The standard 3bet sizings for 100bb cash games are as follows:
–> 3x the original raise size when you are IP
–> 4x the original raise size when you are OOP
These are the sizings that I recommend for NL5 and all higher limits as well.
The reason for the different raise sizes here follows the same line of thinking that was discussed in the section on being OOP with limpers. We want to dissuade them from calling when we are at a positional disadvantage. So by making it a little bit more we expect to get a few less calls. And we create a lower SPR for the times they do call which also works to our advantage.
These are the standard 3bet sizings for 100bb poker because they do a great job at denying our opponents the proper odds to call. There is no way that they can call and expect to turn a profit by folding to our cbet every time they miss. A lot of players at the micros bleed a lot of money over time doing this. I will have more on this in a bit.
3bet Sizing at NL2
At NL2 I would recommend following the same rules as above but using some larger sizings with your premium hands, especially AA and KK. There are two reasons for this.
- Most players in this game call 3bets far too much
- They aren’t paying attention to the size of your 3bet
As we discussed before regarding NL2, the level of play at this limit is different than all others and so the same rules do not apply. If your opponent is going to call 5x or 6x just as often as 3x and you have a premium hand, then it logically makes sense to make it the higher amount.
This can be a huge boost to your winrate at this limit, as an oversized 3bet can really juice up the size of the pot and allow you to very easily get stacks in postflop.
But this is still very much a player dependant situation. If you are facing a reg for instance, I might make it a more standard amount most of the time. But plenty of bad regs will flip out if you use a ludicrous sizing against them as well. It is certainly profitable against most SLPs and fish however to oversize it.
Please note that stacks sizes do matter quite a bit here regardless of the limit. If your opponent has a stack size that is less than 100bb to start the hand, then it is probably better to just use a standard sizing as there is no point in blowing them off their hand.
Similarly, if they are really short with say 50bb or less, I might just 2.5x or click it back min 3bet. Use some discretion in these situations. The oversized 3bets are geared towards deep stacked play.
One final note on 3bet sizing. If you are squeezing (there was a raise and a call in front of you), then you will need to adjust these numbers upwards a bit. And obviously this applies to any limit as well.
Example: Blinds are 2c/5c.
In the BB you have,
An SLP opens for 15c from MP.
You should 3bet to 4x his raise size = 60c.
Example: Blinds are 2c/5c.
In LP you have,
A TAG (with a 75% fold to 3bet) opens for 15c from MP. You should 3bet to 3x his raise size = 45c.
Example: Blinds are 1c/2c.
In LP you have,
An SLP opens to 8c from EP.
You should 3bet to 5x his raise size = 40c.
Example: Blinds are 1c/2c.
In the BB you have,
A nit opens to 8c from EP. You should flat call.
