Explanation of Float
The poker community has widely recognized the term floating —referring to the strategy of calling with a somewhat weak hand, aiming to initiate a bluff in subsequent rounds—for over ten years. In contrast, float-betting is a newer concept that describes a situation where a player makes a bet while in position after an opponent fails to follow through with a continuation bet.
Both floating and float-bet are interconnected since a floating move must occur first for a float-bet opportunity to exist. For instance, if a player decides to float (call) the flop while in position with a mediocre hand, they will have a chance to make a float-bet on the turn, provided the opponent does not place a second bet.
While the expression float-bet is gradually being embraced by poker players, especially among newer generations, seasoned players might not yet be familiar with this terminology. Therefore, it's important to provide some clarification when discussing the concept of float-betting .
Float-bets may arise in any scenario where the pre-flop raiser does not make a continuation bet when out of position. This can happen in various situations, such as single-raised pots, three-bet pots, four-bet scenarios, and multi-way pots across the flop, turn, and river. However, limped pots do not qualify, as there is no pre-flop raiser, thus no continuation bet can be skipped.
Example of Float in a sentence -> The recommended strategy may be to float (call) our opponent’s continuation bet and then make a play on the turn if he checks.
Incorporating Float into Your Poker Strategy
Executing Floating (Calling) in No Limit Hold’em
It's easy to feel inclined to fold the flop whenever we don't hit at least a pair or a direct draw. However, this type of strategy leads to excessive folding against flop continuation bets. Just because an opponent made a c-bet doesn’t guarantee they have a strong hand—many players are happy to c-bet with weak cards. Therefore, it's crucial for a defender to selectively call with some weaker hands (especially those with potential backdoor draws) and appropriately float .
Often, a defender may get fortunate and improve their hand, but in most situations, the goal is to call in order to create good opportunities for bluffing or semi-bluffing on later betting rounds. For instance, if a player calls a flop c-bet while in position and their opponent checks the turn, it’s advisable to stab at the turn with a float-bet as a form of bluff or semi-bluff. When a player calls on both the flop and the turn planning to float-bet the river should it be checked to them, this approach is termed a double-float .
Floating is applicable both when in position and out of position. After executing a float from out of position on the flop, the player who made the float typically chooses to bet on the river if their opponent checks the turn. However, this isn't the only available bluffing approach; there are various other potential bluff lines to consider. For instance, the floater might opt for a check-raise or a donk-bet on the turn as a form of bluff or semi-bluff, if the situation calls for it.
Float-betting (Stabbing While in Position) in No Limit Hold’em
Float-betting has become a significant focus for many poker players as they've discovered that opponents tend to fold far too often to float-bets . While theoretical analyses suggest that maintaining neutral float-betting frequencies may be advisable, top-performing players often employ much higher frequencies of float-bets at every betting round. This strategy is effective since they recognize that the average opponent surrenders too frequently, allowing for exploitation through aggressive float-betting when opportunities arise.
This idea is closely linked to the concept of automatic profit. For a comprehensive explanation, refer to the glossary entry on bluffing . To illustrate its application, consider the following scenario -
Research shows that typical players fold approximately 55-60% of the time when confronted with a flop float-bet during a heads-up contest in a single-raised pot in No Limit Hold’em. If the player in position places a bet of half the pot, the success rate needed for this bluff (referred to as the auto-profit threshold) is only 33%. Essentially, the bluff needs to succeed just 33% of the time to be profitable with any hand, yet it tends to work closer to 60% of the time. This creates a highly lucrative opportunity for skilled players to exploit. Additionally, many players show an even higher tendency to fold when facing float-bets on the turn and river.
See Also
Probe , Bluff , Semi-Bluff , Continuation Bet , Flop , Turn , River , Preflop , Limp , Position , Actions