Lesson
Why Ace-Five Suited Became a 3-Bet, Not a Fold
3-Bet Pots · intermediate · 6 min
Tyler explains why ace-five suited and ace-four suited should often be three-bet from the small blind versus a button open rather than folded. The lesson separates three-betting for value from three-betting as a bluff, and shows how the same hand changes category against tight versus wide opening ranges.
Key takeaways
- Against a button open from the small blind, three-bet ace-five suited and ace-four suited instead of defaulting to a fold.
- Always identify the hands that make up your three-bet-for-value range, even when the opponent's opening range is very small.
- Ace-five suited can be a bluff candidate versus very tight opening ranges, but Tyler avoids using it that way when opponents are unlikely to overfold.
- Versus a wide button opening range, ace-five suited falls into the value three-betting range rather than the bluffing range.
- When a weak player is on your right and you are well ahead of their range, prioritize squeezing instead of taking passive options.