99 cold 4 bet

If you want ot have 4bet bluffs there then use hands like KQs,AQs or KJs blocking many strong hands. 99 is just meh unblocking all QQ+.
Also your sizing is too large - You would need to see 66% fold equity which is not going to happen in this spot.

the 3 bettor is a fish and the smaller 3 bets always signal weakness imo

Smaller 3bet? Its standard 3x.

This would be a fold preflop for me but 4betting once in a great while is fine, imo.

I would just make it 20BB. The thing about it is that it just doesn't block much like Emiya said and the preflop FE of it is not so good.

I do agree that it's good idea to have a blocker hand when we consider a 4bet bluff but it's not always the case. The first thing to consider should be your fold equity preflop and postflop as well (bare this in mind, it's very important)He might defend often vs 3 or 4bet but play fit or fold postflop. You said that you perceive the 3betor as weak but weak could be relative. Even hands like JT,QT,KT has 45 (50 if they are suited) equity against yours.

If V calls often you'll have some trouble postflop. You wont like a lot of flops and even if you do it will be hard to find value. Hands like 77-99 as i like to say are "spoiled" hands (if this is the correct expression). In order to make 3 streets of profit with them (without hitting a set) you need certain conditions: like dynamics and board. Otherwise is very hard if not impossible.

All in all first thing to consider before bluffing is your "overall fold equity". For example If you deduce that some of your opponents is playing scary money or become way too tight when wins a big pot then you could profitably tore him appart ouf of bluffs and widen your range significantly. In a spots like this it's not mandatory to have blocker hands

This will keep your 3bet or 4bet very high, your image will be more "monkeyish" and when you have premium hand it will be more likely to be paid off

If you cold 4bet here with 99, this means you are 4betting at least ~6%..This is a pure exploitative move vs the field. If you do that with such wide range. You should know something, some tendency..To do that..Otherwise you just click buttons. Randomly.

UTG opens wide

This is good..

the 3 bettor is a fish

Not good..

the smaller 3 bets always signal weakness

Disagree...But you should know better..

Smaller 3bet? Its standard 3x.

Yes and no. It is the standard, but the default in this player pool is to 3 bet to 9bb or 18c IP and 10 11 and 12bb OOP.

Originally posted by Dr1fter808
This would be a fold preflop for me but 4betting once in a great while is fine, imo.

I would just make it 20BB. The thing about it is that it just doesn't block much like Emiya said and the preflop FE of it is not so good.

Yeah, I will fold rather from now on, just because it worked this time don't mean it will next time. I actually made the 4b smaller and its still too big, if this was CO vs BTN would 99 still be a fold?

Originally posted by NapoleonBonaparte135
I do agree that it's good idea to have a blocker hand when we consider a 4bet bluff but it's not always the case. The first thing to consider should be your fold equity preflop and postflop as well (bare this in mind, it's very important)He might defend often vs 3 or 4bet but play fit or fold postflop. You said that you perceive the 3betor as weak but weak could be relative. Even hands like JT,QT,KT has 45 (50 if they are suited) equity against yours.

If V calls often you'll have some trouble postflop. You wont like a lot of flops and even if you do it will be hard to find value. Hands like 77-99 as i like to say are "spoiled" hands (if this is the correct expression). In order to make 3 streets of profit with them (without hitting a set) you need certain conditions: like dynamics and board. Otherwise is very hard if not impossible.

All in all first thing to consider before bluffing is your "overall fold equity". For example If you deduce that some of your opponents is playing scary money or become way too tight when wins a big pot then you could profitably tore him appart ouf of bluffs and widen your range significantly. In a spots like this it's not mandatory to have blocker hands

This will keep your 3bet or 4bet very high, your image will be more "monkeyish" and when you have premium hand it will be more likely to be paid off

FOLD EQUITY, I am always forgetting about that pre flop and only thinking about it when running a bluff on the turn or river (I am usually wrong).
The other problem with my bluff is I know utg player, but the 3 bettor is unknown and I only have the 3b size to go on and its a standard one and not the default that everyone else in the pool uses. This isn't something I do often, I tend to keep all my stupid bluffs for the turn and river. And you right, I don't know V so he could flat all those hands and I'd be in trouble on a board with 1 or 2 high cards and would now have to either continue the bluff or check fold.

If you want ot have 4bet bluffs there then use hands like KQs,AQs or KJs blocking many strong hands. 99 is just meh unblocking all QQ+.
Also your sizing is too large - You would need to see 66% fold equity which is not going to happen in this spot.

I actually made it smaller. Yeah 99 is crappy hand to do this with. Noted, thanks.

Originally posted by jiffybag

Originally posted by Dr1fter808
This would be a fold preflop for me but 4betting once in a great while is fine, imo.

I would just make it 20BB. The thing about it is that it just doesn't block much like Emiya said and the preflop FE of it is not so good.

Yeah, I will fold rather from now on, just because it worked this time don't mean it will next time. I actually made the 4b smaller and its still too big, if this was CO vs BTN would 99 still be a fold?

Yes. I might 4bet with read. If I have to give %. It's probably like 10% 4bet.

Yeah 99 is crappy hand to do this with.

Not really..The best hands for cold 4bet-fold are AQ and KQs..But with 99 you have more equity..And any pair. You range will be too wide, unbalanced (bluff heavy), that's the problem. 99 is not a "crappy hand" for 4bet bluff..Many hands are suitable for 4bet bluff, not only those with blockers.
What about TT and even JJ? 4bet-call, 4bet-fold? Are they a crappy hands for this move? Not a big difference. Actually..

If you don't have assumptions about the ranges of the 3bettor, then you should use only AK and QQ+ vs early positions and AK, JJ+ vs late..You can add AQs as default 4bet bluff vs early, AQo, KQs vs late positions..With info you can afford a lot more...Or you can use value only..You can use even 22 as cold 4bet, the difference is not so big, between TT and 22 for example..The info is very important..Much more than the hand..

Originally posted by NoNameHypo

Yeah 99 is crappy hand to do this with.

Not really..The best hands for cold 4bet-fold are AQ and KQs..But with 99 you have more equity..And any pair. You range will be too wide, unbalanced (bluff heavy), that's the problem. 99 is not a "crappy hand" for 4bet bluff..Many hands are suitable for 4bet bluff, not only those with blockers.
What about TT and even JJ? 4bet-call, 4bet-fold? Are they a crappy hands for this move? Not a big difference. Actually..

If you don't have assumptions about the ranges of the 3bettor, then you should use only AK and QQ+ vs early positions and AK, JJ+ vs late..You can add AQs as default 4bet bluff vs early, AQo, KQs vs late positions..With info you can afford a lot more...Or you can use value only..You can use even 22 as cold 4bet, the difference is not so big, between TT and 22 for example..The info is very important..Much more than the hand..

Yeah I only used V 3bet size as info, its standard but not the default to which I am used to seeing so I made an assumption, which could be wrong most of the time.

"2bet-4bet" and cold 4bet are very different moves. In theory cold 4bet is much "worse" than the "normal" 4bet...And should be narrow. In the reality cold 4bet looks extremely strong...That's why the info is so important. For the players or for the field..I like to use value only (+AQs) vs early positions and bluff heavy vs late positions. The situations are different. Simply said, if I expect wide ranges for OR, 3bet and not so many players behind me, then I do use bluff heavy ranges. I am open for exploit ofc...It is not "balanced"...But the risk is lower..Vs late..The risk vs early is too high. As default.
The smallest 3bet is a sign of weakness, but the reward is smaller...Ofc, it is a "sign", but not "always"..Can't be different, because big 3bet is sign of strenght (not always). That simple..I mean "play simple"..Use suitable hands, attack the weakness. I will not mess with those guys at this positions. With 99...We can talk about JJ here...Fold, 4bet-call, 4bet-fold...What is the best... Such a discussion will be valuable. But 4bet-fold with pair is weird move, unnatural. Imo..Should be used with good info..Most of the NL2 "regs" will call here with JJ, cold call. At this price...Which is the worst.