If you have played any serious poker in your lifetime, then you have seen the following situation occur at the tables. A player either limps in or raises the pot in early position with a small pocket pair and gets re-popped by another player. As others muck, suddenly a third person joins the battle with a re-raise of their own. The first person calls (or moves all-in), the second person makes their decision, and the third person turns up pocket kings or aces. After the carnage is done, the inexperienced player who was just crushed usually says, “How was I supposed to know he had a big hand?” He should have known what the situation was easily because you always must watch out for the 3bet. Whether you are playing Limit or No Limit Texas Hold’em, the player willing to take the chance with a 3bet usually has an extremely strong hand because of a philosophy known as the Gap Concept. This theory, originally espoused by noted poker author David Sklansky, opines that a player has to have a stronger hand to make a call or re-raise after there has been action in front of them. In other words, if there ...