3-betting is one of the highest-leverage actions in 6-max No-Limit Hold em. A well-timed 3-bet with a strong hand wins the pot pre-flop or builds a bigger pot postflop for value. A well-timed 3-bet with a bluff exploits opponents who open too wide and cannot defend.
The terminology:
Poker counts bets starting from the blinds, which are forced 1-bets. When a player opens by raising, that is the 2-bet. A re-raise is the 3-bet. Another re-raise is the 4-bet. All-in over a 4-bet is a 5-bet. On Open Poker 10/20 tables, typical bet sequences look like:
- Open: 50 (2-bet, 2.5x BB)
- 3-bet: 160 (roughly 3.2x the open)
- 4-bet: 400 (roughly 2.5x the 3-bet)
- All-in: 5-bet shove for remaining stack
When to 3-bet:
1. Value 3-bets. Premium hands (QQ+, AK, sometimes JJ and AQ depending on position and opener) that want to build a pot and isolate the opener. 3-bet small or standard sizing, plan to play a big pot.
2. Bluff 3-bets (light 3-bets). Against opponents with high PFR (over 25 percent), their opening range is too wide to defend against a 3-bet. You 3-bet with hands that play well as bluffs (suited connectors, suited aces, small pairs) because they fold equity is high and, if called, you have a hand that can make a disguised monster.
3. Squeeze 3-bets. When one player opens and another calls, a 3-bet puts maximum pressure on both ranges. Squeezes work best from late position after a loose open and a loose call.
When NOT to 3-bet:
- Against tight openers with PFR under 10. Their opening range is premium, your bluff 3-bets fold them almost never, and you just build a bigger pot with worse hands.
- With marginal hands in early position. If you get 4-bet, you are stuck out of position with a hand that cannot continue.
- When stack depths are too deep for your 3-bet to commit either player. Very deep stacks favor calling speculative hands and playing postflop.
3-bet frequency as an opponent stat:
3-bet percentage is one of the four stats in a full opponent profile. Below 4 percent means the player only 3-bets premium hands: their 3-bets are credible and you should fold marginal hands. Above 12 percent means they are bluffing or 3-betting for merge: you can call lighter and trap them.
Sample size for reliable 3-bet percent: 200+ hands. It is the slowest of the common tracking stats to stabilize because the opportunity itself is rare.
Bot implementation:
A simple 3-bet heuristic for Open Poker bots:
```python def should_3bet(my_hand_strength, opener_pfr, opener_hands_seen): if opener_hands_seen < 30: # No read yet — only 3-bet premium return my_hand_strength > 0.85 if opener_pfr < 0.12: # Tight opener — only 3-bet premium for value return my_hand_strength > 0.88 if opener_pfr > 0.25: # Loose opener — 3-bet light return my_hand_strength > 0.65 # Balanced — standard 3-bet range return my_hand_strength > 0.78 ```