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The Continuation Bet

When Do I or Don’t I Continuation Bet?

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the strategy of continuation betting, it is typically an aggressive bet made on the flop made by the pre flop aggressor when no bets were made before him. Commonly referred to as c-betting, this bet is typically a bet of about ½ the pot. A lot of the time, it is a cheap bluff made to look strong due to the aggressive bet preflop. To paint a better picture, here is a quick example:

Lets say you are sitting in seat 4 with 8-8 and the blinds are $10/$20. Seat 3 folds and you decide to open the pot for 2.5X the BB or $50. Everyone folds to the button who decides to take advantage of his position and calls while the SB and the BB folds. The flop comes 4, 10, 2 which is pretty good for you. There is only one over card and for this example we are not worried about any other draws. So what do you do? You need to c-bet your opponent. This will accomplish 2 things. 1) He will fold to your bet since he has nothing and you win the pot. 2) He will call or raise figuring he has a stronger hand. You can then fold if needed. In this scenario there is $130 in the pot ( $50 from you and Button, $10 & $20 from blinds) What makes this bet effective is the minimal investment that it takes to accomplish what we want. We want information and/or we want the pot, preferably both. So how much do you bet? Most times ½ the pot or in this case $65 will do the trick. It is important to vary the bets so people are not so aware of when you have nothing c-betting and when you are trying to richen the pot.

Right or Wrong Time To Continuation Bet

Is there a right or wrong time to Continuation Bet? Definitely! Most times this will be determined by who you are playing with and the flop texture. For example, if you hold K-Q in early position and you raise and get one caller and the flop comes J, 9, 3 this would warrant a C-Bet. You missed the flop with your King high, however you feel as though this flop would have missed your opponent. However, if you are holding 7-8 suited and the flop comes A-K-9, it would seem a little reckless to throw money into a pot of draws and over cards if there is virtually no way to win the pot.

Your opponents range will make a big difference in your decision to C-Bet or not. Using his playing range and analyzing the flop, you should be able to make an educated decision whether the flop hit him or not. For an easy example, if your opponent only plays hands that have an Ace in it ( I said easy example) and you raised pre flop with a pair of J’s and the flop comes K, Q, 2 it would be reasonable to say you can push him off the hand with a continuation bet.

Chip stacks will affect whether or not you c-bet. Generally c-bets are about half the pot so it’s important to take a look at your stack and your opponents and see if it’s better to employ a different strategy. There is many times where you can find yourself pot committed when trying to c-bet possibly suggesting a fold or all in move.
It is possible to overuse this strategy. Like any thing else in poker, it needs to work in your favor so many times for it to be a positive play for you. Many beginners over use this play by thinking it’s OK to brick the flop and C-Bet just because they were the pre flop aggressors without any regards to opponent, chip stack, or flop texture.

It is also important to note your table image will play a huge role as well. If you are constantly raising the pre flop and always c-betting the flop, you will be labeled more or less a loose player and given less credit for your hands. It is always important to mix up your play, whether you mix up the bet sizes, how often you perform certain strategies, or your table image.

We hope that this has cleared up any questions that you may have on C-betting. Remember that these suggestions can vary depending on your own unique situation and should be used on a case by case basis. Please keep in mind that your opponent, the flop texture, and your table image is only a few of the many things you need to think of when considering any specific strategy.

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