So take a hand like 89o: you can’t flat it profitably but a hand like K8s can’t be flatted profitably either. Most likely your hand will fall into the medium strength category and you will be looking to control the size of the pot depending on the board and possibly get one or two streets of value. Note that you are not looking to 3-bet JQo or ATo and automatically stack off when you make a pair in position. They will have more post-flop equity than hands like off-suit connectors, even if they are dominated a portion of the time. For example, if you cannot flat hands as strong as QJo and ATo in position, add those to your bluff 3-betting range.

You should 3-bet bluff using the best hands for which you cannot flat call profitably. What is important is that you modify the hands you 3-bet so you can counter this strategy.

The reason for this is obvious: most players believe that position allows them to play more hands profitably, which is true. The main reason to merge instead of polarize when you 3-bet from the blinds is because people are more likely to call your 3-bet when they have position, and more likely to 4-bet or fold when out of position.

If you are playing against weaker players who won’t exploit this, then you can skew your ranges whichever way you want to best take advantage of your opponents. It is important to remember that you need balance when playing against players who will exploit unbalanced ranges. What will change in general is the type of hands you should be 3-betting, while your 3-betting range should also vary depending on the composition of the table. So the percentage of hands you will want to 3-bet will not change much depending on position. The 6-9% range is not so tight that you won’t get action when you have big hands, and it’s also not so loose so that your 3-betting range is too weak (when your range is too weak people can combat you easily and profitably by 4-betting or flatting and then bluff-raising flops). That number can vary, but most players should be in the 6-9% 3-bet range over the long term. Many peg the optimal 3-bet percentage at roughly 7% overall. However, in today’s games, as more players are aware of the recommended 3-bet percentage from each position, if you 3-bet too frequently from the button or cutoff positions, you will get exploited. Some say you should 3-bet more in position than out of position, and many would agree it’s wise to skew your ranges slightly in this direction. How Much Money Can You Make Playing Poker?Īn optimal 3-bet percentage is roughly the same in position and out of position.

How to call someone bluff in poker