A bet on the flop by the pre-flop raiser, regardless of whether the flop improved their hand.
A continuation bet is a bet made on the flop by the player who raised pre-flop, continuing their aggression from before the flop. Since the pre-flop raiser is perceived to have a strong range, opponents often fold to a c-bet even when the flop didn't help the raiser.
C-bets are one of the most fundamental post-flop strategies. They exploit the fact that the flop misses both players most of the time, and the aggressor has the credibility advantage.
Modern poker has evolved beyond automatic c-betting. Good players vary their c-bet frequency based on board texture, opponent tendencies, and the number of players in the hand. Dry boards (e.g., K-7-2 rainbow) favor c-betting; wet boards (e.g., J-T-9 with a flush draw) require more caution.
You raise to $25 with A♠K♠ preflop at a $2/$5 Wynn table. One caller. The flop comes Q♦7♣2♥ — complete miss for your hand. You fire a $30 c-bet into a $57 pot anyway, representing the preflop strength.
C-bets succeed because the preflop raiser holds range advantage on most dry boards. Villain floated with a hand like 9♠9♣ or J♣T♣ and misses the flop 65-70% of the time. A $30 bet into $57 needs 34% folds to break even, and on dry high-card boards villain folds closer to 55%. Sizing matters: 33-50% pot c-bets on dry boards, 66-75% pot on wet coordinated boards. Stop c-betting when called by a sticky villain on a Q72 board for the third hand in a row — adjust or bleed chips.
<p>You raise to <strong>$25 with A♠K♠</strong> preflop at a $2/$5 Wynn table. One caller. The flop comes <strong>Q♦7♣2♥</strong> — complete miss for your hand. You fire a $30 c-bet into a $57 pot anyway, representing the preflop strength.</p><p>C-bets succeed because the preflop raiser holds range advantage on most dry boards. Villain floated with a hand like 9♠9♣ or J♣T♣ and misses the flop 65-70% of the time. A $30 bet into $57 needs <strong>34% folds</strong> to break even, and on dry high-card boards villain folds closer to 55%. Sizing matters: 33-50% pot c-bets on dry boards, 66-75% pot on wet coordinated boards. Stop c-betting when called by a sticky villain on a Q72 board for the third hand in a row — adjust or bleed chips.</p>
A bet on the flop by the pre-flop raiser, regardless of whether the flop improved their hand.
<p>You raise to <strong>$25 with A♠K♠</strong> preflop at a $2/$5 Wynn table. One caller. The flop comes <strong>Q♦7♣2♥</strong> — complete miss for your hand. You fire a $30 c-bet into a $57 pot anyway, representing the preflop strength.</p><p>C-bets succeed because the preflop raiser holds range advantage on most dry boards. Villain floated with a hand like 9♠9♣ or J♣T♣ and misses the flop 65-70% of the time. A $30 bet into $57 needs <strong>34% folds</strong> to break even, and on dry high-card boards villain folds closer to 55%. Sizing matters: 33-50% pot c-bets on dry boards, 66-75% pot on wet coordinated boards. Stop c-betting when called by a sticky villain on a Q72 board for the third hand in a row — adjust or bleed chips.</p>
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