HU LH PF general question

[LuckOfTheDraw]

I don't play heads up at all, but sometimes when I'm bored I watch a game for a few minutes. Basically, in all the times I've watched, I can't recall ever seeing a 4th bet put in before the flop. However, the big blinds seem to be 3-betting quite often, and I wonder what keeps the button from capping. Any quick notions as to why this is so?

[jay_shark]

1)It can be uncertainty if there hand is the best .
2)They don't want to tip their hat off to what hands they are holding . You may forgo an extra bet but you will also get it back indirectly from playing the hand deceptively .
3) If being deceptive has lost its value , then you should consider capping the pot if you have the best of it .

[xSCWx]

With 100 BB stacks a 4th bet is usually all in preflop. Also, as jay_shark said, you have some major uncertainty unless you have a big PP, and if you make that 4th bet it is an easy red flag for your opponent.

[LuckOfTheDraw]

Sorry, I should have made it more clear I was talking about limit holdem.

[LuckOfTheDraw]

Also, my reasoning on the matter was that when you just call the 3rd bet, you set yourself up with a much cleaner line through the rest of the hand. Especially, the flop is much easier to play as the onus is on the BB to lead out of position. If you cap this preflop, it just opens up a lot of different lines where information about what your opponent has ends up costing you a lot more.

[Leader]

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Any quick notions as to why this is so?

[/ QUOTE ]

People suck at the poker

[xSCWx]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, I should have made it more clear I was talking about limit holdem.

[/ QUOTE ]

I should have probably made my reading a little more clear. The non-all-in parts still make sense.

[LuckOfTheDraw]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Any quick notions as to why this is so?

[/ QUOTE ]

People suck at the poker

[/ QUOTE ]

HAHAH, yeah probably.

As far as what some others have said about it being a red flag and giving your hand away, would exploiting this perception by 4-betting with a wider range of hands be less profitable than just calling (every time)? I'm serious here, and maybe it's because the people I've watched have sucked at poker, but I cannot recall a single cap before the flop in high stakes heads up limit holdem, even in games with a lot of 3-betting. Considering position, it just seems strange for the passive play to be prevalent.

[xSCWx]

I used to play 30/60 and 75/150 on Pacific back while I was ballin and people 4 bet in that all the time.

I guess you just pick the wrong hands to watch?

[jay_shark]

There are many times when I knowingly had the best hand either preflop or on the flop but I chose not to cap . You gain much more when you can jam the turn than jam the flop .