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How to Play Pocket 3’s

Playing Pocket Three’s Pre-Flop is always a volatile situation at best. On the one hand, you may hit another 3, making your hand very valuable. On the other hand, if your holdings don’t improve after the Flop, your chance of winning is slim to none.

In order to have any real potential for success playing pocket 3s pre-flop, you should be playing at a 6-handed table or below. The fewer opponent’s, the better. With a full table of 9-10 players on the felt, someone is likely to hit a much better hand.

If you want to play Pocket Three’s Pre-Flop, you have 3 options…

Call/Bet Low to see the Flop
No matter what position you are in, only place a conservative bet, Call the Blind, or Call another player’s low Bet to see the Flop. If the lop does not improve your hand, chances are the Turn and River won’t either. Fold out and save your chips.

Semi-Bluff
Aggressive players may wish to go for the Semi-Bluff from late position, placing a moderate Raise to knock as many contenders out of the pot as possible before the Flop. The reason this is called a Semi-Bluff, rather than a straight Bluff, is because you do have marginal holdings – not just a hand full of junk.

A player should only attempt a Bluff or Semi-Bluff from late position, when no other player has placed a moderate or large bet. Limpers are preferred, and even then only one or two players should remain in the hand by the time you place your Raise. If other players are showing enough confidence to Raise from early or middle position, it’s usually not worth it to play Pocket Three’s Pre-Flop.

Play Heads-Up
If you are playing heads-up against a single opponent, marginal hands gain a lot of value. As we said before, the less opponents you have, the better off you are playing Pocket Three’s Pre-flop. Your options become much more versatile, depending on what happens after the Flop.

Even if your hand does not improve, so long as a scare card falls (Ace or King), you can bluff your way to a win. If you the second better, beware a large Raise from your opponent. He may be using the same “scare-card” tactic to Bluff you, but he may really have a hand as well. If you can read your opponent early on in the session, you should be able to determine with decent accuracy whether he has it or not.

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