Poker players can use an aggressive tactic known as continuation betting to try to get an edge over their opponents. If you are new to this poker strategy, we take an in-depth look at what continuation betting is and unpack how you can take advantage of it in your poker games.

What is a continuation bet?

In gambling, continuation’s definition differs from what it is in regular English usage. A continuation bet, also known as a c-bet, is a betting strategy that sees you raise your bets on the preflop and flop streets as an aggressive play. It’s about building betting momentum and using it to your advantage. 

This strategy aims to force your opponents to back down and claim the pot, even if you don’t have anything on the flop, to build the pot when you have a strong hand, to instill some degree of doubt in the strength of their own hands by demonstrating confidence in your own and to see how your opponents react to your aggressive play.

For example, here is how such a bet would play out. It’s your turn preflop and you raise immediately based solely on your hole cards, regardless of how strong they are. This is then followed by another raise on the flop, even if the community cards didn’t strengthen your hand. 

When using these bets, you should wager around 70% of the pot in order to dissuade opponents from trying to call while also indicating you have a hand with high equity (even if you don’t). Going higher than 70% of the pot comes with the risk of exhausting your bankroll too quickly, without any additional benefits that make such large bets worthwhile. The value of 70% isn’t set in stone, but the long and the short of it is you don’t want to bet too low so that an opponent can easily call, while you don’t want to bet too high at great risk to your bankroll.

The delayed continuation bet

While continuation betting can be an effective strategy, its rise in popularity has also resulted in many players adapting due to its predictability and checking the player making this bet. This has given rise to a counter-strategy known as the delayed continuation bet. This strategy basically involves checking on the flop and then following up with a continuation bet on the turn, which keeps more experienced players on their toes.

The advantages and disadvantages of c-bets

There are benefits and risks to the c-betting strategy.

Advantages of c-betting

• You’re more likely to claim the pot after the flop, as many players will buckle under the aggression
• You will instill doubt in your opponents
• It will help you build the pot if you have a strong hand
• A delayed c-bet will ensure you don’t become too predictable and keeps your opponents guessing
• It is more effective if you are in position

Disadvantages of c-betting

• It doesn’t work against aggressive players who refuse to back down
• If you only have a marginal hand, this kind of bet can easily backfire
• It has become so popular that many players expect it, particularly if they are more experienced
• It is less effective when you are out of position

When to make a continuation bet

While this bet is undoubtedly a great tool at lower levels of play, once you start coming up against better players, you’ll need to be more careful about when you do and don’t use a c-bet. Here are some cases when c-betting could be the right move:

• If a game has less skilled players who are far more likely to default to a passive play style and you know you aren’t up against aggressive players
• If you have a strong hand with high equity (a good chance of winning), since you can’t always rely on the aggression of this bet to cause your opponents to fold when you have a low or no equity hand
• If there are three or fewer players in the game, since more players mean you are more likely to come up against equally aggressive or skilled players, or at the very least, players with hands that are equal in strength or stronger than yours
• If you are in position, since you can set the pace and other players will have to match you

How to deal with a c-bet

Another important part of continuation betting is knowing how to deal with another player who is making use of this strategy. The simple answer is to call and raise more often in order to “beat them at their own game” when you have medium or high equity hands. This method is particularly effective if you are in position.

Play exciting poker and more at Borgata Online

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