The intent of the 3-bet is to say to the initial bettor, “Yeah, you may have a good hand, but I’ve got a better one.” One common variation involves the initial raise coming from a late position, the button player or the cut-off (to the button’s immediate right), and the 3-bet is made by the small or big blind, who may assume the button or cutoff is attempting to steal the blinds.

The 3-bet is a shot over the bow of the initial raiser, designed to capture that pot right there. What Does a 3-Bet Mean?Ī 3-bet, which is always a form of a re-raise is designed to be an indicator of a true premium hand. In cash games and in the late stages of tourneys, 3-bets often involve all-in moves by one or more players, though you’re just as likely to hear the words “pushing” or “jamming” (moving one’s entire stack into the middle) in those instances. Since the initial bet itself can be sizable, the post-flop 3-bet is proportionately larger in most instances than its pre-flop counterpart. In post-flop play, the 3-bet consists of an initial bet, a raise, and then a re-raise (perhaps by the initial bettor).

Below is a visual of what a pre-flop 3-bet looks like. Instead, it’s when another play makes a second raise, going over the top of the first raiser, that the “three-bet” term is used. In a typical game, the first pre-flop raise is technically a “two-bet”, but you’ll never hear it called that. Subsequent players, beginning with the “under the gun” (UTG) player to the big blind’s immediate left, have the option of calling that first bet (the amount of the big blind), or folding or raising. In these poker games blinds are used, and the act of posting the small and big blinds is considered the first “bet”. It’s only in recent years that the term has become popular, indicative of its use during online play.įor flop games, such as hold’em and Omaha, the pre-flop 3-bet is technically different than the post-flop 3-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. One of the common definitions you will hear as you play poker is “3-bet”, or “three-bet”. All About 3 Betting in Poker The Three Bet

Texas holdem origin