, then my 3bet size is 9bb (3. The term “3bet” has a tendency to cause confusion, especially amongst newer players. It frequently happens that a new player will assume that a “3bet” is a raise roughly 3 times the size of the previous bet. It’s quite easy to see how this assumption arises. Let’s first consider the correct definition of “3bet”. Nice advice on exact 4 bet sizing, was trying to work out the exact sizing. A lot of the time I will flat call my opponents 3 bet with Kings or Aces preflop to trap or induce, or if I think they will fold Jacks or 10's vs my 4 bet. Using this 2.2x sizing makes it nearly impossible for them to fold. Would you agree Nathan? All About 3 Betting in Poker The Three Bet. One of the common definitions you will hear as you play poker is “3-bet”, or “three-bet”. A 3-bet as most players use the term means the act of putting in the third bet, technically the second “raise”, the “3-bet” during any given round of action.

The four biggest factors in a successful light three bet are position, bet sizing, hand strength, and your opponent(s). All four of these elements are relatively easy to analyze in a matter of seconds, especially after you gain a fair amount of experience. The dilemma for rookie light bettors is identifying which spots are and which spots are not ideal for a re-steal. There is no easier way to throw money down the drain than to make a big mistake with a light three bet. You are not going to be successful with every attempt that you make, of course, but you should be right a fair amount of the time. Successful three betting skills are developed in practice, not only in theory. Everyone knows that they should three or four bet with KK or AA, but only the top players can pick out a good spot for a light three bet.

Position

Your position is the most obvious factor when contemplating a light three bet. If you are in early or middle position, the best play is to simply abandon the idea of a re-steal. There may be some very rare exceptions to this rule, but a light three bet is best executed from late position. The later your position, the fewer players that you will need to force a fold from. This is the most important reason to make your light three bets from late position, but it is hardly the only reason. You will fail many times with your light three bets, and there will be a number of situations where you find a few flat calls. In these spots you will need to be prepared for post-flop play. Playing in position post-flop will make it easier to take the pot down when you were unable to garner folds pre-flop. Instead of having to act first, you can let your opponent(s) act and then react to any moves that they make. Plus, every once in a while you will end up flopping a big hand, which also is easier to play when in position.

Bet Sizing

One of the elements of successful light three bets that is often times overlooked is bet sizing. The general rule of thumb is that a 3 bet should be large, and a 4 bet should be small. As a result, your steal attempts should be implemented with a large raise. Small raises not only invite calls, but they will give you less post-flop power. It is better to make a big three bet and get called or raised than it is to make a small one and gather a handful of calls. Sure, you are going to lose a fair amount when you wind up getting called or raised, but a big play is the only logical way to force folds. Win big or lose big, there isn’t a whole lot of middle ground with light three bets.

Hand Strength

Hand strength seems like it might be an irrelevant factor given that light three bets are made with weak hands, but this couldn’t be further form the truth. It is infinitely better to three bet light with a hand like K3 suited that it is to make the same play with Q7os.. Though a light three bet is made with a weak hand, you should still be giving yourself a chance to flop hard with a deceptive hand. K3 suited is ideal for a light three bet because it will allow you to either flop a big flush (or draw), two pair, or three of a kind. If two threes fall on the flop, very few of your opponents will ever put you on that type of hand. In most cases, your opponents will disregard the possibility of you ever having a three. Think about it, if someone three bet you pre-flop, what kind of hands could they possibly have that would include a three? Not many, unless they had complete air. This is why your hand will be so well disguised, which in turn will allow you to maximize value on the rare occasions where you hit the flop hard. The suited hands with big kickers are perfect for light three bets. K3, Q2 suited, etc. are all great to re-steal with. Be careful where you draw the line, though, because ace rag is not nearly is deceptive or valuable. Stay away from light three bets with random aces, but make your moves with random kings and queens.

Your Opponents

Your opponents are especially important in the micro stakes. In small stakes and medium stakes games, the majority of players will be capable of laying down a ton of hands when facing a three bet, but this just isn’t the case in the micro stakes. In micro stakes games, a lot of players will see a flop with any hand imaginable. Because of this, you need to be extremely careful who you are getting involved with. The age old rule of “never bluff a calling station” is never more applicable than when making a light three bet in the micro stakes. If you don’t have a good feel for how any given player tends to play, the best course of action is to sit back and wait for a better spot. Going into a light three bet blind is as good as lighting money on fire. If you know that there is a player ahead of you who tends to back down to aggression, however, you will be in the perfect spot for a three bet. Being able to pull the trigger is critical. Scared money will never make money.

Micro Stakes 3 Bets vs. Higher Limit Games

Most light three betting strategy will hold true from limit to limit, but the micro stakes are unique for a few different reasons. First, you will not have as many opponents who are even capable of letting go of their hands, regardless of how obvious their fold should be. This was covered in-depth above, in the “your opponents” section, so what else is there to know?

In small stakes and medium stakes games, there will be occasions where your failed light three bet can be effectively transformed into a light four or five bet. In the micro stakes, however, light four or five bets are a major mistake. The fact is that players in these games will very, very rarely make a light three bet on their own: a requirement for your success with a light four or five bet. In the end, if your light three bet does not work initially in the micro stakes, you should just give up. Seldom is giving up the best piece of advice, but it is the perfect plan in this situation.

