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!
