The Overuse of Three-Bets

When people start studying poker strategy, three-betting is one of the first things they learn since it is a rather easy concept to grasp.  All a three-bet involves is betting over the top of someone who has just made a raise at the table.  And three-bets are definitely useful when you know how to properly make that third bet and get the maximum value out of your hand.  However, lately it seems that the concept of three-betting is just becoming fashionable rather than a useful tool.

Whether it’s the recent influx of strategy articles centering on three-bets or the fact that TV commentators are constantly talking about three-bets nowadays, it’s hard to deny that people are overusing them.  Every time I get online I manage to play with somebody who wants to three-bet every 5 or 6 hands.  But to me, people are just fooling themselves when they overuse three-bets.

For starters, you have to be sure that your hand is the best at the table when trying to pull off a successful three-bet.  Otherwise you’re just raising more money for someone else to take from you.  Another thing you need to make sure of when three-betting is that you’re getting the maximum value out of the wager.  Nobody is going to call your re-raise if their hand isn’t strong enough and they’re a tight player.  On the other hand, you also need to be mindful of getting aggressive players to commit as much to the pot as possible with a three-bet by not underbetting. 

It’s a delicate balance that I think most people have forgotten when they use three-bets, but I’m glad because it’s not money that is coming out of my pocket when three-bets are misused.