Playing 2 pair preflop
The left chart is how BB responds to a BTN open. The right chart is BTN vs CO open.
Both BB & BTN 3-bet 9% of range, and they generally pick similar hands.
However, one big difference is two pair. BTN generally prefers calling two pair (unless double-suited). However, BB 3-bets almost all two pair (unless rainbow).
Intuitively, BTN's strategy makes more sense to me, because two pair miss a lot of flops, so we'd rather have a high SPR and set mine. Any thoughts on why the BB plays such a different strategy?
7 Replies
One factor may be that we can call a 4b with all those hands that are 3betting, which means that by moving 3bets from our button range to our bb range, we are benefitting from position in that when we have to call a 4b it's OOP but that's totally okay because we're going to be in a bigger pot and we'll get instant feedback on the flop, whereas OTB if we 3b and get 4b we've not got as much positional advantage because there's much less stack depth to play with.
As button, you want SB and BB to come along, so you flat a lot of nut-potential hands like 2 pair. If you flop a set, there's potentially three players who could make a second best hand that you can stack.
This isn't apples to apples. Button opens significantly more hands than cutoff.
This isn't the product of my direct playing around with it but my impression from other people's solver work is that if there's a class of hands that you can pry out of a dead solvers range, it's ds, connected double pair hands.
Button has a 50% range that includes alot of open folds to 3bets
These double pair hands gain a lot of their EV folding out higher pair hands and hands with over cards that have equity if flatted
It’s a similar concept of why we 3b a hand like ATT8 in position. To fold hands like weak Ks, Js, and Qs.
As button, you want SB and BB to come along, so you flat a lot of nut-potential hands like 2 pair. If you flop a set, there's potentially three players who could make a second best hand that you can stack.
This theory makes intuitive sense.
However, if you compare BTN vs MP open & CO cold call (left graph) and BTN vs MP open (right graph), the first situation is obviously more likely to go multiway.
However, BTN 3bets Two Pair more frequently against open & cold call, which contradicts your theory that we should call more when expecting to go multiway.
This isn't the product of my direct playing around with it but my impression from other people's solver work is that if there's a class of hands that you can pry out of a dead solvers range, it's ds, connected double pair hands.
Can you clarify what you mean by this?
Button has a 50% range that includes alot of open folds to 3bets
These double pair hands gain a lot of their EV folding out higher pair hands and hands with over cards that have equity if flatted
It's a similar concept of why we 3b a hand like ATT8 in position. To fold hands like weak Ks, Js, and Qs.
This sort of makes sense to me. Two Pair rarely have dominating raw equity, so they benefit from folds. But at the same time, they are easily dominated when called. I guess it makes sense to 3-bet them more when we have fold equity vs a weak range, but it's also risky because when we're called, we're rarely in great shape.
I mean that it seems to value hands like 4455ds+ extremely highly, putting in many bets and calling off raises, both heads up and multiway and oop. There's probably exceptions but it seems to be a class of premium on its own.
