Continuation Betting?

[DevilFish73]

What is your theory on Continuation Betting w/hands like AK, AQ and middle/small pairs that miss setting on an over board and/or the famous total bluff?

1 Part

Possible Hand Scenario(s):

From early position w/ two callers*?

From middle position w/ one button caller*?

From late position with three callers and one short stack*?

* All plays were made with an average stack.


2 Part

Frequency of the Continuation Bet

1. Always?

2. Often?

3. Seldom?


Part 3

Game Type

Does the type of game change the frequency that you make continuation bets, ie Cash, Deep MTT, or SNG ?


Part 4

What Do You Think when playing against this type of player

How do you view someone that always or very often follows up his preflop raise with a bet or reraise on the flop?

1. You Fear this player and avoid playing pots with them?

2. Plan to trap this player?

3. Don't have an opinion and just play normal?

[ThePenguin22]

1. I sometimes make continuation bet with 2 callers, about 80% against 1.

2. I often make the continuation

3. Yes, the situation you are in and your notes on the player who has called your raise should tell you if the continuation will work or not.

4. I will check raise this player A LOT, and although I wont fear them I will not call their raises with hands such as 79 suited(my favourite hand), much better to make the call with a strong hand, any pair I wouldnt give the call a second thought.

I have to point out I only play cash games and 6 seat tables.

[Chipless Wonder]

Great thread Ben! I hope we get some good input from our member base on this one. Here are some of my thoughts...

First off, I would say that I continuation bet 'often' when I'm playing my best. It's certainly not the 100% I've been accused of, but it's up there in the ~ 80% range for sure.

I will c-bet my good hands and my bad hands with approximately the same frequency, so my opponents won't be able to tell if I hit or liked the flop based on whether or not I bet out.

If I have hit or like the flop, I will be more likely to lead out with more opponents in the hand. That usually gives me the best chance of creating the biggest pot possible, and I think it's a stronger play than a check-raise.

If I have missed or don't like the flop, I will be more likely to check - especially with more opponents and/or poor position.

To me, my own table image is a big part of this equation as well. If I have a solid image, I'll definitely be c-betting much more often, regardless of my hand. My opponent's table image is a factor. If I know he's likely to c-bet, I'll be more inclined to play a speculative hand against him - in position of course.

Stack sizes are important of course. For me, the deeper the effective stacks (smallest stack involved in the hand), the more likely I would be to c-bet.

Board texture is a major component of this as well. Dave and Pat have been trying to teach me this aspect of post-flop play, but I still struggle the most in this regard. Maybe if we're lucky, they'll both chime in with some comments in this thread.

[PokerBroker]

My strategy here is going to dramatically reflect the cash game nature of my play...

I will generally continuation bet about 90 - 100% in a cash game in RAISED POTS. I prefer to establish myself as a table captain very early in the game.

Continuation betting with air on limped pots or pots with 4 or 5 callers is absolutely -EV, someone is going to have a piece of the board and is often going to challenge you if you have a history of continuation betting.

A couple of things that help my take down ratio:

1) My opponents quickly learn that I am capable of not just playing, but raising also, with any two cards. It is not easy for them to just automatically assume that I have missed a flop even if the flop texture is not very good.

2) I will often call should my continuation bet get raised, this often slows down the action and allows me to control further betting. It also keeps any potential theifs more honest and makes it more difficult for them to steal from me. I am more than willing to fire a second or third bullet with air to protect my table image.

3) I rarely get into a situation where I show down a losing hand. A high percentage of winning "shown hands" really establishes a card rack table image. People don't generally want to challenge your continuation bets if they feel like you have been hitting every flop you play.

4) I demonstrate early in the game that I am willing to fold VERY BIG hands to my opponents' bets in very small pots if I feel the odds of turning it into a big pot are slim (flopped sets, straights, etc). It is +++++EV to show and fold a winning hand and sacrifice a small pot to establish an extremely tight image and that you are capable of laying down big hands. People will be less likely to involve themselves in your continuation betting if you have a "false" tight table image.


People believe what they see, your job at the poker table is to make them see what you want them to see.

[cusecrusher]

I promised Scott I would respond to all of his requests for multiple posts, and the way I've been playing lately everyone should do the opposite I suggest and there will be big $$$$$ in your near future.

1. With an average stack I'll usually pf raise to 2.2 or 2.5x to allow for a more believable c-bet. I usually will c-bet, but in early position I'll usually c-bet to represent a big pp. Against multiple people I will usually slow down, especially on bad textured boards....8-9-x flops or 10-j-A or all spade boards, etc. I'm a big proponent of not betting those boards unless I hammer them because even if you get called you have no idea where you stand with so many straight/flush draws.

2. I tend to be on the heavy side of c-betting, I adhere to the "protecting your children" theory.

3. I don't play a lot of online poker...yet so I can't really drop knowledge on that. Like Ryan, in cash games I c-bet almost all the time in cash games because of the money in the pot. In home games I usually don't c-bet at all

4. Against this type of player I usually try and avoid playing pots with them out of position because you will rarely get a free card, and more often then not you'll miss the flop and have no idea where you stand. In position I usually opt to call instead of the check raise to a)preserve chips and b) sometimes against someone aware of there image a call sometimes looks more like a trap, hence forcing them to put on the breaks. If I feel strong on my read I have been known to call these types of players down with very little, if you're correct once they usually slow down against you...hence being worth a ton in the long run.