How to Recognize Bluffs in 3bet Pots

If a player 3bets preflop they are representing a premium hand and will likely make a continuation bet or even double barrel.

A lot of the time they will have two high cards like AQ/AK but if they 3bet light they could be doing it with a non premium hand to try and take down the pot preflop, which is a strategy aggressive players will employ.

In order to recognize bluffs you need to use previous information about your opponents and make sense of bet sizing. There is a reason they are sizing their bets a certain way. It's either a value bet or to make you fold.

If the 3better is making eratic bets on the flop and turn instead of what seems to be a value bet with a premium hand, then they are more then likely bluffing.

In this particular hand I was dealt TT in the small blinds. The button open raises and I decide to call the raise.

Now from previous hands I had information that the big blind who decides to 3bet this hand was capable of making light 3bets, so I decide to call the 3bet.

The flop is K6K which is a board the preflop aggressor would definitely continuation bet trying to represent AK/KQ so I decide to call the flop bet and will re-evaluate on the turn.

The turn is a 8 which doesn't change anything, I check to the 3better and they bet $9, which is more then half the pot. Now if they really had AK in this spot they would be wanting a call from a medium pair type hand, so it really doesn't look like a value bet and I make the call.

The river card is a brick and we both check and I take the down the pot with two pair and they showed a bluff, so my read was right that they were capable of 3betting with a non premium hand.