Note: After talking with Ansky, I realized I was making some mistakes in 3bet pots and adjusted this post accordingly.

Top 3 Considerations in 3Bet Pots

1.  You are either 3betting for value (50% of the time) or 3betting as a bluff (50% of the time).  There is no in between.  You should not 3bet hands like 88 or JTs because you can profitably just call with those hands.  Overcards will flop so often and you’ll put yourself into horrible situations.  For example, let’s say you 3bet 88 and the flop comes 3s7dQc and your opponent leads for a pot sized bet.  Do you call and hope it gets checked down the river?  Fold?  Raise?  None of the options are very appealing.  A hand like K6s is a great hand to 3bet bluff because you can’t just call with it profitably.  We’ll get into 3betting value ranges a bit later one.
2.  3bet pots are very opponent dependent.  If your opponent frequently folds to your 3bets, you need to exploit that.  Likewise, if your opponent is 3betting you frequently, you should open up your 4betting range and 3betting calling range.
3.  A standard 3bet size is 11 big blinds.  If you find your opponent is calling your 3bets more than you like, you can start increasing the amount you 3bet.

3Bet Calling Range Heads Up (from the Button)

According to the preflop hand range charts we talked about before, you should be raising the top 80% of hands on the button. Eventually, you’ll face a raise (AKA a 3bet). Here’s the standard 3bet calling range from the button. Again, remember that you have position advantage!

3Bet Calling Range Heads Up

3Betting Range Heads Up (from the BB)

You should be playing 31% of hands from the BB, but which hands should you just flat call and when should you 3bet? Remember that you are out of position and you’ll be building a big pot that might prove difficult to play postflop if you decide to 3bet. Here’s the standard 3bet raising range from the big blind.

3Betting Range Heads Up

Again, the most important thing to take away is to always remember the advantage of position! And you should always mix up your play, especially against competent, thinking opponents.  These charts are meant as just a general guideline.

We’ll talk more about 3bet pots strategy on the flop, turn and river in future posts.