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Among all the plays in your toolkit, 3-betting has the most significant influence on your win rate. It builds a larger pot and immediately indicates you're playing a stronger range than your opponent. When you also have position postflop, you gain a strategic advantage that makes it easier to realize your equity and apply pressure.
A well-structured, theory-informed 3-betting strategy is essential for any consistently winning player. Using incorrect ranges, 3-betting too rarely, or choosing poor spots can cost you substantial expected value.
So, how do you maximize EV through your 3-bet strategy? Let's break it down.
How should you think about 3-betting in PLO?
As with most aspects of Pot Limit Omaha, 3-betting is more complex than in No-Limit Hold’em due to the sheer number of possible hand combinations. The additional card and the dynamic nature of PLO hand equities make range construction less straightforward and more dependent on hand structure and positional context.
So how do you build an effective 3-betting range, and what characteristics define a strong 3-bet candidate? There are several factors to consider, and in this article, we’ll focus on a few fundamental principles that apply when you’re in position in low-stakes PLO cash games.
Let’s begin with a high-level overview of the ranges. With PLO Genius, you get immediate access to full positional 3-bet ranges. In terms of raw frequency, they break down as follows:
Before you decide to 3-bet a hand, it’s important to evaluate several factors that influence whether the play is profitable — and that includes understanding how your opponents deviate from theoretical play.
Players tend to stray from optimal frequencies at virtually all stakes, especially in low-stakes games. As a result, your 3-betting strategy should be adjusted based on population tendencies. Since equities in PLO often run very close, your edge comes largely from how well you adapt to these deviations.
For example, many opponents will defend against 3-bets far more often than GTO recommends. Take UTG vs. MP: the UTG player should fold to a 3-bet around 42% of the time. In practice, that number is often much lower — and some players will flat-call 3-bets out of position with wide and weak holdings, which isn’t part of any balanced strategy.
Because of this, you shouldn't limit your 3-bets to only premium hands like AAxx or AKKx — a common leak among less experienced players. If an early-position opener plays too loose and defends too often, you can extract value by 3-betting hands that dominate his range but wouldn’t be considered 3-bets in a purely theoretical vacuum.
Next, let’s break down a few of the most common in-position 3-bet spots and the core logic behind the ranges in each scenario.
3-Betting Versus UTG in PLO
The MP vs UTG spot is one of the most restrictive 3-bet scenarios in PLO. You’re facing a tight opening range from early position, and four players are still left to act behind you. Because of this dynamic, your ability to apply pressure or deviate from standard ranges is limited.
Your 3-betting range here should be tight and heavily weighted toward premium holdings. Most of your 3-bets will be AAxx hands — although not all AA combos qualify. In addition, the top-tier non-AA premiums like AKKx and AQQs also make the cut due to strong playability and equity against UTG's narrow opening range.
Beyond those, only a few specific hand classes perform well as 3-bets in this spot:
- Double-suited Ace-high rundowns (e.g. AKJT)
- Selective double-paired hands (e.g. TT99ds, 6655ds, 5544ds)
- Strong single-suited Ax-connected hands (e.g. A776, AJT9, AQJ8)
As with many PLO spots, hands containing 2s or 3s should generally be avoided unless they are part of an AA combo. These small cards act as danglers and significantly reduce postflop playability. Conversely, holding an Ace is particularly valuable — it not only blocks opponents from holding AAxx but also allows you to make the nut flush, a key factor in postflop equity realization.
In summary, your MP 3-bet range versus UTG should be condensed, ace-heavy, and focused on high-connectivity, high-suit quality hands that perform well against tight early position ranges.
When you're in the Cutoff facing an open from UTG or MP, your 3-betting strategy remains largely in line with the one used in the MP vs UTG spot. The range should be similarly tight, primarily composed of AAxx hands, premium connected double-suited combinations, and selective Ax rundowns.
The CO vs UTG 3-bet range is nearly identical to MP vs UTG, while the CO vs MP range widens slightly to 6.2% of all hands. However, the strategic principles behind these ranges remain consistent — prioritize suited Aces, connected structure, and hands that maintain equity against narrow opening ranges.
3-Betting from the Button in PLO
Once you're on the Button, your 3-bet strategy becomes noticeably more aggressive — particularly against later position opens. While you should still exercise caution versus UTG and MP openers, facing a CO raise allows you to expand your range to 7.8% of hands.
What does this look like in practice?
Versus a Cutoff open, you should 3-bet:
- Nearly all non-trip AAxx hands
- Most AKKx and AQQx combinations
- Roughly half of double-suited Ace-high rundowns, especially with connected structure
The presence of an Ace continues to be a key factor. It not only boosts playability but also allows you to include less premium but still profitable hands like:
- AJT9, AKT4, AK75 — even if they’re not suited to the Ace
It’s also important to note that KKxx and QQxx without an Ace are almost never 3-bet here. These hands suffer heavily when facing 4-bets and are better off as part of your calling range, especially since they unblock AAxx — making it more likely your opponent holds Aces when they 4-bet.
3-Betting from the Big Blind vs Small Blind
The Big Blind vs Small Blind dynamic is a unique scenario in PLO. Here, you're guaranteed to play heads-up and have positional advantage postflop — which significantly increases the profitability of your 3-bets. As a result, your 3-betting frequency can go up to 13% of hands, assuming the Small Blind folds around 41% and 4-bets about 14% of the time.
In reality, though, most opponents deviate from this: they underfold to 3-bets and rarely 4-bet aggressively. This makes the spot even more profitable for wider 3-betting.
What Does GTO Suggest?
The solver-based strategy includes:
- All AAxx hands
- Roughly half of AKKx, AQQx, and Ace-double-suited rundowns
- Most double-suited double-paired hands (e.g. TT99ds, 9988ds, 7766ds) — these perform very well as 3-bets in blind vs blind setup
- Kings and Queens without an Ace typically prefer to flat — they don’t perform well when facing a 4-bet and are better used as bluff-catchers postflop
Exploitative Considerations
Because most players in the Small Blind don’t fold or 4-bet often enough, you can profitably expand your 3-bet range beyond what GTO prescribes. Many of your opponent’s flats will include marginal hands that fold too often postflop or struggle on certain textures — giving you more fold equity and control of the pot.
In short: 3-bet wider, prioritize hands with structure and equity realization, and capitalize on your positional edge.
Don’t Memorize - Build 3-Betting Intuition
All the concepts discussed above are meant to guide your thinking, not to be blindly memorized. GTO ranges are built in equilibrium — they serve as a solid baseline but require real-game adjustments based on your opponents' tendencies.
When constructing your 3-bet ranges, keep in mind:
- Include board coverage: Make sure your range contains hands that interact with low and mid boards — otherwise, you’ll often be forced to play passively on certain textures.
- Exploit underfolding opponents: If players don’t fold to 3-bets often enough, you can profitably include strong hands with non-nut suits — especially when they block nut suit holdings that your opponents might otherwise flat with.
- Hand quality vs structure: The higher your card ranks, the more structural gaps you can afford — but connectedness and suit quality still matter.
Population data shows that players at low and mid stakes tend to open too wide from early and middle positions, and underfold drastically to 3-bets. Recognizing this allows you to widen your 3-bet range exploitatively and gain additional EV.
Ultimately, developing sound 3-betting intuition comes through trial, feedback, and adjustment. That’s exactly where PLO Genius proves most valuable — helping you test, refine, and evolve your ranges with real-time data and theory-based guidance.