How to Play 3-Bet Pots: Less Stack Behind, More Commitment
How to play 3‑bet pots comes down to playing with far less stack behind compared with the pot. At 100bb, when the button opens to 2.5bb and the big blind calls, the flop starts at a stack-to-pot ratio of 17.7; when the big blind 3‑bets to 10bb and the button calls, that ratio drops to 4.4. A solid pair often commits its stack there, where in a single-raised pot it would play for pot control.
9♣9♠ facing a river shove in a 3‑bet pot
Heads-up, 3‑bet pot: in the big blind with 9♣9♠, you called the flop and the turn on K♠ 7♦ 5♥ 2♣. The 2♠ river pairs the lowest card and the small blind shoves, pot-sized into 30bb. Fold or call?
See the answer
Calling 30bb for a final pot of 90bb needs 33.3% equity. Against specific hands, on the river:
| Small blind's hand | What it holds | Result for 9♣9♠ |
|---|---|---|
| Q♠J♠ | nothing, queen-high | wins |
| 8♥6♥ | missed straight draw | wins |
| A♣3♣ | ace-high | wins |
| A♦5♦ | pair of fives | wins |
| T♥T♦ | pair of tens | loses |
| K♥Q♥ | pair of kings | loses |
| A♥A♦ | pair of aces | loses |
| 7♣7♥ | full house | loses |
9♣9♠ beats unpaired hands and smaller pairs, and loses to higher pairs, trips and full houses. The expected answer is the call.
The stack-to-pot ratio by pot type
Button against big blind at 100bb, small blind folded:
| Pot | Preflop action | Pot on the flop | Left behind | Stack-to-pot ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-raised | open 2.5bb, call | 5.5bb | 97.5bb | 17.7 |
| 3‑bet pot | 3‑bet to 10bb, call | 20.5bb | 90bb | 4.4 |
| 4‑bet pot | 4‑bet to 22bb, call | 44.5bb | 78bb | 1.8 |
At a ratio of 4.4, three half-pot bets, on the flop, turn and river, commit 79.7% of the remaining stack.
Keep going
- What the remaining stack changes: stack-to-pot ratio.
- The raise that creates this pot: what is a 3‑bet.
- Calling the river with a medium hand: river bluff catcher.
- How much of your range to defend: minimum defense frequency.
- The smaller stack sets the stakes: the effective stack.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
Sources
- Every result is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, and every price and ratio 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.