3betting with Blockers in Texas Holdem Cash Games

This article should not be confused for the blocking bet which is a different concept in Texas Holdem. Like any game, there are various terms and jargon which you must familiarize yourself with when learning the game. Often, it’s very important to have a good understanding of the relevant jargon, because it discusses advanced poker strategy which will improve your game. If you don’t know what the words like “Blockers” mean, chances are you are not one step ahead of your competition and don’t have an edge at the tables!

In 6 max poker, and even full ring games for that matter, 3betting with hands which have blockers is something you will want to incorporate into your game, as a way to incorporate more successful bluffing strategies which can be hugely profitable versus the right type of opponents.

First of all, let’s discuss what I mean by hands with blockers. Here is two versions of hands with blockers in Texas Holdem; A4s and K2s. Basically, they are hands with an ace or king. These hands are referred to as blockers because due to card removal theory, there are fewer hand combinations your opponents can have for them to have a premium hand like AA/KK/AK for them to continue with when facing aggression.

So, hands with blockers can be good to 3bet light with, as in all likelihood your opponents don’t have a premium hand. Let me be clear that you are not 3betting these hands for value because you have the A or K. If you have a bad kicker you have a rubbish hand, but for the above reasons they can be good hands to 3bet as a bluff.

However, two conditions need to be met when you are considering 3betting with blockers. Firstly, you should only consider doing it when you can expect your opponent to fold the majority of their range. If they are calling a 3bet with a wide range, so for example when you 3bet light with A4s, you would expect your opponent to fold better aces like AJ< and only continue with AK/AQ, so it can be protiable to be 3bet bluffing because they are folding the majority of their raising range.

Hands like suited aces are superior hands in 3bet pots, even when you are called when your opponent has a big pair, you still have decent equity to win the hand if you spike an ace.

The second thing you want to keep in mind when 3betting with blockers is your opponent’s calling range. Like I said, you really only want to do it when you can expect a fold.

Don’t get carried away with 3betting with blocker hands. If your opponents view you as a 3bet monkey then your 3bets will get no credit and they will start to make adjustments and 4bet light against you. Obviously, you can’t continue with the hand when you have ace rags.

There are lots of pre-flop strategies that can be uses based in Texas Holdem. In fact, in 6 max games which tend to be more aggressive, it is crucial that you adopt an aggressive pre-flop strategy to prevent getting run over by your opponents at the table, otherwise you will never get paid off with your big hands.

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