Continuation Bet
Continuation Betting and Folding to it. The percentage of times when the preflop raiser bets again later in the hand is measured by the CB stat in Holdem Manager and CBet stat in Poker Tracker. This HUD statistic is very important for the simple reason that the particular situation occurs so often. Continuation Betting Rule #1: Know thy opponent Assuming you have a reasonable read on the villain, an opponent’s tendencies is the number one factor in deciding how to proceed. Any flop strategy carries through to the river depending on what cards come and how you expect your opponent to play on later streets. Quiz: When To Continuation Bet. By Pokercoaching / August 9, 2019 September 22, 2019. Do you know when you should continuation bet? See how you do in our latest quiz! Can you score more than 8 correct? Post navigation ←.
Continuation Bet Sizing
Cbetting Articles:The Continuation Bet : More Cbetting Tips : When To CBet (Examples) : Double Barrelling
SplitSuit's C-Betting Like A Champion concept video is all about how to cbet more effectively. Worth a watch if you're struggling with your cbet frequencies.
In my very first article on continuation betting (cbetting, cbets) I went over the basics of performing cbets in NL Hold’em. In this article I am going to explain how and why certain flop textures are good or bad for cbetting.
This will be more of an example orientated guide, which I’m sure many of you will appreciate more than just the theory.
As I write these examples I’m assuming that we are heads up, have missed the flop (i.e not made a pair, a strong draw or better) and would like to see our opponent fold their hand. We are betting as a bluff rather than for value.
Flop textures for cbetting.
Starting with the best type of flops (flop textures) for cbetting and working my way down, I will explain why each is good, okay or bad for cbet bluffing.
Ace high or King high dry flops.
- Great for cbetting.
- Cbet ~90% of the time.
These are perfect for cbetting because unless your opponent has at the very least 2nd pair they are unlikely to continue with their hand. In fact, a lot of tighter players will fold 2nd pair hands to a cbet OOP, so I pretty much cbet these flops every single time.
The only downside to these flops is that if you hold a hand like KQ on the A83 flop and get called it’s not looking good for the rest of the hand. Nonetheless, it still remains +EV to cbet this close to 90% of the time.
Two high, one low.
- Great for cbetting.
- Cbet ~80% of the time.
These flops are also good for cbetting for the same reason as the A/K high dry flops. These flops hit your perceived range hard and make it difficult for your opponent to call a cbet with less than 2nd pair. Remember that a hand only improves to 1 pair or better on the flop 1/3 of the time, so your opponent will be giving up the pot more often than they peel.
You can try and argue that if your opponent calls your preflop raise, this flop hits their range as well. This is true for the very tight players, but there are so many lower pocket pairs, suited connectors and hands that just flat out miss this flop that it’s still profitable to cbet here a large % of the time.
Just as it is with spiders, your opponents are more afraid of you than you are of them.
One high, two low.
- Good for cbetting.
- Cbet ~60% of the time.
This is pretty much the last of the “good” flops to cbet. Same reasons as before really; this flop could have easily hit your range and if you have 2 overcards like AK or KQ it’s really not the end of the world if you get called.
On these flops you tend to get peeled/floated more often, which is why I like to have some decent equity in the hand with overcards to cbet this one. If I don’t have a decent draw or overcards, I generally avoid cbetting.
Low or wet flops.
- Poor for cbetting.
- Cbet ~25% of the time.
These flops hit your opponent’s preflop calling range hard. Therefore you can expect to see a lot of calls from speculative hands and/or check raises from strong draws if you attempt to cbet bluff.
There’s no need to worry about cbet bluffing low flops or any flops that are really coordinated too frequently. You may be better off taking a free card and keeping the pot size as low as possible by checking in position and just hoping for the best when checking out of position.
If you do decide to cbet these flops, be prepared to fire a second barrel (and maybe even a third).
Broadway flops.
- Bad for cbetting.
- Cbet ~0% of the time.
If you’re thinking about cbet bluffing this flop the chances are that you are holding a lower pocket pair or undercards, where both of which have a very bleak outlook if you get called and therefore have very little equity in the hand.
I don’t believe that you are getting enough folds in this situation to cbet here to make it profitable, so I would definitely advise against it on these sorts of flops. I cbet bluff these flops close to 0% of the time.
When to cbet evaluation.
This isn’t the ultimate guide to cbet bluffing any and every flop imaginable in Texas Hold’em. Sorry. The cbetting percentages I’ve thrown out are really rough estimates as well.
However, these examples should give you an insight to the type of flops I like cbetting and the type of flops I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole after missing the flop. Almost every cbet situation is unique depending on the player(s) you are up against and the cards on the flop. Treat this as a rough foundation.
Go back to the awesome Texas Hold'em Strategy.
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The continuation bet is one of the most powerful moves in online poker, and is a bet that has recently increased in popularity. It is a very aggressive play, and fits in perfect with the super-aggressive online poker players of today. This article will explain what a continuation bet is, when it should be used, and the advantages of making the play.
What is a Continuation Bet?
A continuation bet is a bet made on the flop by a player who showed aggression preflop. Continuation bets are usually sized between 1/2 the size of the pot and the size of the whole pot. The easiest way to explain is an example:
Imagine that you're sitting at a $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em table. You have AK suited under the gun, and raise the pot to $8. One player in late position calls your raise, and everyone else folds. The flop comes down A-4-5, and you make a bet of $12 (notice that the pot size here would be $19). This is a continuation bet; you showed aggression preflop, and followed up with a flop bet that was between 1/2 the size of the pot and the full size of the pot.
When to Make a Continuation Bet?
There are basically three situations that call for a C (continuation)-bet. The first is when you hit the flop and want to protect your hand, the second is when you pick up a draws on the flop, and the third is when you totally miss the flop. We'll go over both methods now:
Continuation Bet Frequency
Hitting the Flop Hard
The first and easiest spot to make a continuation bet is when you make a preflop raise with a premium hand, and hit the flop hard. In this situation you've already represented strength preflop, so you should bet out to both defend your hand and show continued aggression. Let's take a look at an example so you can understand better:
Imagine that you are once again playing $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em, and have KQ suited in late position. It folds to you, and you raise to $7. The big blind calls your raise, and the flop comes down K-5-4. The player in the big blind then checks to you.
The above situation is the perfect spot for a continuation bet of $8-$15 (the total pot size is $15). You have every reason to believe you're ahead in the hand, and you should bet out to protect your strong pair. Also, your hand is slightly susceptible to hands like 67 suited or 89 suited, both of which have straight draws. Another possibility is that your opponent has a middle pocket pair, and by betting you will force him/her pay to see the turn.
Betting a Draw
Continuation Bet In Poker
A second situation that calls for a continuation bet is if you make a preflop raise, are called, and kind of hit the flop. Let's take a look at playing a draw so you can understand it better:
You're at the same $1/$2 NL Hold'em table, and have KQ suited again. You raise, one player calls, and the flop comes out 10-J-4. Although you didn't make a pair, you still got a piece of the flop, and should continue showing aggression. Make a continuation bet here, because the best case situation is that he/she folds, and the worst case is that he/she continues with the hand and you have outs to win.
Totally Missing the Flop
Another spot when you should consider making a continuation bet is when you miss the flop completely after showing aggression preflop. Although you don't have a solid hand at this point, you still most likely have outs on your opponent, and you might be able to take down the pot right away. Here's a good example:
You're playing $1/$2 NLH, and have AK suited in the cutoff. It folds to you, you raise to $8, and the big blind calls. The flop comes down 4-8-10 with one card of your suit. Although you really don't have much of a hand here, I'd bet out if the big blind checks to you. By checking they show that they don't have much either, so you should fire out $12 here to see if you can take the pot. Worst case scenario, he/she calls and you most likely have six outs (any ace or king) to win plus the backdoor flush draw.