SPOT PRINCIPLE
Only KK+ builds the pot. Everything else – including AKs – would rather see a flop than face a 4-bet decision for a fortune.
3-betting is nearly reserved for the top of the deck. Position and nut potential dictate everything else; offsuit broadways are mostly gone.
The tightest confrontation at the table: an early open, and you right behind it with six players still to act.
Assumes a ~4bb open; 3-bet to ~3x the open in position, ~4x from the blinds – larger as stacks deepen.
Baseline assumptions: 9-handed · no ante · no straddle · 4bb opens · low-rake live structure · cold-calling allowed. Charts reduce low-frequency mixes to a single default action; adjust live for opponents and rake. Baseline v1 · updated 2026-08.