Vitaly Inferno's Secrets: Playing 3-Bet Pots Without Hitting the Board

Vitaly Inferno shares his insights on playing 3-bet pots without hitting the board, focusing on what he calls 'trash' hands. These hands are characterized by low equity, blockers on folds, and poor implied odds.

Inferno explains that low equity means we rarely hit, and even if we do, we might not get paid. For example, if we hit a four-street, we might not get paid because the opponent continues with hands like JT, reducing our equity. This is what Inferno calls reverse implied odds.

Inferno provides several examples to illustrate his points. In one scenario, the button raises, and Inferno 3-bets from the BB with a polarized range. On a flop of Q82, Inferno checks with 76, one of the worst hands by equity. He notes that with 76, we block folds from 77, 66, and 87, making it a poor bluffing hand.

In another example, the button opens, and Inferno 3-bets on a flop of 764. Inferno mentions that on such boards, continuation bets are rare, around 25%. Hands like KJs and AQs without a backdoor play check-fold. Inferno gives another example with a flop of A64, where QJs blocks strong bluff-catchers like AQ and AJ. He notes that QJs can be a good bluffing hand on the turn and river, especially with blockers.