Continuation Betting

A continuation bet is any bet that you place on the flop after making a preflop raise. It’s sort of a “continuation” of the aggression that you showed before the flop was dealt. Whether or not you hit anything after the flop is of no importance; a continuation bet is any bet you place on the flop after raising preflop.

Continuation bets can be placed for any number of reasons. Sometimes you’ll place continuation bets as bluffs and other times as value bets. It all depends on what type of hand you have on the flop, how many opponents are in the hand and how your opponents play.

Continuation Bets as Bluffs

Continuation bets work wonderfully for bluffing. Because you raised before the flop, you have already told your opponents that you have a strong starting hand. When you place your c-bet on the flop, it tells a consistent story and puts great pressure on your opponents to fold.

In addition to winning the pot, continuation bets also help you get paid when you have real hands. You don’t want to get in the habit of only betting when you have strong hands because then your opponents would just fold every time you bet. By placing regular continuation bets regardless of your holdings, your opponents will never know whether you have a real hand or a bluff.

As useful as c-bet bluffs are, you still have to be careful with your placement. Continuation bets work the best when there is only one opponent in the pot against you. It’s easier to get the opposition to fold when there’s only one person to worry about. Even if that player suspects you of bluffing, you can exert considerable pressure on him.

Against multiple opponents, c-bet bluffs are much more difficult. There are more chances that at least one of those opponents will call you because they either have a strong hand or think you’re bluffing. Your best bet in multi-way pots is to only bet when you have strong hands. It’s a very straightforward strategy but it works unless you play against the same opponents all the time. In that case, you should place the occasionally bluff in multi-way pots.

Also, take a look at the board texture, your recent history and the playing style of your opponent before you place a bet. Your c-bets are much more likely to be met with folds if you have a tight image, are up against a tight opponent and the board looks like it could have hit you (it contains a high card or two). You will have less luck with the board is full of low cards or you are up against a calling station.

Continuation Bets as Value Bets

This part is fairly straightforward. If you catch a strong hand, you should place a continuation bet for value on the flop. The purpose here is to get money in the middle while you have a strong hand. Unless you have a hand that warrants slowplaying, this should be your default play when you catch a real hand.

C-bets for value also have the added benefit of charging your opponents to draw. Not only does that protect your hand but it also extracts value from opponents who like to chase draws. You’ll make a lot more money off the fish if you place those bets while they think they still have a chance to hit their draws.