We know Ben is an MTT legend but he has also produced some cash game videos for us before. We also gain more information from our opponents preflop, since they’ll be forced to respond to our 3-bet with a 4-bet, fold or call. This strategy simplifies your preflop game, allowing you to play fewer multiway pots and get heads up in position more often. Most poker sites take the rake postflop, so a 3-bet only approach means we see fewer flops with our increased fold equity. While these downsides are definitely worth considering, the benefits of a 3-bet only approach definitely add up. For example, if UTG opens, we’d have to make a decision between 3-betting or folding a hand like pocket eights. You’ll also be forced to fold some hands that look like easy calls. You might recognize some downsides to this strategy immediately, like being forced to play fragile hands that could have flatted in a bigger pot. If we’re only 3-betting or folding when facing a raise, our strategy becomes linear, since we’re 3-betting all hands that we want to continue with. Let’s face it, memorizing a ton of ranges is tedious, and when we move past open-raising to flatting and 3-betting ranges, things get more complex.

If you have a solid preflop gameplan, you have a solid, profitable foundation to build off. This “3-bet only” rule is one of the most important concepts taught in our online cash game course, because it massively simplifies your strategy preflop, without sacrificing much EV. The only exception is our calling range in the Big Blind, since we have money already invested and need to defend it frequently. This rule is called the “3-bet only approach', a strategy where we always 3-bet or fold when facing an open raise, never cold-calling at all. If you are struggling to create a solid preflop strategy for cash games, there is one simple rule that can make your life a lot easier.

What is 3 betting in poker