There’s no denying that continuation bets are one of the most frequently used plays in poker. In fact, many people use continuation bets almost instinctively since they think it’s so important to represent a strong hand no matter what. Unfortunately, this can lead to overusing continuation bets which arises when players don’t understand the difference between a good and bad C-bet.
But avoiding these situations is really quite simple once you understand what a bad continuation bet is. And the best way to define a bad continuation bet is by asking yourself, “Did I only make that C-bet because I was the pre-flop raiser?” If you can answer yes to this question then you no doubt have made a poor continuation bet.
Poor continuation wagers cause a number of problems beginning with the money that’s wasted when you fold on a later street. And this may not seem like such a bad loss at the time since it’s only one wager in one hand. However, these wasted C-bets can accumulate quickly and end up costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in a year.
This is why it’s so important to know when it is a good time to make a continuation wager. And the best time to make a C-bet is when you want your opponent to fold. Continuation bets aren’t made because you want an opponent to stay in a hand so you have to keep this in mind from the beginning.
If you’ve raised pre-flop then your opponent will likely think that you’re holding big cards. So if the flop misses you, you’ll want to look for opportunities where an opponent can be fooled. One of the best opportunities arises on a flop with two weak cards and one big card. For instance, a board of Ah-3d-5s gives you a great opportunity to represent an ace with a continuation bet. On the other hand, a board of 2s-6c-5d isn’t going to help you much in terms of a continuation bet. Keep these situations in mind when making meaningful C-bets.
