Three-Betting Preflop — Part II

In my last column, I discussed some of the reasons to three-bet preflop, specifically after someone raises and there are no intervening callers. We’ll continue now by looking at when to three-bet.

As a gross generalization, there are two types of preflop raisers:
• Tight, traditional raisers
• Loose, aggressive, modern raisers

Tight, traditional raisers: These players believe that they need solid values to raise preflop. They tend to limp with all but premium hands (although some fold nearly everything), and they reserve their raises for A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, and A-K. Some of them extend the range to 10-10 and A-Q, but nothing beyond that, except perhaps when on the button and first in.

Clearly, you need to respect these raises. Fold almost everything. Three-bet only with A-A, K-K, and, against extended ranges, Q-Q. Never call. Just understand that these folks have a terrific hand; get out of their way and give them no action. Sure, it hurts to sit there looking at bad hands for an hour, then pick up A-K or J-J and just throw it away, but you are almost always behind when these guys raise, and there is no reason to play a shorthanded pot from behind.

Loose, aggressive, modern raisers: More typical these days are looser, more aggressive preflop raisers. These players range from being aggressive from later positions to hyperaggressive from both middle and late positions. Hand quality varies with the player, but you will often see these players raise with any pair, perhaps any ace, most Broadway hands (like Q-J and K-10), and sometimes even less.

These raisers hope to limit the field to one or, at most, two players, take control of the post-flop betting, and often win unimproved by forceful betting when the opponent or opponents miss the flop and turn. Because this sort of aggression works in weak-tight games, you often see it at the medium limits.

These players represent an excellent target for three-betting behind them. Unlike tight players with premium hands, these aggressive raisers do not like to be three-bet, as it puts them out of position, often in a shorthanded pot, and equally as often with a mediocre holding. They are under pressure to make a hand or fold. And even if they flop something, they don’t know whether they are ahead or behind.

Your image as a three-bettor is also important. The tighter your image is, the more likely it is that you can “get away” with a three-bet that is even potentially weaker than the average hand of the aggressive raiser. With a solid image as a three-bettor, you put severe pressure on the aggressive raiser to fold if he misses, and to play passively if he hits. Of course, if you are forced to show down a weak three-bet, your image will change, and you will need to pull back and wait for better hands. Your opponents may still give you credit for the looseness that you displayed, and overplay their hands into your strength, thus enabling you to profit even more.

With what type of hands should you three-bet? You want to use this play sparingly, as you need to maintain a tight image to force your aggressive opponents to fold. Do not try to use this weapon as a new toy, coming over the top with 6-5 suited or pocket threes.

However, reasonable hands with which you might aggressively open-raise from middle or late position make excellent candidates. In the right circumstances, hands like J-10, or K-9 suited, are good for three-bet plays against aggressive raisers. You would be forced otherwise to lay them down, and by three-betting, you end up with a better than even chance to win the pot, either by force or by making the best hand.

What to do when things go wrong: Let’s say that you make one of these plays, but instead of the rest of the table cooperating and folding, a player behind you and one of the blinds come along for the ride. Here is a hint: If you miss, give up. Somewhere, you are up against a good hand, and you do not want to lose more money by pretending you have something that you don’t when the field is large. This is not the time for a bet, bet, bet and a prayer. Check, fold, and wait for another chance.

Examples: I will start with an example of wrong play that I recently saw. An aggressive player (AP) raised and a weak player (WP) called. On a 9-high flop, AP bet, WP raised, and AP folded. WP for some reason showed A-9 offsuit. A couple of orbits later, AP raised again and WP called. On a 4-3-3 flop, AP bet and WP called. The turn was an 8. Bet, call. The river was a queen. Check, check. AP showed down the A 10. WP, for some reason, turned over the A 9. AP won.

This is nothing too exciting, but look at the position in which WP found himself. When he outflopped AP (assuming that is what happened on the first hand), he raised and won a small pot. When he did not, he called along and lost. Let’s see what would happen if WP stopped being so weak and elected to three-bet these hands. Could AP really call three times in the second hand with A-10? Or, would WP win by force and position? I think the latter.

Let’s say that an aggressive opponent raises preflop from middle position with K-J, and you three-bet from the cutoff with Q-J. Clearly, you are dominated, but as a general rule, it does not matter. This is limit poker, and you are not all in.

Assuming that you have picked on the right player and your image is sound, you will win almost every time that you both miss. Consider what will happen if the flop is 7-7-4, or A-6-3, or 10-7-5. If a king flops, you will lose money for sure, and if a jack-high flop comes (there are only two jacks left), you will lose more. Other than that, your out-of-position opponent will not be able to call to the river with his weakish holding, and you will win. There are a lot more wins than losses.

Conclusion: Three-betting with non-premium hands has pluses and minuses. In the right circumstances, it can show a significant long-term profit. When you show down a weak three-bet hand and surprise your opponents, you may gain considerable action later when you happen to have a big hand and get to three-bet. On the way to these benefits, you may also lose money that you would never lose if you just folded or played more passively, so your volatility will increase, and you need to be prepared financially and psychologically. If you are, adding well-chosen aggressive three-bets to your arsenal can be fun, exciting, and profitable, and can improve your judgment.

Barry Tanenbaum is the author of Advanced Limit Hold’em Strategy, and collaborator on Limit Hold’em: Winning Short-Handed Strategies. Barry offers private lessons tailored to the individual student. Please see his website, www.barrytanenbaum.com, or write to him at [email protected].