ITH Poker Forum

[henderson]

I have a problem with them. I don't like them. I usually just end up losing the money. If I miss the flop, I don't like to bet, except for the occasional situational bluff and semi-bluff.

If you raised pre-flop and hit big, you are often going to check till the turn anyway. So your opponent isn't necessarily going to "know" whether you missed or hit.

But some people seem to think a continuation bet is usually in order.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[MXRider]

Board texture is more important to me with regards to making a cbet. If I'm in early position and raise with AQ and flop comes 986 with 2 spades, I'll generally ck/fold but if I raise with KQ and flop comes AT2r I'll be cbetting all day long

[Foux Du Fafa]

What limits are you playing? If you're playing at the lowest micro's, where you're always getting more than one caller, and they never fold, then I agree, you should probably be continuation bet bluffing a lot less. But maintaining the lead, and controlling the pot, is extremely important, and you can't not do it.

If you feel you're losing money on c-bets then it's probably because, a) you're getting too many callers, or b) you're betting too much. It helps to know where you stand mathematically. Say, for example, you raise pf and get 2 callers. Hypothetically, let's say you're all holding unique cards (no pairs and nobody is dominated). Each person is likely to hit the flop 33% of the time. Therefore, if you missed, then most of the time they are going to hit. I'll tend to c-bet only about a third of the pot for this reason (usually 1BB more than pf open). But obviously, the betting doesn't end there. Usually, they'll call and then check to you on the turn (if you're in position), in which case you can check behind and get to the river for free (which you will want to do against mindless, passive, calling stations in the micro limits). So now the likelihood that you hit one of those 5 cards goes up to 50%. And if you hit one of those overcards on the turn or river, then that's where the bets are bigger and you're going to be making more money.

So, as long as you're continuation betting 50% of the pot or less, in position, versus 2 or less players, then it's pretty hard to lose money in the long run. 3 callers will more come down to feel of the players and situation, but anymore than that and you shouldn't really be considering c-bet bluffing very often.

[blah730235]

Depends on stack sizes, # of opponents, position, board texture, yada yada yada. Don't just cbet to cbet, cbet for a reason.

As a huge generalized statement remember that you and your opponent will only connect with a pair on the flop 1/3 of the time. In these instances when both players miss their hands in a Heads-up pot it's like a game of chicken, whomever stabs at the pot takes it down.

Of course that means your opponent has to fold something like j10 on a 25Q board, but cbetting 'bluffing' with something like A10 and getting called ins't so bad in that spot either.

[PauliF]

I pretty much always C bet
it is my favourite move after the all in and the turn four bet bluff

[redman7027]

C-bet are very importaint in my opinion. What every one else said is true about board texture and if you are playing large or small stacks. I think the thing you have to realize is most flops miss most hands and you always give up when the flop missedsyou because it likely missed your villian also. Betting here is about picking up unclaimed pots.

[Taardvark]

C bets are absolutely crucial to NL tournament success. As mentioned, there are a lot of important factors to consider, top of the them IMO board texture. The next is stack sizes and then player tendencies.

Also, floating has become a lot more common because players are expecting a c bet and figure weaker players will give up after 1 barrel. This means that sometimes you are going to have to barrel again on the turn. This is where position and reads come into play.

Also, you can't just c bet when you miss and check when you hit a monster because you are giving away a ton of information and you're c bets absolutely will fail. You have to c bet big hands with the same frequency as when you miss.

[Zenjo]

If you raised pre-flop and hit big, you are often going to check till the turn anyway. So your opponent isn't necessarily going to "know" whether you missed or hit.

Slowplaying a big flop is often not the best way to go. You want to be building the pot when you flop a big hand, and by waiting until the turn you may well be missing a bet.


Some players will just c bet every flop for the same amount regardless of board texture or number of opponants. This is an exploitable tendency to look out for.

If I'm against 3 callers I'll never bet the flop as a bluff. It just doesn't work enough. Because 4+ player raised pots are generally played early on in a tournament, you'll often be against the opponants who hate to fold anything.