4-bet pots

In this lesson

• Work out the SPR in a 4-bet pot.
• Choose between a small c-bet, an all-in and a fold.
• Choose the hands that can call a 4-bet and play well after the flop.
• Explain why equity and commitment matter more than position here.

Read first: Stack-to-pot ratio and commitment · Advice, not a lock: every lesson opens.

Concepts used: SPR and commitment, 3-bets and 4-bets

Almost no room left

A 4-bet to 22 bb at 100bb, called: the pot is 22 + 22 + 0.5 = 44.5 bb with 78 bb behind, an SPR of about 1.8. One bet of about half the pot, called, and the rest is less than the pot. The flop is the last street with real choices.

Both ranges are narrow and strong: big pairs, ace-king, a few suited aces. Overpairs and top pairs are rarely folded, and many flops are played as all-in or check.

Small bets, shoves and folds

With so little behind, a small flop bet does the work of a big one: it commits both players' strong hands and makes the turn an easy all-in. Rail has no solve of these pots to show, so take the usual reasoning as a guide, not a measurement: the 4-bettor bets small often on boards with high cards, and checks more on low connected boards, where the caller's pairs make sets and two pairs.

Calling a 4-bet out of position is costly: you play the whole hand at a low SPR without the initiative. That is why ranges that face 4-bets mostly fold or 5-bet all-in, and call only with hands that play well for stacks.

What Rail can and cannot grade here

The preflop part is graded by Rail's charts: the drill below deals hands facing 4-bets. The flop of a 4-bet pot is not in the flop library, so the postflop part is taught here in words, and Rail grades your own 4-bet pots after the flop by the heuristic.

4-bet pots are not in Rail's flop library, so their flops are read by the analysis' heuristic, without a solver grade. The chart quiz and the SPR sums are graded as usual.

Rules of thumb

• Work out the SPR: in a 4-bet pot at 100bb it is around two or less.
• Bet small on high boards: it is enough to get the stacks in.
• Decide your all-in hands on the flop.
• Call 4-bets only with hands that play well for stacks.

When they break

• Deep stacks turn a 4-bet pot back into a pot with room to play.
• Against players who 4-bet only the strongest pairs, fold more on the flop.

Example hands

Practice

The lesson is mastered when every exercise below that Rail can grade is passed. Missed items come back later as review cards.