‘Facing a 3bet cold’ implies that we are facing a 3bet without being the initial preflop raiser in poker games.
Let’s consider the following example:
CO open raises to 2.5bb
BTN 3bets to 9bb
SB folds
Hero is in the BB
- What do we do with holdings like 88-TT?
- Is it ever ok to flat call?
- Are these hands strong enough to 4bet?
In this article, we’ll discuss why the most common approach to facing 3bets cold in poker may leave money on the table.
The Missing Cold Call Option
If we were to consult solved preflop ranges for the above scenario, what would we find?
We typically find that the solver only has a cold 4bet range and zero flatting range. A common assumption made by many players is that cold calling 3bets is incorrect – otherwise the solver would surely do it.
The problem is that the solver is often not given the option to cold call. The human creator of the solve has decided that cold calling 3bets is not relevant and has excluded it from the game tree to speed up solving.
Consequently, the solve provides no information on whether flatting is reasonable.
The Issue with Simplifying Options
The issue with simplifying options is that we could reduce the number of hands that we can play profitably.
For example, we can comfortably cold-call a poker hand ranging from 88 to TT against the 3bet.
It’s only when we force ourselves to play 4bet-only that we need to seriously consider folding.
- For example, a solver has us folding TT 96% of the time but cold-4betting the remaining 4%.
- It also raises 88 more aggressively than TT (7% vs 4%).
All of this feels awkward from a human player’s perspective.
Human Default Strategy
As a general simplification, we can cold-call 88-TT, AQ, and AJs by default. Stronger holdings should generally cold 4bet.
By playing this way, we maximise the width of hands we can profitably defend, which in turn increases our winrate.
Besides, whatever a GTO poker solver plays, we should be able to play wider if we expect to have a postflop skill edge against our opponents.
Of course, the precise range of hands we defend should include our formation. However, since formational only has a minor impact, we can mostly get away with memorising a single range here.
The Cold 4bet Sweet Spot
Cold 4bet bluffs are commonly underutilised and can be especially effective when the situation is right.
The perfect scenario to put in a light cold 4bet will have some or all of the following traits -
- An open raiser who is opening too wide.
- An open raiser who folds too much to 3bets.
- A 3better who is good enough to recognise if the opener is overfolding to 3bets.
- An overly aggressive 3better.
- A 3better with a high fold-to-cold-4bet stat
The last two are the most crucial, but the others are nice to have and may increase the profitability of a cold 4bet bluff.
If the 3better senses the opener is overfolding, he might have an even wider 3betting range than usual.
If we identify a good spot to pull the trigger, we’ll still typically pick something with postflop potential, such as two broadways or a suited ace.
A cold 4bet poker bluff with 72o is unlikely to be correct in the long run, even if it works in a vacuum.
