C-betting the Flop -
Continuation Betting
C-betting, better known as continuation
betting, the flop is a basic concept that is
often times misapplied. It is a very simple
concept to understand, but it is difficult to
come close to any level of mastery. C-betting
effectively is so difficult that many
professionals struggle with knowing what types
of flops to c-bet and which flops to check or
check back on. It really does not have to be
this hard. If you are able to understand what
types of hands you will get calls from and what
types of hands you will get folds from you will
be able to make smart c-bets.
When is a good time and when is a bad time to
c-bet the flop?
Unlike some other post-flop concepts in
poker, knowing your hand is extremely important
when c-betting. If you know what hands you beat
you will be able to make c-bets that keep worse
hands in. In addition, if you are able to take a
look at your hand and the board you will be able
to more easily determine which hands you want to
fold out.
In a nutshell you want to fold out better
hands and keep the worse hands in play, but it
is the actual application of the c-bet that
gives players trouble. It is easy to figure out
what hands you want to fold, it is harder to
determine whether the other player has one of
those hands. The same goes for hands that you
want to stay in the pot.
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So when is a good time to c-bet the flop?
You open raise to $4 at .50/1 from MP with
AQ. You get one caller. The pot is now $9.50.
The flop is K J 7. Now is this a good time to
c-bet? Absolutely.
The other player can have one of many pocket
pairs that would fold on this flop with a few
over cards that he can give you credit for. In
addition he can have a hand like AJ or KQ. If
you get called you have outs on the turn. If you
get raised it is an easy fold.
Why c-bet instead of checking?
Using this same example, if you check you are
giving up on the pot, or trying to see a free
card. Your check allows him to bet it and take
it away with a hand like AT or 66, hands that
you would have taken care of with a flop c-bet.
Here is an example of bad flop to c-bet
Using the same example as above, if the flop
had come 3 4 T we would be much better off
checking than continuation betting. The villain
will call with pretty much any pocket pair and
he will check back with a lot of hands that we
beat. Hand like KJ and AJ will often check back
this flop.
Sometimes they will bet after we check and
win the pot, but the amount of times we get our
c-bet called on this flop far outweighs the
times we get a fold. You, again, have to assign
your player a general range. His range consists
of many more hands that will call this flop,
whether they have us beat or not, than hands
that will fold this flop. He also has the option
to float us on a flop like this as it is a board
that seldom hits us.
All of these are reasons to just go for a
check, better to cut our losses than try to win
a pot that will be lost a large majority of the
time, be it on the flop turn or the river.
