Getting To Know Three-Betting
by Dougie Gouguen | Apr 13 2011
Find out more about three-betting and getting the most from your re-raises.
If you aren't familiar with the term, "three-betting" is what happens when you make the third bet in a limit
hold 'em poker game. Let's say Player A bets 5, Player B raises to 10 and then Player C re-raises to 20; Player C is said to have "three-bet." However, the player that re-raises is the three-better. For instance, if Player C had just called and Player A had re-raised in the previous scenario, then they'd be the three-better. It's important to know when and how to three-bet when playing online poker at every level of the game, particularly when you're using three-betting as a way to cultivate a table image.
The Value Three-Bet
The most common three-bet is a value bet that basically tells the other players at the table that you have the best possible cards before the flop. I personally reserve it only for high face-value pairs and use it as a way to infuse more money in the pot without running the risk of scaring away the other players. It's to be used with some discretion because it acts as just one part of the three betting formula.
The Light Three-Bet
Light three bets allows you to better control your table image and help a tight player draw opponents into traps, especially when used judiciously early in a sit-and-go poker tournament or at a single-table tournament when the blinds are still low. By three-betting on marginal hands with some restraint and playing down to two pair and losing, you earn a reputation that you're looser than you really are. Doing this judiciously a few times early on can keep your opponents guessing.
Using Three-Betting To Throw Your Opponents Off
By spreading the balance of the three-bets that you make a bit, you can really create doubt and sow discord in the minds of other players. Three-betting while holding 3s4s early in a game when the money is still small can create doubts in players minds about your motivations later and when you're hold AA with a mess of on the felt, you can see real rewards in the form of a bloated pot that you can take in.
Use Restraint
Most of the value that poker players like yourself get from three-betting is the way that is acts as a
semi-bluff and relies on your opponents to either fold or bloat the pot for you. Keep your three-betting to strategic uses and don't become too aggressive and you can see real rewards from it.
