One question I get asked a lot is: “How often should I make a continuation bet after I have raised preflop?” For those who don’t know, a continuation bet is simply a bet made on the flop, regardless of cards, to follow up a preflop raise. The point of this type of bet is simple…win the pot! Let’s say you raise to 3x the big blind with AQ in middle position, the button calls and everyone else folds. The flop comes K-7-3 rainbow. You throw out a continuation bet, even though you haven’t hit the flop at all. The bet should usually be around ¾ of the pot. I would say that this bet will take down the pot around 70% of the time and you should make a continuation bet around 80%-85% of the time. This may seem high, but remember, 70% of the time neither you OR your opponent will hit the flop. When no one has a good hand, the one who bets first usually wins.

In fact, you should make a continuation bet so often, that this article isn’t about making a “c-bet,” its about when NOT to make it. There are some key things to take into account when deciding whether to make a c-bet. The first is the number of players in the pot. I will stick with my normal c-bet percentage (around 70% of the time) with up to 2 callers. But once more than 2 people call my raise, I start to get a little leery that someone might be trying to slowplay something. Remember, a c-bet is also a form of bluff, and you don’t want to bluff in a hand with 4+ people in it. The chance that someone has hit their hand is just too great.

Another important c-bet consideration is the cards on the flop. When you raise and another player flat calls, this generally indicates a medium strength hand. Maybe J-T, maybe suited connectors or something like K-J. So, I also shy away from c-betting on flops with a lot of connected cards. To use the A-Q scenario from above, lets assume that this time the flop comes 9-T-8. Now, we know the player on the button has a medium hand, but not a great hand. This could easily be something like T-J, 9-T suited, JQ, etc. So, on a flop like this I would usually check my A-Q, instead of betting out. We call this looking at the “texture” of the flop.

Ok, so now that you know how and when it is appropriate to c-bet, you can not only start doing it yourself, but start taking advantage of others who are doing it. For example, the cutoff player raises and you have KQ on the button. You flat call, both blinds fold and the flop is 3-8-J. The cutoff player bets ¾ of the pot almost instantly. Now think about this for a minute. What hands would the cutoff raise with that would hit this flop? All I can think of is A-J or 88. It is very probable that the cutoff player is c-betting here with nothing. Here might be a good spot for a re-raise. Your cards almost don’t matter, you are reraising here, because you think your opponent is making a c-bet and doesn’t actually have a hand.

Hopefully this article will add a few new weapons to your poker arsenal; the continuation bet and the continuation bet defense! As with all poker advice, you have to integrate these moves into your own game. If you play the same way all the time, your opponents will take advantage of that. Occasionally play a hand the opposite of the way you would normally be playing. It will keep your opponents guessing and keep the continuation bets working! Hope this helps!