My thinking about 3 betting againt known opps

[rudefella]

Background: I've been mostly a tournament player for years and dabble sometimes in cash games. Recently, I've been playing some 25NL and some 50NL. Without rakeback and bonuses, I have been a losing player (-0.18 BB / 100 hands) over 35,000 hands. But I only dabble in cash games when there's a juicy bonus to be had.

Present Situation: There are three places where I see the need for most improvement:

Getting more value out of sets, and only playing pairs for set value in profitable situations. I tend to overbet (pot size) for fear of getting outdrawn by straights and flushes, and thus chase away good money.

Getting away from overpairs in proper situations, and realizing when my QQ overpair is beat by a better overpair.

3 Betting: I have almost always three bet my strong hands (even against opponents who will almost always fold), and not 3 bet bluff enough from the button and the blinds.

Current Focus: Over the past week, I have been trying to do a better job of adjusting my 3 betting depending on reads, and have been really focused on the players who I have a decent history with. I think I know the general premise, but have no clue exactly where I need to be with each opponent. I am hoping to get some feedback on my thinking and appropriate ranges.

Here are two players as example, and assume I'm in the BB.

Known Opponent #1: 11/8 over 558 hands, attempts to steal 57% of the time, but folds 93% to 3 Bets.

My sense of what I am trying to do here is call for value and 3bet bluff. I am calling with hands like {TT+, AJs+, AQo+, KQs} for value. I am trying to 3 lots of hands and only folding hands that have little chance of connecting, 72, 83, etc) on off chance he does call. That is until he wakes up and realizes I am 3 betting so light,

Can someone help me pin down my ranges more exactly? I am calling for value too little of the time? Should I be three betting any 2?

Known Opponent #2: 18/17 over 715 hands, attempts to steal 61% of the time, but only folds to 3 bets 36% of the time. Also, only folds to c-bet 33% of the time, but bets flop 73% of the time.

I think I should really only be 3 betting for value here -- I am thinking something like {66+, A9s+, ATo+}, but folding the rest. I am thinking every once and a while I need to throw in some suited connectors (78s+) and lower pairs for balance.

[spoonitnow]

Their fold to 3-bet percentage doesn't make much of a shit for this because of how it's calculated. Might want to find something more specific to the situation to look at, like fold steal to reraise.

[couriermike]

You don't mind getting called by a draw as long as you bet enough to make their call wrong. This assumes that you can get away from your hand when you reasonably believe villain hit his draw. You just have to hang with the hand and trust your judgment.

I don't play as high as you, and I play 6max, and I'm not a big 3-bettor, but I'll still chime in with my opinion on 3-betting from the blinds vs a wide button open. I think this is pretty standard.

Like spoon said, you need to look at their fold steal to reraise stat, 80%+ is high, 60% or less is low. Your 3-betting range should be polarized vs the folders and linear vs the non-folders.

So, against a high fold to 3-bet, you'd 3-bet all the usual value hands, plus some suited aces and suited connectors as bluffs, really semi-bluffs. Don't overdo it though.

Against a low fold to 3-bet, you 3-bet all the value hands still, but you muck all the bluffs, and instead you add in some second tier hands that will still dominate villain's 3-bet calling range, hands like AQ and KQ.

Of course some people 3-bet alot wider than this, but unless you're really good postflop, you don't have to.

People have different opinions about what to flat from the blinds too. I usually flat pairs, AJ, ATs, KQ, sometimes other suited broadway. The important thing about cash tho is that you're usually deep, which makes position, and the ability to manage the pot, very very important. So playing real tight from the blinds is never a big mistake.