What Continuation Bets Are and How to
Use Them
written by BeatTheFish.com
...Fishy says, "Continue with that
shark-like aggression."
Perhaps most
popularized by Dan Harrington's segment on them in the first
Harrington on Hold'em volume, continuation bets have
become a standard play in no-limit hold'em cash games and
tournaments. Even
though it may an overused play, it is also still a smart and
aggressive play and one that should certainly be a part of every
no-limit player's arsenal. In this article, I would to give a
general overview on what continuation bets are, how you should use
them, and how to defend against them.
What is a
"continuation bet"?
A continuation bet is simply a follow-up
bet made on the flop by the preflop aggressor. Usually, the flop bet
is anywhere from 1/2 to the full size of the pot. For example, I'm
playing a $2/4 no-limit cash game and I raise to $16 from early
position with A-K. Only the button calls. The flop comes J-4-2
rainbow and I bet out $30. The $30 bet would be a continuation bet.
There can be many goals to making this play: to pick up the pot
right away when you miss the flop, to build a pot when you have a
made hand, or to pick up information when you're unsure where you
stand. However, the term continuation bet is usually used when
referring to a bet that is designed to pick up the pot on the flop
with a missed hand like A-K. In this article, that's what I'm
referring to.
Why are they effective?
Continuation bets can be very effective
because the natural assumption is that the preflop raiser has a
strong hand. When the raiser bets out again (especially out of
position), this confirms that strength. When you raise from early
position, your opponents are likely going to assume that you have a
medium-to-big pocket pair or a big Ace. After all, that is the
textbook play with those hands from that position. When you do get
called from another player or two and see a ragged flop, it's likely
that they missed the flop. Specifically, the odds state that
unpaired hole cards will only pair up on the flop only about 33% of
the time. By betting out in this position, you continue to show
strength and make it easy for your opponents to fold unless they
connected on the flop, which is much less likely.
As many players at
medium-stakes tables and small-stakes tournaments play tight and by
the book, this play can be especially effective regardless of what
cards you hold. Of course, some of the time you do connect on the
flop and you'll be making the same bet. The challenge that you make
your opponents face is figuring out when you have it and when you
don't.
What are the best opportunities for a
continuation bet?
Obviously, the likelihood of your
opponents flopping a strong hand is greater when you have 4
opponents rather than just one. Therefore, you're much more likely
to pull off a successful continuation bet when heads-up or facing,
at most, 2 players. Overall, I wouldn't recommend bothering with a
continuation bet with 3 or more players as you're very likely to be
at least called. If you don't have a strong hand in a crowded field,
you're better off saving your chips and folding to any action. You
should also tend to bet out awkward flops like 7-4-2 or J-8-3 rather
than a flop like Q-J-9 suited as the latter is much more likely to
have helped your opponents.
Finally, consider your table image. You
can get away with a continuation bet more if you haven't been
involved in many pots and/or have been showing down strong cards.
Another spot I recommend a continuation bet is when you have a
pocket pair like Queens or Kings, raised from early position, and an overcard flops. Even though you fear that your opponent has
connected, he also fears the same thing from you. Bet out, continue
your aggression, and you can often make good players lay down a
better hand with an average or weak kicker.
How far should you take it?
A problem I'm often asked about is one
that most players seem to have trouble with: what do I do on the
turn when I'm called on the flop and I don't improve? This is an
understandably difficult situation as you haven't really gained much
information on the flop but have to weigh committing more chips with
(likely) the worst of it to the potential of picking up the pot by
firing a second bullet. Unfortunately, I don't really think there is
a concrete answer to this question as it relies heavily on the
situation at hand. For example, if you know that your opponent is a
calling station, then you wouldn't want to bet out again unless
you've improved. However, if you put your opponent on a flush draw,
you should consider betting out strongly on the turn if the flush
didn't hit. If you're very confident in your read, you might even
carry this through to the river if the draw doesn't hit. Try to step
outside of the situation and look at how you've represented your
hand objectively.
Against weak and loose online players, I
would suggest for you to check/fold if your bet isn't successful on
the flop. These are the type of players who will call you down with
a weak top pair or second pair and make it a very expensive bluff on
your part. Overall, I would summarize by saying that you should
mostly give up on the turn unless you have a good reason to believe
that you can get your opponent to lay down his hand.
How can you defend against
continuation bets?
The simple answer would be to call more
often in position with your medium-strong hands. As you gain
experience, you'll get better at telling the difference between a
continuation bet and a genuine value bet from your opponents. For
example, let's say that you called an $8 raise in a $1/2 no-limit
game from the button with 9-10 suited. You're heads-up on a flop of
9-J-2 with the early position raiser betting out $12. This is a good
situation to call as your opponent often missed this flop with two
high cards and a fairly weak bet. Be aware that being in position is
crucial to picking off continuation bets. A dead giveaway of a
continuation bet would be a preflop raiser who bets out about 3/4 of
the pot on the flop and then checks on the turn after you call. Try
to take the pot away from him with a strong bet.
Are there any special plays you like
to make with this bet?
With the continuation bet becoming such
a standard textbook play, your opponents will know that you'll use
it even if you don't connect on the flop. A play I like to make
occasionally is the "fake" continuation bet with a big hand. For
example, let's say that I have pocket Aces from under the gun and
make a standard 4x preflop raise. If I get one caller and see a
ragged flop, I will often bet out 1/2 of the pot or so. If I get
called, I will check on the turn and indicate that I'm giving up. In
reality, I'm setting up for a big check-raise. You can do this with
a set or any number of big, but seemingly unlikely, hands.
In conclusion, the continuation bet is
mostly used when you raise preflop and thin the field but don't
improve on the flop. It works because your opponents likely didn't
improve, either, and expect you to have a big hand. However, you
should tend to follow the strength of your cards when you're facing
multiple opponents or a scary board. Start to learn the patterns of
players that indicate this type of bet and defend against them.
Finally, I find that the continuation bet is more effective overall
in tournaments as opposed to cash games. Your opponents realize that
they have a finite amount of chips in tourneys and seem to be less
willing to risk them against apparent strength.
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Poker Strategy
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