#4: Preflop 3- and 4betting

3Betting

A very important topic: 3Betting;

Let's go straight into the deep, why do we want to 3Bet?

• For pure value (i.e. good Aces, good kings, very good rundowns)
• Playing bigger Pots in Position
• Isolating the weaker player --> Exploiting their Leaks (i.e. High fold to flop C-Bet, high fold to 3Bet etc.)

1. Let's start out with some hands you can 3Bet for value under most conditions:

• Medium - High SS+ rundowns 
• Good Aces: AA**ds, connected AA**ss
• Good Kings: Semi-connected+ KK**ds
• High Pair + Connected Side cards
• High 2Pss+

Obvious you 3Bet range IP is MUCH wider then OOP.

2.Playing bigger pots In Position:

Especially when you're (semi)deep, you want to flop good. Let's start out with some random, unconnected Aces: AA39xxyz

Eff Stacks 100bb

Villain raises 3.5bb

Hero raises 10.5bb OOP

Villain calls, rest folds.

The scenario:

Pot size = 22.5bb ((10.5 *2) + 1.5bb )

Effective stacks = 88.5bb

Stack Pot Ratio = 88.5/22.5 = 3.9

This requires us to pull out 2 potsize bets in order to get the money in. 

Let's assume we 3bet these bad aces, and flop comes down: KJ4zww
This is obvious one of our better flops, but still it's really uncomfortable and exploitable for us to Pot flop and Pot turn.Let's say the flop is connected or drawheavy, are we going to x/fold? We really hate this scenario, and because of that we want to avoid it.

If you're IP, there's the possibility to check back the flop, and pull out a delayed Cbet on the turn if the board pairs, a straight draw, or a flush draw completes. This allows you to control the pot, and you'll be gained much more credit for a hand.

Probably the most common mistake from people transitioning NLHE --> PLO, is to overplay aces, especially OOP. Bad aces DO NOT!!! have enough of an edge equity-wise to 3Bet them OOP most of the time. Don't make that mistake!

Only 3bet hands OOP (!) when they've got a good flopability, or strong raw equity hands (AA**,AKK*), when you're able to get it it in OTF with oné potsize bet. As a rule of thumb.

Obvious a lot of hands that flop good are doublesuited connected rundowns, all the way to Medium-High singlesuited 2-gap rundowns.

If we're being dealt a mediocre double-suited speculative hand( i.e. KQT7xxyy), we'll be setting us up for some major reverse implied odds (making weaker flushes, making a lot of non-nut straights), while we'd 3Bet the hand IP.

This makes our conclusion:
Don't 3Bet much OOP, only with core value hands
3Bet much IN position, since we're able to represent a LOT.

3. Isolating the weaker player

Obvious this is our favorite part; exploiting the weaker player by 3Betting a lot. There are several ways you can exploit them:

• At stakes <=10PLO, a lot people will 4Bet ANY AA**, which creates a very profitable scenario for us when we 3Bet small. Let's say:

Eff. stacks 100bb

Villain Opens 3.5bb, we 3B 8.5bb, villain 4B 27bb, we flat.

Pot OTF = 55.5bb

Eff. Stack OTF = 73bb

Next part will be about calculating the EV of calling 4Bets, so you can find out yourself how profitable it is to do this with some speculative SS+ connected rundowns.

• Isolating the weaker player to exploiting their leaks.

You'll find a lot of very very weak regulars at the lower limits, whom make 3Betting IP very profitable. For example when they carry a high Fold to Cbet, or float to much OTF OOP, and folding to 2 barrels. Exploiting these things will give a huge boots to our winrate. Which kind of stats could be exploited will be talked about later on.

A good, 3betting range will be around:
In Position:10%
Out Of Position: 4% 

Over here I've got a very good video about 3Betting in PLO, by Tom Chambers:

4Betting

Especially at the lower limits, your 4betting range will consist of Aces for a huge part. This is because of the fact that people won't 3bet much at limits <=25PLO. So in that manner it's bad to 4bet naked kings to be up against AA** a lot of the times, and getting it in with 32% equity. That's also another reason to not 3bet naked kings or other raw equity hands, even when IP.

Scenario's when you'll 4bet other hands then AA**

Somebody is a very wide 3bettor.
Hands to 4bet are hands that will dominate their 3betting range, so a lot of high rundowns:

• [9-A][9-A][9-A][9-A]ss
• [89TJ]-[JQKA]ss+
• Some Good KK, with A blocker prefered. ( Having an Ace in your hand will reduce the amount of Ax combos with 40%!)

That kind of stuff. When you'll 4bet them your percieved range =AA**, so that's why it's very profitable.

If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask them. Next part will be the EV of calling 4bets.