3-betting for Thin Value

Browsing the poker strategy forums, you will notice a lot of people using the reasoning "I'm not going to 3-bet my AQ or JJ because I don't want to get 4-bet." The thought is that you have your 3-bet value range which you will get in preflop and your 3-bet bluff range which you you fold to a 4-bet. This is a perfect strategy if our opponent only folded or 4-bet, which is sometimes the case. If our opponent is calling a decent percentage of the time though you should definitely have a 3-bet thin value range.

Let's define what a thin value 3-betting range is. Your thin value range has good value versus your opponent's 3-bet calling range and poor value versus your opponent's 4-bet range. A perfect example is when we have KQ and we are 3-betting a wide button open. Our opponent is likely to 4-bet any hand that has us in rough shape; QQ+ and AQ+. The range of hands that they are calling with we have great equity against.

Many times when we 3-bet an open our 3-bet has a polarizing effect, making our opponent 4-bet their strongest hands, call their medium strength hands, and fold their weak hands. Thus not only are we getting fold equity from our 3-bet we are getting crucial information about the strength of their hand; whereas our hand range is not capped.

3-betting for thin value can be especially effective versus an opponent when you're in position. Many opponents at the small stakes will have a calling range from the cut off and small blind when facing a 3-bet. Since they are out of position, they are less likely to slowplay their big hands preflop so their calling range usually is even more weighted towards medium strength hands than in position. Furthermore, being in position we can better control the size of the pot postflop.

To those who don't like 3-betting a strong hand when they might get 4-bet off it, I have a simple question: How strong is our hand once we get 4-bet? This is a matter of relative hand strength to our opponent's 4-betting and calling ranges.