What is a 2-Bet in Poker?
What is a 2-Bet in Poker?
The term “2-bet” might seem familiar if you regularly play poker. Compared to related terms like 3-bet and 4-bet, however, 2-bet isn’t used all that often in practice.
If you’re new to poker, understanding what 2-bet, 3-bet, 4-bet, and 5-bet means is critical to absorbing poker knowledge. Let’s take a look at what a 2-bet is in poker:
2-Bet Definition
Preflop 2-Bets
A 2-bet (aka a two-bet) is the second raise or bet in a round of poker. In the preflop betting round of community card games like No-Limit Texas Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha, a 2-bet is the first bet that increases the amount required to make a call.
For example, let’s say you’re playing in a live $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’em cash game, and are sitting in the button position. In this game, the blinds (mandatory bets that rotate from player to player after each hand) are $2 for the small blind, and $5 for the big blind.
After the cards are dealt, the first player to act has the option of calling the big blind (matching the $5 amount), raising (increasing the amount of the active bet), or folding (surrendering their cards). In the preflop betting round, the big blind functions as the first bet (or a 1-Bet).
The first raise that occurs in the preflop round is known as a 2-bet.
In our $2/$5 game example, suppose six players are in the game. The first two players to act fold, and the action moves to the player in the cutoff position.
That player calls the $5. Calling the big blind amount preflop is also known as “limping.”
The action is now on you, sitting in the button position. You choose to raise to $25.
That $25 raise constitutes a 2bet. If nobody has called the big blind before your turn to act, and you raise, that’s known as an “open raise,” as your opening the betting action with a raise.
An open raise, or any raise that increases the active bet from the amount of the blind, is known as a 2-bet.
3-Bets, 4-Bets, and 5-Bets Preflop
Let’s continue with the above example, where the cutoff limps, you put in a raise (a 2-bet) for $25 total, and the player in the small blind is next to act. That player raises to $100 total.
That $100 wager constitutes a 3-bet. The $5 big blind is the 1-bet, your raise to $25 is the 2-bet, and the small blind’s raise to $100 is the 3-bet (aka three-bet).
Note that if nobody raises the big blind amount preflop, there isn’t a 2-bet in that round.
Continuing from the small blind’s 3-bet to $100, let’s say the big blind folds, the cutoff folds, and the action is back on you. You decide to raise to $250, which in this case constitutes a 4-bet (a raise against a 3-bet).
If the small blind then raises again, that player is making a 5-bet (a raise against a 4-bet).
The terms “3-bet” and “4-bet” will come up often if you study poker. It’s important to understand that 2-bet, 3-bet, 4-bet, and 5-bet are all sequential terms from the same concept.
Postflop 2-Bets
The definition of a 2-bet stays the same in all round after the flop, but keep in mind there’s no big blind that counts as the first bet (or the “1-bet”).
In any postflop round, the first bet any player makes is a 1-bet. If a player raises that wager, that counts as a 2-bet.
If another player then reraises, that raise counts as a 3-bet. Postflop 3-bets are fairly rare in No-Limit Hold’em.
For example, let’s go back to our example from above. We’ll pick up where the small blind 3-bet you to $100. Let’s say the action folds to you, and you call.
After the flop, the small blind is first to act. Suppose they bet $125. That $125 bet constitutes a 1-bet.
If you raise the $125 bet, you’re making a 2-bet. If the small blind reraises, that counts as a three-bet.
If you’d like to go through a more advanced search on 3-betting, check out the article below:
