At a glance
- On the HUD
- CC3B
- Formula
calls / times their first decision faced an open and a 3-bet with no chips in- Typical range
0–8%
- Where it shows
- Badge: players still to act in a 3-bet pot.
- Trust it after
- 12 chances. Below that the number is faded; reads need 12 chances and a number at least one standard error outside the typical range.
What it measures
A cold call means calling a raise with no chips in voluntarily. Cold calling a 3-bet is the expensive version: the hijack opens to 2.5 bb, the cutoff 3-bets to 9 bb, and the button calls the full 9 bb without having put anything in. CC3B is how often a player takes that option when it comes to them.
It differs from three neighbors. Call 3-bet is the opener calling a re-raise of their own open, with 2.5 bb already in. Cold call is calling a single open with nothing in. And someone who flatted the open before the 3-bet came is in the fold to squeeze spot, not this one.
Good players rarely cold call 3-bets. They face two raises, one of them usually strong, and the opener can still re-raise behind them. When they do flat, it tends to be a narrow set of strong hands that play well multiway or a trap with a premium. Recreational players flat far wider, with any pair, suited ace or two broadway cards, which is what a high CC3B shows.
How it’s calculated
A chance is a hand where the player’s first preflop action after the open came facing the open and a 3-bet, with no chips in voluntarily. A posted blind doesn’t count as voluntary, so the small and big blind facing an open and a 3-bet have a chance. If they call, it counts.
- A player who limped before the open has chips in voluntarily and gets no chance.
- Only the first action after the open counts. A player who already called the open is in the fold to squeeze spot instead.
- If a 4-bet comes in before they act, they face a 4-bet and get no chance here.
- Fold, call and cold 4-bet are the three answers to the same spot.
Formula: CC3B = calls ÷ times their first decision faced an open and a 3-bet with no chips in. The HUD keeps only the overall number for this stat.
Example: Ana faced an open and a 3-bet with nothing in 25 times. She called 4, folded 20 and 4-bet once, so her CC3B is 4 / 25 = 16%, twice the top of the typical range.
Why it matters
A cold call of a 3-bet is one of the most expensive preflop calls in the game. With the hijack open to 2.5 bb and the cutoff 3-bet to 9 bb, the button calls 9 bb into a 13 bb pot (2.5 + 9 + 0.5 + 1) and needs 40.9% equity on raw odds (9 ÷ 22), with the opener still able to 4-bet behind. From the big blind it’s a little cheaper: 8 bb more into 13 bb, or 38.1% (8 ÷ 21). Against a 3-bettor’s range those are hard numbers to reach without a strong hand.
CC3B changes your 3-betting when this player sits behind you. A 3-bet bluff needs everyone to fold, and a player who flats often turns your bluff into a multiway pot. It also changes the pot you play: if the hijack calls too, the pot is 28.5 bb (9 × 3 + 1.5) with 91 bb behind at 100 bb deep, a stack-to-pot ratio around 3.2, where top pair is often all in and bluffs rarely get through three players.
Too low, about right, too high
The HUD’s range for CC3B starts at 0%, so it never turns blue: a zero is normal. The low card below covers players at or near zero, who are inside the range.
Low: at or near 0%
What it says
At or near 0% the player plays these spots as 4-bet or fold. That’s how most solid players handle them, and it’s also what a tight player who simply folds everything looks like. Check their cold 4-bet: a TAG or LAG will have some, a Nit or Rock almost none. Small samples flatter this number: a player who cold calls 3-bets 3% of the time shows 0 of 30 about 40% of the time (0.97 to the 30th power).
How to exploit it
- When they sit behind your 3-bet, you only have to beat the opener and their 4-bet range. Their continues are re-raises, so respect them.
- If they ever flat, take note: from a player who almost never cold calls, a flat is often a big pair setting a trap.
- Don’t read anything into a missing call. A 0% from a tight player is normal; the information is in their fold and 4-bet rates.
About right: up to 8%
What it says
Inside the range the player flats now and then, usually with strong hands that play well in a big pot: QQ, JJ, AK, AQs, sometimes a big pair as a trap. Expect it more from the button, with position on everyone, and from the big blind, where the price is slightly better.
How to exploit it
- Respect the call. A normal cold caller’s range is strong, and it can hide AA or KK.
- In the multiway 3-bet pot, c-bet less with air and more with real hands; bluffs have to get through two players.
- If you’re the opener and both the 3-bettor and a cold caller are in, fold more of your marginal hands: you’re likely behind two strong ranges.
Too high: over 8%
What it says
Over 8% the player calls 3-bets cold with hands that can’t stand the price: small pairs, suited aces, KQo, suited connectors. It’s typical of Whales, Fish and Stations, and it usually comes with a high VPIP and cold call rate. They’re paying 9 bb to see flops that a good player would only see with a strong hand.
How to exploit it
- When they’re behind you, 3-bet for value bigger and wider: AQ, AJs, KQs and TT play well against both the opener and their flatting range.
- 3-bet bluff less with them behind. Your bluff needs them to fold too, and they don’t.
- In the multiway 3-bet pot, value-bet strong hands for three streets and give up weak bluffs early.
- As the opener, when the 3-bet comes back with their call in, the price improves but you’re out of position in a multiway pot. Call with pairs and suited hands that make strong hands, not dominated offsuit ones.
When it’s your own number
There’s no HUD read for CC3B, but a player watching your numbers sees it all the same. A high one tells them to 3-bet bigger for value when you sit behind and to bluff less, since you won’t fold.
If yours is over 8%, look at which hands you flat. Pairs below JJ, suited connectors and offsuit broadway hands rarely make money calling 9 bb with the opener still to act; fold most of them and 4-bet a few of your best hands instead. If it’s at 0%, that’s fine: a 4-bet-or-fold strategy is easy to play and hard to exploit.
Using it on the HUD
CC3B shows on the badges of players still to act in a 3-bet pot, next to their cold 4-bet rate, so after a 3-bet you can see who behind is likely to come along or re-raise. It isn’t on the panel: when you 3-bet, the panel lists each player behind you by their fold to 3-bet cold and cold 4-bet rates instead.
The HUD turns it gold over 8%; it can’t turn blue, since the range starts at 0%. It’s faded below 12 chances, and chances are rare, since a player needs an open and a 3-bet in front of them before they act. Small percentages stay noisy: 5% over 30 chances is about ±4 points. Read it with cold call and 3-bet to see whether a player flats or re-raises when they like their hand.
Questions
What does cold call 3-bet mean in poker?
It means calling a 3-bet with no chips in the pot yet, facing an open and a re-raise at once. If the hijack opens, the cutoff 3-bets and the button just calls, the button has cold called a 3-bet. The HUD’s CC3B is how often a player does that when the spot comes up.
What is a normal cold call 3-bet percentage?
The HUD’s typical range is 0–8%, and many solid players sit at or near zero because they 4-bet or fold. Above 8% the player flats re-raises too often, usually with small pairs, suited aces and offsuit broadway hands that can’t stand the price.
Does the big blind calling a 3-bet count as a cold call?
Yes. A posted blind isn’t a voluntary bet, so the big blind facing an open and a 3-bet has a CC3B chance, and calling counts. The blind is a small discount: calling 8 bb more into a 13 bb pot needs 38.1% equity on raw odds, against 40.9% for the button calling 9 bb.
Is cold calling 3-bets a leak?
Usually, when it’s frequent. The call is expensive, you’re facing two raises, and the opener can still re-raise behind you. A few strong hands like QQ, JJ, AK and AQs can flat, especially in position or from the big blind, but a frequent cold caller is paying that price with many hands that can’t reach the equity it needs.