What is C-Betting in Poker?
When a poker player raises a pre-flop and continues to bet on the flop is called a Continuation Bet or C-betting. But it doesn’t mean that you should always make C-Bet. It can affect your game negatively. Here are the top 5 C-Betting Strategies to win a pot.
1 – Know Your Opponents
Before making a C-Bet, consider what type of opponents you are against. Weak players tend to fold a lot on the flop and rarely raise. You can try C-Betting frequently with a small amount of chips, regardless of the flop.
If the weak player folds on the flop, you will be able to win the pot without any strong hand. In case the opponent re-raises your c-bet, it means they have a stronger hand. Sometimes, their hand doesn’t improve in turn, resulting in winning the big pot.
2 – Adjust When Out of Position (OOP)
Many players fail at C-Betting because they don’t know how to adjust when they’re in position (IP) versus out of position (OOP). When you are the first one to act, it means you are OOP, making it harder to make Information and realize your equity.
To navigate through this problem, you should tighten your range and check/ more often than check/raise with your strong hand. This allows your opponents to keep bluffing. By this method you can effectively bluff-catch and protect your checking range, giving you a fighting chance against aggressive players.
3 – Your Hand Strength
Your hand Strength on the flop determines whether to make a C-Bet or not. If you have medium cards that aren’t very vulnerable, like pocket Jacks on Q-7-2, then you should check instead of C-Bet. Only an Ace or King on the street would be a threat to your pocket jacks, also there aren’t many Queen-X hands that would have called your preflop raise.
In the same situation, if you hold pocket eights, you can make a small C-Bet, as your hand is vulnerable because higher cards could appear on the turn or river. Small C-Bet can also make your opponents fold their strong hands like T9 and K9.
4 – Look at the Flop Texture Before C-Betting
Always look at the Flop Texture before making a continuation Bet. As the pre-flop raiser, you have already shown strength suggesting you likely have a good hand over your opponents. However, a low, unconnected flop (2-7-Q) is less likely to improve your hand and more likely to favor your opponents.
C-Betting on a flop with Broadway Cards (10-J-Q-K-A) makes more sense, as these boards fit well with your perceived range of strong, high cards. By understanding the flop texture, you can make more informed decisions on whether to C-Bet, Check, or Call.
5 – Number of Players Playing Hand
Before C-Betting it is recommended to consider the number of players in the pot. In a multi-way pot, you should lower your C-Bet frequency significantly, as you need a strong hand to bet against them.
Furthermore keep your C-Bet small, around one-third of the pot. This minimizes your risk of losing chips.
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