Trying to help CinciKid...

I'm getting back into poker after a couple of years off and I'm trying to get an idea of the current thinking on 3-betting preflop. I've recently expanded my 3-bet range preflop and really seems to improved my results.

What is your personal range of hands to 3-bet against an average player in an average 10 handed online game ($.5/$1 to $3/$6 stakes) - lets say 25% VP$IP and 7.5% PFR.

In an online ring game, I'd think that our 3-bet range should be fairly small. Most players in online ring games, play pretty tight/passive, so I'd guess something like AJ+ and 88+ would be accurate. Maybe you could throw in some hands like 87s and T9s for advertisement purposes at times.

depends on their position.

if i remember right 7.5 is fairly tight.

from EP i'd stick to like JJ+ and AK
from MP maybe TT+ and AQ+
and LP 88+ and AJs+

though 25% is a tad loose, and if they always raise first in MP and LP can be expanded a little

this is me thinking good stats should be around 20/10, which may or not may not be correct, but should be close

My old range was only 9-9 to A-A... way too small. In my new range I've added A-Ks, A-Ko, A-Qs, A-Qo, A-Js, and K-Qs. A-Jo and K-Qo I deal with on a case by case basis. I have been not cold calling anything lately, so sometimes I 3-bet and sometimes I fold those two hands. I still don't know what to do with 8-8.

Two other problematic hands are Q-Js and J-10s. With a slightly loose, slightly passive player (25%/7.5%) sometimes I like to call with these hands to try and build a big multi-way pot, especially if the table is in the looser range. If the table is tight, I'll usually try to 3-bet or fold depending on the raiser.

Any thoughts on cold calling at a loose table with Q-Js and J-10s?

i rarely cold call raises with hands like that. if I know i'll get a few callers behind I'll cold call with smaller pocket pairs, but those hands are often dominated so that we need to hit more than a pair, and if we get the multiway action we want we're playing out of position.

I'll cold call raises with these if there's already been another caller or two and if I have position.

with the exception of pocket pairs sometimes, i wouldnt make a habit of cold calling raises in limit. there is much more downside to these hands than upside when there's already been a raise as opposed to NL. when we hit big we can't get paid off very big most of the time, and we end up making 2nd best pairs/kickers a lot. pocket pairs play fine oop, though.

Serious question: I thought cold calling only applied to the first person who calls a preflop raise. After that, it's overcalling and you have the odds to lower your standards a good bit (like no-limit).

thats probably more technically correct. i think of cold calling as calling when you haven't put any money in the pot yet.

you can lower your standards a bit after a caller or two, but there is much less implied odds in limit than in NL, as its harder to take someone's stack.

not saying i dont call raises with speculative hands, i do, i just like to make sure there'll be several players in the pot first