progressFacing a 3-bet after you open
You open, the big blind re-raises. Most of the time the answer is fold.
The big blind's 3-bet is the toughest moment of an open: you have put chips in and now face a larger bet. Our solution book (8-max tournaments with ante, small blind folded) answers with numbers for the button and the cutoff. Each cell shows fold / call / 4-bet or all-in:
| Stack | Button vs BB 3-bet | Cutoff vs BB 3-bet |
|---|---|---|
| 15 BB | 85% / 7% / 9% | 81% / 9% / 10% |
| 20 BB | 77% / 11% / 12% | 81% / 8% / 11% |
| 30 BB | 76% / 11% / 13% | 81% / 11% / 8% |
| 40 BB | 78% / 10% / 12% | 83% / 10% / 7% |
| 60 BB | 77% / 13% / 10% | 84% / 10% / 6% |
What the table shows
- The fold dominates. The button folds 76% of the hands that opened at 30 BB, the cutoff 81%. Between 15 and 60 BB the button fold share stays in a narrow band from 76% to 85%.
- The continuing hands are split between calling and all-in. At 20 BB the button calls 11% and shoves 12%.
- A real 4-bet is rare. At 40 BB the book 4-bets to 20 BB with only 3% of the opening range; the all-in takes 8%.
These percentages are of the hands that opened, not of all hands. If you open 46% of hands on the button at 30 BB, the table says 76% of those fold to a 3-bet, so you continue with about 11% of all hands.
What to take away
- Folding to a 3-bet is the normal play. Do not defend a loose opening range against a 3-bet just because you opened.
- When you do continue, mix calls and shoves; at 15 to 20 BB the shove is a big part of it.
- Check the exact hands in the button vs BB 3-bet chart at 30 BB.
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Questions
How often should the button fold to a big blind 3-bet?
In our book about 76% of the opening range at 30 BB, and between 76% and 85% from 15 to 60 BB.
Should I 4-bet or shove?
Mostly shove or call: at 40 BB the 4-bet is 3% of the opening range and the all-in 8%.
Does the cutoff fold more than the button?
Slightly: at 30 BB the cutoff folds 81% and the button 76%.
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progressGTO guides use our own solution book (v13, 8-max tournaments with ante, chip EV): an approximation of equilibrium with a modelled postflop, not an exact solution. Numbers are computed from the book and from the exact ICM model.
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