Defense Against Continuation Bets

Everyone knows that continuation betting (c-betting) is an important part of poker strategy. It is a well-known tool that most players have used at some point. Since many people use c-bets, it is essential to know how to defend against them.

What is a continuation bet? – For those who don’t know, it’s a bet made on the flop after you raised before the flop.

When faced with a c-bet, keep in mind that most flops miss most hands, especially in pots with only 2 players. But to defend well, you need to read the villain.

If you don't have a statistics program, pay attention to the hands you're not involved in and see how often your opponents are making continuation bets. What are the sizes of these c-bets? Half a pot, 2/3 pot, pot-sized? Remembering these details will make a difference when you face this player.

A good player will make a continuation bet at least 50% of the times he is the preflop raiser, and it can go up to 75%. With this frequency, it is difficult to tell when he has a good hand or not. Players who make c-bets less than this usually only do so if they hit something, have a strong draw or hold a made pair. Those who use this tactic more than 75% of the flops usually do so with any two cards, whether they hit or not.

To decide what to do, consider how often your opponent continues to bet and how big you bet. For example, if your opponent has 95% c-bets and always bets the size of the pot, don't be surprised if he does the same against you, because he will. If your opponent only continues to bet 25%, it's best to only continue the hand if you've hit something big.

Therefore, we will basically have three situations on the flop.

1: You hit the flop or the nuts well

Best case scenario. You will have a top pair with a higher kicker, set, straight, flush, etc. In a crowded pot, a good option would be to call to attract other villains to call, making the pot bigger. A raise will probably isolate only 1 villain, and that is not the goal. Calling can also induce villain to bluff or semi-bluff a second time (second barrel).

Another line is to raise after a continuation bet. In this case, the opponent will only continue in the hand if he has hit something like a pair or a draw.

Between the two lines, the most recommended is usually to call, but you can vary between calling and raising depending on the situation. An exception occurs when an A flop hits, as in general the villain with a high pair will be willing to put a lot of chips in the pot, so you can play more aggressively.

2: Partially hit the flop or have a strong draw

In these situations, reading is very important. If your opponent is frequently making continuation bets, the most appropriate thing to do would be to call and reevaluate the situation on the turn. If no scary cards appear or if the villain shows weakness by checking or making a weak bet like 1/3 or 1/4 of the pot, taking the lead could give you the pot. Many opponents will play check/fold if they failed to steal the pot on the flop. If you are called, you will still have some outs to improve your hand, and you can reevaluate the situation in the next rounds.

3: Didn't hit anything or has a weak draw

The best option is to fold. Consider calling if you have favorable odds, for example if your opponent's bet is small. Another option is to use the "float" technique, which consists of calling as a bluff and speeding up the game on the turn. However, using this strategy without any reading will be detrimental in the long run, so folding is the best option if you do not have adequate odds.

In this article we discuss how to act when facing a continuation bet from your opponent. Knowing when to fight for chips and when to fold will depend not only on the cards you have but also on your opponent's history and their reading of the specific hand.