3 bet calling ranges from the button (action folded to you)

This is the foil of this thread: http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...157&highlight=
which is about what ranges to play from sb when button raises and action was folded to button.

Let's flip it around now, and present this scenario:

Action is folded to you, as the button. We know we have a very wide raising range in this situation, but I would imagine our calling range is tight, but not quite as tight as a 3 bet from another position because of how often the blinds have to defend themselves . What is an optimal range for us? Obviously this is read/opponent dependant, but what are some good guidelines?

Rather than naming a range of cards, I'd like to identify some classes of cards and when they should be played and vs. who. Please modify/add/correct/whatever my list.

Thing about being in position is in a 3 bet pot HU in the blinds you are almost always seeing a C bet of 1/2-3/4 of the pot. So say at 100NL its $4 bet, then we're re-raised to $12. pot is $25 and we'll be hit with an $18 cbet, so by calling if we want to proceed to turn with a drawing hand we're almost always looking at a rough total of $26 additional bucks to get there, or a 1/4 of our stack.

Sc's below 8 high -- I think fold every time, unless the player is stacking off very lightly, in which case we can have a very deceptive hand with the right flop

Sc's 9 and 10 high - marginal as we can't make a broadway , but I play vs. those likely to 3bet all pps out of the blinds, so I could be ahead if I simply pair. also, versus a passive player we may get a free card which could bury their hand

j10+ suited I think I play these against a passive/nit for the implied odds. Against someone very aggro I probably fold as the draw can get too expensive.

easily dominated hands like QJo, KJo, KQo, I fold.
the only aces i call with are AQ/AK, though against some I might try a luckbox with AJs or A10s.

and with PP, aren't set odds all screwed up? Im not sure how to play set odds out of the blinds.


what is our 4 betting range? QQ+?

If someone is 3betting me a lot from the blinds when i open in late positions, i usually just:

1). Considerably tighten my CO/BTN opening range
2). 4bet bluff/semibluff a little


Good hands to call with IP in a 3bet pot are 10-10 - Q-Q, A-Q, and occasionally a hand like 8-7s.

With hands like K-Q/A-J, i would just fold and wait until you see what sort of hands the 3bettor is willing to felt. If you notice villain showing down some TPMK hands for stacks, then you could start to call IP with these hands too.


As the stacks get deeper, then you can start to 4bet bluff a little more, and call IP a little more with pocket pairs/suited connectors. I'd probably wait until the effective stacks are ~150BB's before i started making these adjustments though.