Playing Post Flop Three Bet Poker - Perceived Range

Without doubt, the hardest decisions occur in poker when the dealer starts to lay cards onto the table like a bricklayer handling his bricks. 

These decisions become even more difficult when the pot has been inflated by a pre flop three-bet and a call. With this in mind, let us learn more about how to play poker by having a look at playing on the flop in three-bet pots.

When you have three-bet an opponent, pre flop, and they call, a number of factors must be considered before making your next move. 

How often does your opponent call your three-bets? Is he or she doing this often, or is this an unusual and rare foray? Are they calling out of position or in position? What is his or her perception of our range? Are they even a thinking player? What does the board texture look like? Lastly, what is your perceived range?

Remember that your perceived range depends on the type of player you three-bet. 

If you three-bet a straight-forward thinking player, then they are going to put you on the range of AK, QQ+, and maybe some small suited-connectors. If you are playing against a better opponent, then this range widens to include some junk.

Therefore, the first thing you need to weigh up is your type of opponent. Only then can you choose to take action dependant on the types of flops that appear. 

A flop of [As] [7h] [3d] is going to hit our perceived range and is, therefore, a great flop to c-bet on. A flop of [6d] [5c] [4s] is not going to hit our perceived range and we may wish to check with an AK type of hand.