Heads up sit and go's - Suited connectors in 3-bet range?

Hi guys



I've been trying to work on my 3-betting range as it's for sure the weakest part of my game, but I've seen a couple of opposing thoughts and I'm not sure what the correct answer is.


When trying to construct a polarized 3-betting range, I've seen an article on Upswing which puts the strong suited connectors (76s-AKs) into your mandatory value 3-bet range. Of course I understand AKs/KQs as standard, but in Mersenneary's E-book he suggests having the stronger suited connectors in a flatting range, as the EV of a hand like 89s is generally better as a call in a heads up pot.


Given that, I've seen a ton of pro's 3-betting these mid suited-connectors in the GPL heads up matches. Would love to hear any thoughts as I'm somewhat on the fence about it.

It depends on how deep you are (and of course how often your opponent calls a 3-bet and or 4-bet fold) plus a lot of other things.

We more they call your 3-bet you should shift more to a linear value betting range (higher suited cards). The more they fold the more polarized you can be.

I you see professionals do something "odd" with low cards against another professional it can sometimes be because they have to throw in some hands with lower cards so they can have them when the board comes low and not be totally predictable.

But in general the lower suited connectors are mostly used in games with deeper stacks or against people that fold to often PF or later. No need to 3-bet to light against people that call a lot.

When you construct your ranges it should not be a fixed thing it should always change dependent on your opponents tendencies.

If you read Mersenneary's E-book again he states:

"The expectation from 3-betting light comes down to four main factors, in order of importance:
1. Your opponent’s opening range.
2. How loose and aggressive your opponent is, both preflop and postflop.
3. The properties of the specific hand you’ve been dealt.
4. Your perceived 3-betting range and your opponent’s willingness to adapt."

and later two thing on the flop:

5. Your opponent’s continuation betting range.
6. The flop texture"

That is a LOT to think about. And he adds even more things after that.

So think about how the opponent react more than that you must 3-bet a certain hand every time.

I guess it's better to call him than 3-bet since you turn your hand a lantern and you could do that with any pair of cards.