Bet-sizing tells are one of the core tools of the live no-limit player. Players leak so much information in the amounts they choose to bet that it’s no overstatement to say that mastering bet-sizing tells may be the most important live small stakes no-limit skill.
Here are three hands where bet-sizing tells can influence you to make better decisions. All of these hands are played at $2-$5 with $1,000 stacks.

Hand 1

In the first hand, a player limps, then an active player raises to $25. The cutoff calls, and you call on the button with 8 6. The blinds fold, and the limper calls. There are four players to the flop, and $107 in the pot.

The flop comes J 8 4. The limper checks, as does the preflop raiser. The next player bets $35.

Poker 3 Bet Sizing Chart

This flop is loosely connected and features a possible club flush draw. A typical player with a strong hand like A-J or K-J would feel a specific way about the situation. After the preflop raiser checks, they would typically assume they likely held the best hand. But the board has some straight and flush draw possibilities, and with three opponents, the player would want to bet solidly to protect their hand.

So if the flop bettor held one of these strong hands, I would expect a bet shaded to the bigger size—at least $50 and maybe $60 or $70.

The $35 bet is more likely to be a hand like J-9 or 9-9 or an eight or a draw than one of the stronger hands.

Poker 3 Bet Definition

You just have middle pair, and there’s a good chance you’re behind, but I would call. You could possibly raise immediately to challenge the bettor, but against many opponents, it’s unnecessary. Calling lets you see how the action develops behind you without committing too much to the pot. If the big blind check-raises, you can get away cheaply. If, say, one of the other two players calls, you then get to see the turn action before you have to commit to something.

Some cautious players I know would fold in this situation, but I think the bet-sizing tell along with the cheap price makes calling better.

Hand 2

Two players limp, and you raise to $25 from two off the button with K Q. The big blind calls, as does one of the limpers.

The flop comes K 8 7. Your opponents check, and you bet $60 into the $82 pot. The big blind calls, and the other player folds. The turn is the 8. Your opponent bets $80 into the $202 pot. You call. The river is the 5, making a final board of K 8 7 8 5. Your opponent bets $250 into the $362 pot.

The small turn bet could be one of two things. First, it could be an eight. Second, it could be a player with a weak hand like K-10 or a draw looking to freeze the betting for a cheap card.

For some players, the small bet would be significantly more likely to be one of the weaker hands than the eight (perhaps because you’d expect the player to try a check-raise with trips). For other players, the small bet could be more likely to be trips because they’d play the weaker hands more passively. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you don’t have a strong read which way this opponent leans, so you decide to call the turn.

The sizing of the river bet inclines me to believe that this player has trips, and I would fold. On the turn, the player bet $80 into $202, or less than half the pot. Also the bet is less than $100, which is something of a magic number in these games—bets bigger than $100 tend to be a bit more serious in general than those less than $100. So this turn bet I’d characterize as small.

On the river, however, the player bets more than two-thirds of the pot and way, way more than the $100 threshold. This is a large bet in this context.

In general, the betting pattern of small bet leading into a large bet is a strong pattern. Players at this level who bet small, and then when called, decide to bet substantially larger on the next street tend to have hands they’re trying to get real value with. Holding K-Q as a preflop raiser, you have exactly the sort of hand your opponent would expect you to have. If he’s going to value, he probably has you beat. So I would fold.

It’s the small-to-big pattern that really seals this fold for me. The flop contained a lot of draws that bricked out. It’s not an unreasonable board for an opponent to try to bluff on. So I wouldn’t automatically fold K-Q to any old betting from this opponent. But this particular pattern suggests strength often enough that I don’t think it’s worth calling getting less than 3-to-1.

Hand 3

Poker 3 Bet Sizing Tool

A player open-raises to $20 from five off the button. A player calls. You call with Q J in the cutoff. The button calls. The blinds both fold. There’s $107 in the pot and four players.

The flop comes J 10 6. The preflop raiser bets $60, and the next player folds. You call. The button folds. There’s $207 in the pot.

The turn is the 7. Your opponent bets $100, and you call.

The river is the 3. Your opponent checks.

The bet-sizing in this hand tells a fairly clear story about what the preflop raiser is likely to have. Betting $60 into $100 on the flop isn’t a massive bet, but it’s a very solid bet into three players. Hands like K-J, A-J, K-K, and so forth are all in play. Of course, the preflop raiser could also hold K-Q, A-K, a flush draw, or some other hand as well. The $60 bet isn’t definitive one way or the other.

The $100 bet on the turn, however, is decidedly small, given the situation. It suggests the preflop raiser is now playing defensively. Since the flush came in, there’s a good chance he’s got one pair. He doesn’t want to give a free card to a hand like a lone diamond or a straight draw, but he also doesn’t want to commit a ton of money to the pot in case you already have a flush.

The check after the river bricks is further confirmation of this hypothesis. It would be a relative longshot for this player to first have a flush (already uncommon), and then to play it with this strong-to-weak betting pattern.

There’s a good chance your opponent is very concerned you have a flush. There’s also a good chance your hand is no good. It’s worth considering a bluff here—and if you bluff, you really should make a strong play at the pot. A $400 bet into this $427 pot should have an excellent chance to win.

Final Thoughts

Bet-sizing tells can give you a great picture of what your opponents are doing in no-limit hands. If you learn to leverage this information, you can become one of the best players at your level. ♠

Ed’s newest book, The Course: Serious Hold ‘Em Strategy For Smart Players is available now at his website edmillerpoker.com. You can also find original articles and instructional videos by Ed at the training site redchippoker.com.