4-betting poker is a type of poker strategy that involves four bets. The first three bets are what you might expect to see, known as the flop, the turn, and the river, respectively. A 4-bet in poker does not refer to what amount of money is bet. But rather when your opponent makes their fourth raise in hand. If you are interesting, there are the article about 3-bet poker.
In the example above, if your opponent decides to make their fourth raise after you have raised preflop and made both of the first two bets known as a fourth bet, then it is considered that your opponent has a 4 bet.
Some poker players may find that fourbetting can be expensive. But it is an effective strategy as it can allow you to take down pots that would otherwise be difficult to win.
The following article will explore different types of 4 betting poker ranges, some examples to help you understand how it works in practice, and advice on when you might use the strategy yourself.
Types of 4-betting poker ranges
Players may opt for different four-betting ranges when they decide to go all-in with their entire range of possible hands. However, most poker players tend to 4-bet bluff with pocket 4’s or four suited.
Pocket 4’s
Tightly aggressive players that 4-bet often should keep their 4-bets tight and always choose 4’s if possible. These 4’s come in handy when you want to get rid of other chips on the table, and your opponent tends to be very loose and 4-bet bluff often.
Four suited
4-betting 4’s with four suited is also a popular choice among tight-aggressive players. Because four suited has many straight potentials, it is considered stronger than four unsuited which cannot make straights. This type of 4-betting poker is commonly used against players who 4-bet with 4’s suited.
Four unsuited
Players that 4-bet 4’s loosely will also choose 4’s suited quite often. 4’s are suitable for making bluffs, while four suits are more vital. When you 4-bet bluff with four unsuited, your goal is to get 4 to 4 with your opponent and take down the pot. 4 unsuited 4-betting ranges are commonly used against players who 4-bet 4’s suited.
4-betting poker examples
As 4-betting is an aggressive poker strategy, 4-bets are often used when players flop a firm hand and want to get rid of other chips on the table. Four suited 4-betting ranges usually consist of pocket pairs, and four unsuited 4-betting ranges will contain flushes and straights.
4 betting process
- You 4-bet with 4’s suited hoping that your opponent calls with QQ+, AK, or folds with AQ or KJ.
- Flop: 5h 8s 3c
- Your opponent bets; you raise them all in 4 bets; they call.
- Turn: 7d
- The river card makes no difference, so you win the pot! The pot size was $100.
- You 4 bet with 4’s unsuited, hoping that your opponent calls with JT+ or folds with TT.
- Flop: Ad 6h 2d
- Your opponent bets; you 4 bet them all in 4 bets; they call.
- Turn: 4c
- The turn card makes no difference, so you win the pot! The pot size was $100.
- You four-bet with four, hoping that your opponent will call with QQ+, AK, or fold AQs+.
- Flop: Ks 3d four h
- Your opponent bets; you 4 bet them all in(4 bets); they call. Turn: 8c
- The turn card makes no difference, so you win the pot! The pot size was $100.
Other 4-betting poker examples
4-betting can be an expensive strategy because 4 bet bluffs are commonly called when your opponent 4-bets 4 suited, and four unsuited 4-betting ranges like in the four betting examples above. You can use 4’s in a four-suited 4-betting range and quickly get it called AQ, AJ+, KQ, or KT. At the same time, you may get it called QQ+ with your four unsuited 4 betting ranges. If you choose to bluff with both 4’s and suits in your pocket, then this will likely cost more than if you stick to just one of these types of hands. Your opponent is probably going to 4-bet 4 suited 4’s and four unsuited 4’s much more often than 4’s suited four bluffs. The risk is significant, but the reward for winning can be great, so only use poker 4 betting as a way to take down pots when you have strong hands.
4 bet poker strategy
When your opponent has already opened, then it means that they are weak or passive. You should easily flop two pairs against this type of player if there are no scare cards on the flop.
Sub-optimal
If you have sub-optimal 4-betting ranges, you should consider playing tight poker instead because 4- bet pot odds will always leave room for error. If you 4 bet too loosely with 4’s and four suits, then 4-bet poker is a costly strategy.
Four suited
When you 4-bet four suited four bluffs with weak hands, it can cause your opponent’s four-bet ranges to become extremely loose. Therefore, when the flop is paired, opponents may be more inclined to start betting. And this will result in low pot odds that could end up costing you a lot of money. 4 unsuited ranges are not as aggressive. Opponents will probably call your four bets more often than they would if you were bluffing with 4’s.
Offsuit
Four offsuit 4’s have many straight potentials. So it is also helpful in taking down pots against opponents who tend to fold their pocket pairs on paired flops. 4-betting 4’s is a very aggressive strategy that leaves you vulnerable to 4-bets of your own unless you manage to amass a big stack early in the game when four suited four bluffing is not an option anymore.
Four bet poker is an aggressive strategy, but it can be profitable if done correctly. It would be best if you considered all factors before deciding whether to use 4-bet four-suited and four unsuited four bluffs for this strategy to benefit you.
4-betting poker – conclusion
Now you know how to use your knowledge on 4-betting poker. 4 suited four bluffing is not an option once it becomes commonly used by your opponents. 4-betting 4’s is a very aggressive 4-betting strategy that leaves you vulnerable to 4-bets of your own unless you manage to amass big stacks early in the game.
You should never forget that when you choose this type of 4 betting range online or in live play, then the strategy will become expensive if all players at the table are aware of what you are doing. However, using certain cards like KQ preflop 4 bet range will only be successful when the table is full of players who are not 4-bet poker savvy.
The poker 4 bet strategy can be profitable if done correctly. Still, it would help if you considered all factors before deciding whether or not to 4-bet four suited and four unsuited four bluffs for this strategy to benefit you in long-term profit at the poker tables.