Calling Pre-flop? Strongly Consider 3-Betting Instead (NLTRN Theory)

[Collin Moshman]

I've been playing a large amount of HU SNGs recently, and the biggest mistake I see strategically is guys with an inoptimally low pre-flop 3-Bet : Call ratio.

When you're playing OOP and the button raises, calling is generally your weakest option. This is because you have no chance to win immediately, and you will always go into a flop with a built-in positional disadvantage. Even if you are the superior player, it is very tough to outplay an opponent who has position every round of betting. So you are often forced to play hit-to-win, which is an undesirably passive approach in HU.

Three-betting gives you a strong chance to win immediately, and when you are called, you are the one who has shown strength pre-flop and will generally be the one who takes the pot (with a standard c-bet) when you both miss.

This mistake (of infrequent 3-betting) is particularly egregious when your opponent is consistently raising his button to 3 BB, as many tight-aggressive guys do. Here, not only do you want the advantages discussed above, but you also want your aggressive opponent to realize you are not afraid to come over top of his raises -- i.e., your 3-bets help the metagame as well.

Don't get me wrong -- Calling is certainly a good play at times. For instance, if your opponent is a maniac who will never fold to your reraises, and you're calling for the implied odds. Or maybe he's min-raising you and the immediate odds are worth seeing a flop. And some hands, like low-mid aces, are too strong to fold, but tend to play poorly in large pots.

All I'm saying is that many players do not 3-bet OOP nearly enough, and any time you are planning to at least call a raise pre-flop, you should give serious consideration to 3-betting instead.