Explanation of Continuation Bet
The player who has taken the last aggressive action is commonly known as the PFR (preflop raiser) or PFA (preflop aggressor). Irrespective of their position at the table, if this player continues their aggressive approach by betting on the flop, the action is labeled a \" continuation bet \" or simply a \" c-bet \". It’s important to note that if their opponent makes an early bet on a particular flop while out-of-position, often termed a “donk bet,” then the PFR loses the opportunity to make a continuation bet .
If the PFR persists in their aggressive strategy by not only c-betting the flop but also betting on the turn, this specific action is referred to as a “ turn continuation bet .” If they then place a bet on the river as well, that’s known as a “ river continuation bet .” However, it’s worth mentioning that if the PFR’s opponent raises at any point during the betting, the PFR cannot proceed with a c-bet on the following street.
The term continuation bet can also refer to a broader context, where a player maintains their aggression after being the last aggressor from the previous round. For instance, when a player check-raises on the flop as a preflop cold-caller, their subsequent bet on the turn can also be classified as a continuation bet , even if they were not the original preflop raiser.
A delayed c-bet describes a situation where the PFR places a bet on the turn after opting to refrain from c-betting on the flop. For example, if we raise from the button and the big blind calls, both players might check on the flop, but when we bet on the turn after our opponent checks again, this illustrates a delayed c-bet strategy.
Example of Continuation Bet used in a sentence -> (Hold’em) After making a 3-bet preflop, we proceeded with a continuation bet on the flop.
Incorporating Continuation Bet into Your Poker Strategy
Across all poker variants, the choice to make a continuation bet on any given street requires careful consideration. To illustrate this, we can analyze various factors that come into play when deciding whether to place a continuation bet on the flop in No Limit Hold’em.
1. Strength of Holding – It’s fairly intuitive that we are inclined to make c-bets more frequently with strong hands, while being less likely to do so with weaker holdings.
2. Vulnerability of Holding – Those made hands that are at risk of being outdrawn are classified as vulnerable. When dealing with vulnerable hands, they should typically be included in the c-betting range, even if they are not particularly strong.
Hands that are not vulnerable can often be checked since the risk of giving the opponent a free card is minimal. However, it’s crucial to balance this approach with the overall strength of the hand. In many instances, very strong hands should still be c-bet on the flop, even when their likelihood of being outdrawn is low.
From here, we understand that some weaker holdings may be prioritized in the betting range due to their vulnerability, whereas other moderately stronger hands could be leveraged as checks since they aren't at risk. vulnerable 3. Backdoor Potential – Hands that are considered air (or drawing hands) possess the capability to develop into a strong five-card hand by the river, and thus should often be played as c-bets . In contrast, air hands with little potential for improvement should usually be checked, along with a selection of weaker draws. Advanced strategy literature often mentions this concept as 'retention of equity,' where hands that hold a greater potential for improvement are emphasized in the betting range.
4. IP/OOP – Making continuation bets while in position (IP) tends to yield more favorable results compared to making them out of position (OOP), owing to the significant advantage that position confers across most poker formats. A player in position can often c-bet aggressively, while a player out of position needs to reserve some relatively strong hands to defend their checking range.
5. Villain's Tendencies – Much of the aforementioned information can be set aside when we have particular insights into our opponent's behavior. Ideally, we should know if they tend to fold too frequently or too seldom when confronted with a continuation bet . For instance, consider an opponent who has a 70% tendency to fold against continuation bets on the flop. In this case, we would opt to place a continuation bet with our weaker hands, even though our standard strategy may dictate checking those holdings.
6. Stack Depth – The appropriate strategy for c-betting is closely tied to the size of the effective stacks. Shallower stacks necessitate an equity-driven approach, where the best c-betting hands are those with the highest equity. Conversely, deeper stacks allow for a potential-driven approach, where the best hands for c-betting are those perceived to have the best equity-retention. Moreover, deeper stacks afford players more room to bluff aggressively since their opponents must consider the risk of being met with substantially larger bets on later streets, a concept known as leverage.
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See Also
Backdoor , Actions , Effective Stacks , Bluff , Leverage , Equity , Position