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Cash game strategy 3 betting

Friday December, 4th 2009 by fullhouse

As the games have gotten more and more aggressive in online poker, it has become increasingly important that players integrate the 3 bet into their repertoire. A 3 bet pre flop would be a re raise. The initial blinds represent what would be the first bet, a raise would be the second bet, and a re raise is the third bet. In post flop action a 3 bet will still represent a re raise. Pre flop 3 bets allow for more diversification in uses than a post flop 3 bet. For example, a 3 bet pre flop can be done for value, as a semi bluff, or as a pure bluff. While these three different uses can all be implemented post flop as well, they are much more difficult to use effectively. 3 bets are vital to the long term profitability of any cash game player, but success in 3 betting is only achieved through careful placement of a 3 bet. The overuse of a 3 bet can be even more destructive than the complete absence of a 3 bet.

Pre flop 3 betting

As mentioned previously, 3 bets are most effective in pre flop scenarios. The primary use of a pre flop 3 bet is certainly for value, followed by bluffs, and then semi bluffs. It might not make sense why a semi bluff is used less than a pure bluff, but there is a legitimate reason.
3 bets pre flop for value are pretty standard, and the odds are that you are already using them without even thinking about it. A 3 betting range is pretty easy to define. Most cash game players stick to a general range of TT+ or AQ+. There are of course factors that will play into what hands are good to 3 bet with, such as position and your opponents, so keep in mind that this is nothing more than a general range.
Pre flop 3 bets as bluffs are the second most common pre flop 3 bet. The best time to make a “light” 3 bet is when you believe that someone is making steals over and over. If a player continues to steal the blinds pre flop it will be somewhat easy to catch them every now and them. This is definitely a percentage play as you will be completely wrong from time to time.
Pre flop 3 bets as semi bluffs are useless the majority of the time. It makes no sense to 3 bet with a mediocre hand as it will be incredibly tough to play your hand post flop, whether you hit or miss. The 3 bet semi bluff is a good play to abandon.

Post flop 3 betting

Post flop 3 betting is a very different animal from pre flop 3 betting, if only for the fact that it is usually very costly. Value 3 bets are great post flop where 3 bet bluffs can put huge dents in your stack. A good rule to follow is to 3 bet light small, and 3 bet for value big. Hand reading is incredibly crucial to the success of any post flop 3 bet, be it for value or as a bluff. If you are not confident in your hand reading abilities it is not a good idea to be firing away post flop 3 bets, especially as bluffs.