What is a 4-bet in poker?
A 4-bet is a re-raise over a 3-bet — the fourth bet preflop counting the big blind. At 100bb it commits a large share of the stack, so 4-bet ranges are narrow: premium value hands plus a few blocker bluffs.
Why it matters
The 4-bet is where preflop ranges get honest. Because so much money goes in, a 4-bet range is typically QQ+ and AK for value, with A5s–A2s or AKo-style blocker hands as the bluff portion so the range isn't purely nutted and unexploitable by folding.
The practical rule: if you 4-bet, be ready to call a 5-bet shove with the value part and fold the bluffs. If you never 4-bet bluff, good opponents 3-bet you relentlessly.
The numbers
- Standard 4-bet sizing at 100bb is about 2.2–2.5× the 3-bet in position and 2.5–3× out of position — roughly 20–25bb versus a 9bb 3-bet.
- Hands that 3-bet at 100% in HoldemPro's charts (AA, KK, QQ, AK from every seat) are the same hands that continue against a 4-bet; the mixed 3-bets (A5s and friends) are the ones that fold.
Figures come from the same preflop charts and research data the rest of the site uses (charts last updated July 5, 2026); they change when that data does.
3-bet, call and fold ranges for every seat facing an open, plus a frequency matrix and sizing.
Common questions
Should you 4-bet AK?
Yes, from almost every seat at 100bb. AK blocks AA and KK, has strong equity against a 3-betting range, and plays poorly as a flat-call out of position. Calling a 3-bet with AK is the more common low-stakes mistake.
What is a 5-bet?
The raise after a 4-bet — at 100bb it is almost always an all-in shove, with QQ+ and AK for value and only rarely a bluff.
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