Quick tip on 3/4/5b-game balancing

I haven't done a strategy post in ages, and I've seen requests for more poker content, and it's christmas and I want to share a tip. This, for the topic that it covers, is going to be a super-short post and I'm trying to keep it to the point:

We all want to 3-bet light because it's profitable. We all hate it when someone 4-bets us when we've 3-bet light because we either have to shove and pray that he folds, or we have to give up whatever equity we think we have. At the same time, most of us aren't awesome at intuitively making our ranges even semi-balanced (it's very easy to either overdo it or underdo it) so if we can somehow come up with a way of balancing our 3b/4b/5b game that is automatic (i.e. based on cards) then that's a big plus.

I suggest, then, that versus an aggressive opponent, you make all baby suited aces your bluff hands. A2s-A5s. 3-bet them, and shove if you get 4-bet on. The only other hands in your range for this should (typically) be QQ+ and AK (and expanding that downwards by adding pocket pairs down to 99 if he's super-aggressive). So you have a value range of 99+, AK and a bluff range of A2s-A5s. The combinatorics work out nicely for having a balanced range that way, and here's the kicker: Versus your opponent's calling range (the one that calls a shove) baby aces fair the best. It doesn't differ a lot, but the difference of having 27% equity or 30% equity in an all-in pot is, after all, the size of most solid regs' whole win-rate.

Conditions that need to be fulfilled for this to make sense:
1. Your opponent can 4-bet light (I'm looking for a 4bet range% of 2% or higher)
2. You get the last bet. Don't raise with these hands with the intention of 4-betting; just fold if that happens (alternatively call if you're in position and think you have significant postflop edge, but that's unlikely)
3. You think the 3-bet is profitable to begin with. If your opponent doesn't fold enough to 3-bets to make the steal profitable, don't fire up the engines.

Why not AQs instead of A2s? Because we don't 3-bet that for value much against regs?

One the more aggro villain if come across at 25 and 50nl 6max runs a 36/32/ 14%3bet/6%4bet.
Against these kinds of villains wouldnt i be better of 3bet/jamming stuff like AT/AJ+,KQ oposed to Axs?

Against a villain like that, you shouldn't ever be 3-betting as a bluff.

I think alot of us don't have a great feel for when you should or shouldn't be 3betting those hands for value against a laggier villain, I remember this being discussed around an HH switch posted a few months ago, maybe worth writing a clean strat post around that?

FP, love the idea, I struggle w my 5bet range, thanks. Your conditions address the question of what limits to do this at - if those conditions are met at 2nl, then this makes sense, if not, then it doesn't.

I never really pay attention to 4bet%, though, thought it doesn't converge until a ridiculously large number of hands? So I'd need to do more gut checking and guesstimate based on 3bet% by position?

Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom/knowledge F Paulsson! I've been reading your threads in the Golden Archives & your articles in Strategy Articles --> GREAT info !

Happy Holidays to you & yours!

Not against regs that four-bet often and versus whom it's profitable to steal; in those instances I think flatting the raise and playing the hand for value is better than turning it into a bluff.

Not that there's anything particularly wrong about doing it with AQs. As long as you get the last bet, it's probably profitable.

Do the math, they have to be 4-betting super wide as a bluff and not wide at all for value. This rarely happens in practice. I think we should widen our value 5-bet shove range rather than 5-bet bluffing in these spots.

This poast makes me

It very often happens in practise. A filter for how often your 5bets get called should tell you what you're looking for. Also, having a high 3-bet and a "fold-to-4bet" of 75% (which is what you get with what you're advocating) is a little bit of a problem versus thinking aggressive opponents.

But if you're not interested in balancing the lines, that's fine. If your entire range for 5-bet shoving is for value, that's OK (although I think you're missing value in quite a few spots) If, however, you feel that you want to be able to ever have bluffs in that range, baby suited aces are your best bet, is all I'm saying. This is why I named the thread what I did.

I did the math.

I thought I did in my 3-bet post that's in the golden archives :P.

And a fantastic post it is!

I should've been clearer - sometimes we won't want to 3bet when we're ahead of villain's range. The discussion I was referring to was something like holding KQo in the blinds against a btn open - we're confident we're ahead of villain's range, but sometimes will want to flat to get more value postflop. AQs on btn against a co open might be another candidate.