Facing a 3-Bet in Position: Same Price, Position Changes Everything
Facing a 3‑bet in position, you pay the same price as out of position for the same 3‑bet size, but you will act last on every street. Heads-up, after an open to 2bb on the button and a 3‑bet to 7bb, you pay 5bb for a final pot of 14bb: you need 35.7% equity. Against a 3‑bet to 10bb you need 40%, and a stack-to-pot ratio of 4.5 is left at 100bb.
J♥T♥ on the button facing the big blind's 3‑bet
Heads-up with 100bb, you open to 2bb on the button with J♥T♥ and the big blind 3‑bets to 8bb. Fold, call, 4‑bet to 20bb or 4‑bet to 28bb?
See the answer
Calling costs 6bb for a final pot of 16bb: you need 37.5% equity. Against hands that 3‑bet from the big blind, before the flop:
| Big blind's hand | J♥T♥'s equity |
|---|---|
| 8♠7♠ | 63.1% |
| 6♣6♦ | 52.2% |
| 9♠9♦ | 48.9% |
| A♦5♦ | 46% |
| A♠K♣ | 41.2% |
| K♦Q♣ | 39.7% |
| A♠J♠ | 31.5% |
| Q♠Q♦ | 18.9% |
| J♦J♣ | 17.8% |
J♥T♥ is above 37.5% against the first six hands in the table. A 4‑bet bluff has to make the big blind fold 64.3% of the time at 20bb and 72.2% at 28bb. In position, the call plays the pot with a hand that flops well. The expected answer is the call.
The price of a heads-up call by 3‑bet size
Open to 2bb on the button, 100bb stacks:
| Big blind's 3‑bet | What you pay | Equity needed | Stack-to-pot ratio after the call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6bb | 4bb | 33.3% | 7.8 |
| 7bb | 5bb | 35.7% | 6.6 |
| 8bb | 6bb | 37.5% | 5.8 |
| 9bb | 7bb | 38.9% | 5.1 |
| 10bb | 8bb | 40% | 4.5 |
In position, the same price is worth more: you see every decision of your opponent before yours, which helps you realize your equity.
Keep going
- The same spot out of position: facing a 3‑bet out of position.
- Why position matters: poker positions.
- Preflop with two players: heads-up preflop.
- J♥T♥'s family: suited connectors.
- What the remaining stack changes: stack-to-pot ratio.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- When to raise instead of calling: the 4‑bet value range.
- The definition and price of a 3‑bet: what is a 3‑bet.
- The price of re-raising a 3‑bet: what is a 4‑bet.
- The hand after the call: how to play 3‑bet pots.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, and every price with its pot odds module, checked on October 11, 2026.
- The answer to the spot follows rules written by the app's author; it does not come from a solver.