The Basics of 4-Betting and How to Use it to Your Advantage
July 31, 2024 PokerNews Staff
In this article, we’re going to talk about another of those important tools to introduce to your Texas Hold’em poker arsenal – the 4-bet. When utilized effectively, against the right opponent, this can provide a much-needed boost to your hourly win rate over time. The 4-bet is a betting technique that allows you to take advantage of certain opponents and turn their aggression into a weakness that’s hugely profitable for you.
it’s always best to play your premium hands strongly rather than slow-playing
You will eventually find yourself in 4-bet situations, especially if you aspire to play poker seriously or even if you just want to give yourself the best chance of winning playing recreationally. Ideally, all poker players should learn an in-depth 4-bet strategy so they can utilize these skills at the table and win against any type of opponent. But it isn’t as cut-and-dried as you may think. Read on to find out more about how this bold poker play can yield great results in the right situations.
What is a 4-bet and How Does it Work?
If an opponent re-raises an initial pre-flop raise, this is considered a 3-bet. Therefore, a 4-bettor is someone that is prepared to re-raise the player that placed the 3-bet. We mentioned pre-flop raises because 4-betting is most commonly used before the community cards are displayed, with players 4-betting based upon the strength of their hole cards and that of their opponents.
There are various reasons why you might consider 4-betting with your poker hand. For starters, you might wish to extract maximum value from players with poor holdings that simply cannot let go of their hands. You might have the bravery to use a 4-bet as a bluff, but we’ll go into the scenarios where a 4-bet bluff would be most effective shortly.
When and Why You Should Consider a 4-bet
4-bets are a vital way to keep your chip stack growing
One of the best ways to use a 4-bet is if you have a premium hand or even the “nuts”. When it comes to No Limit Hold’em, it’s always best to play your premium hands strongly rather than slow-playing in a bid to trap your opponents. While slow-playing hands can be beneficial sometimes, playing a hand strongly allows you to build a bigger pot and extract more value from your opponents.
For instance, if you face a 3-bet from an opponent pre-flop and you are holding pocket kings or aces, it’s a good idea to 4-bet most of the times. You’ll help to build funds into the pot when your pre-flop hand is, hopefully, ahead of theirs.
Positionally, a 4-bet should also be employed periodically when you are playing out of position. Although this can seem like a scary leap into the unknown, it can work brilliantly against players that lack the faith in their convictions and tend to fold meekly to aggressors.
Factoring Opponents Into Your Strategy
Your opponents do heavily influence when and how frequently you choose to 4-bet at the poker table. Their approach and style of play will determine when you consider utilizing it. 4-bets are typically a good strategy to employ when you are up against some loose and aggressive gameplay, which is a plot that Dan Bilzerian claims to have pioneered. 4-bet bluffs are an important skill to develop as you go through the poker ranks, as these will become an integral factor in your survival when tournaments go deep or you’re playing against more experienced people for bigger money.
Of course, 4-betting is almost pointless when you come up against an absolute rock that plays tight and is not known for folding their good hands, regardless of them being the victim of a 4-bet. However, 4-betting does offer huge value against those loose-aggressive 3-bettors that aren’t afraid to re-raise an initial raiser with a wide range of holdings, not just premium made hands. If you are prepared to 4-bet imposing, aggressive players, it demonstrates to the rest of the table that you aren’t a shrinking violet and you have confidence in your hands and abilities; thereby gaining you respect that can help extract value from hands where you might bluff in the future.
How to Combat Those Who 4-Bet Against You
On the flip side, if you come up against an opponent that regularly 4-bets against you after your 3-bet, do bear in mind that you’ll often be getting good odds to flat call. Sometimes, this can be as much as 3 or 4 to 1. If you find that you have 25-30% equity against your opponent’s 4-bet range, it could be a profitable call to make over the long-term.
The Key Takeaway For a Successful 4-Bet Poker Strategy
It’s important when you start to employ a 4-bet strategy that you don’t just do so arbitrarily with hands. While aggression is good to see, semi-bluffs that could transform weak holdings into competitive hole cards on the flop are opportunistic. Pick the right moments to 4-bet rather than doing so from the outset with any two hole cards. Suited aces are statistically some of the best hands one could use in a 4-bet scenario. That’s because having an ace in your own hand reduces the chance of the 3-bettor having two aces in their own hand. Suited aces also give you pre-flop outs, whether it’s straight draws or nut flush draws that all of a sudden help your original 4-bet pay off.
You could also consider 4-betting with suited connectors that aren’t strong enough to simply call and see a flop. Alternatively, off-suit face card hands like KQ off-suit or JQ off-suit could also be useful 4-bet hands to block the prospect of premium holdings and give yourself a chance of improving to a broadway hand.
If you are prepared to take this information on board and use it to your advantage, you should be ready to 4-bet and take your poker game to the next level!
