3-bet

The third bet before the flop (a raise of the raise)

Definition

The 3-bet is the third preflop bet. The big blind is the first bet, the open raise is the second, and the 3-bet is the raise of that open raise. It's an aggressive action that narrows the range of hands played and creates immediate pressure on the opponent. A 3-bet can be made for value (with the best hands: AA, KK, QQ, AKs) or as a bluff (to seize the initiative and exploit wide opponent ranges with well-chosen bluffs). In GTO, the 3-bet range must be balanced between value and bluffs. The best 3-bet bluffs are hands that have blocker effects (A5s blocks opponent AA and AK) and post-flop potential when called. The 3-bet size varies: in position, 3x the open is common; out of position, 3.5–4x is more standard to offset the informational disadvantage.