One of the great things about poker is the game’s capacity to evolve. Take 3-betting, for example. There was a time when players would only make this aggressive play if they held a big hand, like pocket aces. That was in the hey-days of ring poker. Then came the internet and the rise of online poker. 

Suddenly, players were multi-tabling in online poker rooms instead of facing opponents across a table. This created a new avenue of possibilities. The availability of powerful poker tools encouraged players to open up and 3-bet in situations previously considered too risky. Pretty soon even 4-betting became more common. Today, a solid grasp of how and when to 3-bet and 4-bet is essential for anybody serious about playing live poker online. Let’s take a closer look at the ins and outs of 3-betting and 4-betting.

What are 3-bets and 4-bets?

A 3-bet is simply a popular term for a re-raise. If an opponent is the first to raise before the flop and you then re-raise, you have made a 3-bet. Why the number 3? Technically, the big blind counts as the first bet in Omaha and Texas Hold’em poker games, so your opponent’s open raise is the second and yours is the third bet. It’s an aggressive move that signals a big hand when you’re playing poker online. Players frequently 3-bet to keep the initiative, single out weak players and force opponents to fold. As a poker tournament strategy, 3-betting helps to build the pot for bigger payouts. 

So what is 4-betting? It’s re-raising even more aggressively after a 3-bet (usually at least twice as much) for similar reasons. At a full-ring table, this could theoretically continue as far as a 7-bet, but that seldom happens in practice. When it does happen, players are usually going all in.

Why should you 3-bet or 4-bet?

The main reason to 3-bet or 4-bet is to get value from your hand. If you’re holding a big hand such as pocket aces, kings or queens, you’re going to want to build the pot as much as possible before the flop. The easiest way to do this is to 3-bet and 4-bet.

Another reason to 3-bet and 4-bet is to take advantage of other players. One way to do this is to isolate weak players. These are the players that you want to play as many hands against as possible because they make a lot of mistakes pre- and post-flop. One such mistake may be to call your 3-bet against their open raise when all the other players fold. When this happens, you have a weaker player and a bigger pot all to yourself.

Another player to take advantage of is the kind whose pre-flop opening range is too wide. If they open-raise too wide, they’ll likely fold to your 3-bet. Similarly, if an opponent 3-bets too wide, your 4-bet will more than likely take down the pot.

A great way to put these ideas to the test is to organize an online poker tournament with friends. After all, you probably already know their strengths and weaknesses pretty well.

When should you bet?

The best time to 3-bet is when you wake up to a hand inside your strategic 3-bet range. It’s important to have a clear idea of what hands you’re comfortable 3-betting with before you play. Be sure to adjust your range against your opponents. If they consistently call you, you’ll want to 3-bet and 4-bet for value rather than bluff.

Another good time is when you want to manipulate your image at the table. If you 3-bet and 4-bet a lot, your image will be that of a loose player, so opponents are more likely to give you action.

A further situation where it’s good to 3-bet and 4-bet is when you want to defend the blinds. Those forced bets can eat away at your stack and aggressive play is a good way to win them back.

What size should you bet to?

Sizing up how big your bet should be depends on a number of variables. The first is stack size. You want to have room to bluff on the flop and turn if your 3-bet is called. If your stack is smaller than 25 big blinds, it’s best to go all in. If you have 30 big blinds, you can do a small 3-bet and still have enough flexibility.

The second variable is position. The usual 3-bet size is 2.5 times the original raise, but out of position, they should be bigger. Say you’re in the big blind with 30 big blinds in your stake. You don’t want to play out of position after the flop, so your 3-bet should be 3.5 to 4 times the original raise to win the pot.

A third variable is how many players are in the hand. If there are multiple players, a small 3-bet risks being called by everyone. To avoid this, increase your 3-bet by one original raise size for every player that called the original bet.

A fourth variable is your history with a specific player. For example, you can manipulate an opponent who consistently disrespects small 3-bets but folds to big ones by betting big with a weak hand and small with a strong hand.

The fifth variable is whether you are playing in a tournament or a cash game. In cash games, stacks are deeper because players can simply rebuy when they lose, so 3-bets should be bigger. In online poker tournaments players tend to protect their stacks, so 3-betting small makes sense.

Raise your online poker game at Borgata Online

The best way to improve your 3-bet and 4-bet performance is practice, and you’ll get plenty of that if you register at Borgata Online. Join our growing community for daily and weekly cash games and online poker tournaments. You can even exchange poker tournament tips with like-minded players. Outside the poker room, our online casino games offer a broad range of engaging entertainment, from online slots to casino table games and live-hosted game shows.