What Is a 2-Bet in Poker: What You Need to Know
6 minutes
Posted by: Ivan
If you have just started with poker, you probably heard the term 2bet and started wondering what is a 2bet in poker.
In the simplest of terms, the expression 2 bet is used to describe the second bet in a hand of poker.
Here are some of the things you should know about the 2-bet, as well as a few examples of how poker players use it.
What is a Preflop 2-Bet?
When it comes to the preflop action in poker, the 2bet is the second raise made in a hand.
More specifically, in Texas Hold’em and Omaha, the 2bet is the first bet that a player makes intending to increase the amount which other players at the table need to call if they want to continue with their hand.
Example of a Preflop 2 Bet
Let’s say that you are playing in a six-max $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em game, and you are in the CO. Before the hand starts, the Small Blind posts $5 and the Big Blind posts $10.
Posting the blinds is mandatory in No Limit Texas Hold’em, and the blinds are the first bet that is made in each round of the game.
After the blinds have been posted, and the cards have been dealt the action starts. UTG and HJ both fold their hand, and the action is on you. In this situation you have three options, you can call (put $10 in the pot), you can fold (throw away your hand), or you can raise.
You decide to raise, and you put $20 in the pot (the minimum allowed amount for a raise). In this instance, your $20 bet is considered a 2-bet.
It is the second made bet in the hand after the blinds, and it also increases the amount that players who act after you need to invest in the pot to continue with their hand.
Now, if instead of raising, you decided to just call, you would need to match the amount of money that the big blind has put in the pot ($10).
In that case, your $10 bet would be considered a limp and not a 2-bet, because although it is the second bet made in the hand it does not increase the amount of money that players who act after you need to invest in the pot to continue.
So, to conclude, an open raise before the flop is known as a 2-bet.
The 3-Bet and other Types of Preflop Bets
In addition to the 2-bet and the limp, there are also three other bets that you will encounter preflop. These are:
- The 3-bet
- The 4-bet
- The 5-bet
The 3-Bet in Poker
A 3-bet is the third made bet that increases the size of the active bet before the flop.
We will continue with the previous example, you have made a $20 raise (a 2-bet) in the CO and now the action is on the player on the Button. In this situation he has three options: he can fold, he can call (match the size of your bet), or he can raise.
The player on the button decides to make a minimal raise, so he puts $40 in the pot. In this situation, his $40 bet is considered a 3-bet since it is the third made bet in the hand after the blinds and your initial raise.
It also increases the amount of money that the players who act after the Button need to invest in the pot if they want to continue with their hand.
If the player on the button decided to instead of raising just a call, he would need to match the amount of money that you have put in the pot ($20). In that case, his $20 bet would be considered a flat call and not a 3-bet.
Although it is the third bet made in the hand it does not increase the amount of money that the players who act behind him need to invest in the pot to continue with their hand.
The 4-Bet in Poker
A 4-bet is the fourth made bet that increases the size of the active bet before the flop.
Let’s continue with our hand, so the player on the Button makes a 3-bet to $40, SB and BB fold and the action is back to you. Once again you have three options, you can call, fold or raise.
You decide to raise, and you put an additional $40 in the pot, raising your total bet to $60. This bet you made is considered a 4-bet.
It is the fourth bet made in the hand after the blinds (1), your initial raise (2), and the Button’s raise (3), and it also increases the amount of money that the players who act after you (the Button) need to invest in the pot if they want to continue with the hand.
Once again, if you decided just to call, you would need to put an additional $20 in the pot to match the Button’s 3-bet and your bet would not be considered a 4-bet.
The 5-Bet in Poker
A 5-bet is the fifth made bet that increases the size of the active bet before the flop.
You made a 4-bet to $60, the action is on the Button, and he has three options: to call, to fold, and to raise. He decides to raise and puts an additional $80 into the pot, raising his total bet to $120.
This bet that the Button made is considered a 5-bet, since it is the fifth bet made in the hand after the blinds (1), your initial raise (2), the Button’s 3-bet (3), and your 4-bet (4), and it also increases the amount of money that the players who act after him (you) need to invest in the pot if they want to continue with the hand.
If the Button just calls, his bet will not be considered a 5-bet based on the rules we mentioned previously.
What Is a Postflop 2-Bet?
The main difference between the preflop 2-bet and the post-flop 2-bet is the fact that there are no blinds after the flop.
This means, that the first bet made after the flop is called a 1-bet and the second bet made after the flop is called a 2-bet. But, keep in mind that for a bet to be considered a 2-bet after the flop, it must increase the size of the active bet, which is the 1-bet.
For example, you are on the Button in a heads-up pot against the CO after the flop and the CO bets $50, and you decide to raise his bet to $100.
Your $100 bet in this situation counts as a 2-bet since it is the second bet made after the flop and since it increases the size of the active bet from $50 to $100.
If you only decided to call in this situation, your bet would not be characterized as a 2-bet because, although it is the second bet made post-flop, it does not increase the size of the active bet.
What Is a Postflop 3-Bet?
The post-flop 3-bet is the third bet made after the flop that increases the size of the active bet.
Let’s continue with the example above, you have made a 2-bet to $100, and now the action is on the player in the CO again and he decides to raise your bet to $200.
This $200 is characterized as a 3-bet since it is the third bet made after the flop and since it increases the size of the active bet from $100 to $200.
Note that post-flop 3-bets are extremely rare in some variants of poker like No-Limit Hold’em and you won’t encounter them nearly as often as the preflop 3-bets.
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