How often do you CBet a flop that you opened PF?

Lets limit the situations to you as the CO or button and always last to act and there are 1 or 2 callers ahead of you. So you standard raise PF with whatever you have whether pockets, SCs, overcards. Flop comes and it is checked to you. How often do you Cbet? This is not a question of should I Cbet on this flop or not, I am just interested in finding out whether I am continuing too much (90% or more in these instances)

Also do you Cbet if you have a draw? Personally I am guestimating I Cbet 75% of the time even with a draw.

Cbet with overcards or an over pr. If you get called or raised, let it go cause the raiser has beat the board or has a nut draw.

I probably C-bet almost 90%-95% of the time when I open and its checked to me.

Depends.... but just about every time unless against a player that doesn't have a clue what the fold button is for.

cbet frequency should depend on at least the following (random thoughts):

1. What limit do you play - at microstakes, many/most players are playing a "fit or fold" strategy. Your cbet frequency should be higher against these players, since the flop misses villain's hand the majority of the time. However, once you get to small stakes, this is an exploitable strategy - after all, the flop probably missed the cbettor as well, villain knows that, so floating and ch/r become important strategic tools for villain. At microstakes, my flop cbet% is over 85% from any position, but at small stakes my flop cbet% is around 64%.

2. Does your hand hit the board in such a way that even though you suspect you don't currently have the best hand your hand can improve to being best? I'm primarily thinking of draws here. Since the flop probably missed villain, you can frequently take the hand down w a semi-bluff.

3. Does the flop hit villain's range harder than yours? A 987r board tends to hit the callers range harder than the pf raiser's range. Conversely, a T22r board is unlikely to have helped villain at all.

4. Did you hit the flop hard? Obvious, cbet. Since your cbet does not necessarily mean you hit anything, you're building the pot and not giving away too much info. A lot of microstakes players are afraid they will scare away the other players and not bet here - this is a huge mistake most of the time, you're not building a pot commensurate w your strong hand. Sometimes it is correct to slowplay (against an aggressive spazzy villain who will try to steal the pot on the turn a very high percentage of the time, for example), but most micro players take it way way way too far.

5. How often does villain ch/r, and if you get ch/r, are you going to have to throw away a hand that you don't want to throw away? Let's say you open in late position w QQ and the BB calls, and the flop is A72r. I will generally not cbet this hand (though I generally will w 88) - what would a cbet here accomplish? I'll get called or raised by any hand ahead of me, and any hand worse than QQ is going to fold (a cbet turns your QQ into a bluff, that you're actually holding Ax or better). Rather see what villain will do on the turn, and will frequently turn into a calling station here.

6. You have a good hand, and the flop is drawy. Your cbet serves two purposes - one is that you are protecting your hand - that's the purpose everyone thinks about. The second purpose, though, is less well understood - if the board is drawy and you have a good hand, you're more likely to get called, so you're building the pot while you probably have the best hand. You want draws to call you.

Just random thoughts, hope it helps.

Right - though if your hand has a good chance of becoming the best hand even though you missed the flop, cbetting these guys is profitable.

I cbet around 75% at $100 NL.

C-bet when it is checked to you.
80% even with crap from the CO, Button.

Somewhere between 80-90% I would estimate that I c-bet if last to act and I raised preflop and nobody bet postflop and I am last to act. Depends on the texture of the flop. Also depends on if I have a read on someone slow playing a big hand. If I have a pocket pair, I will also bet here about 60-70% to see if it is still good even if the board may be dangerous. I usually bet 3x-5x the big blind on the c-bet. If there is a caller, I am ready to fold if the turn is unfavorable.

In the situation you describe, I don't think cbetting 90% is too much. Yes, I cbet w/ draws.

I cbet about 75% of the time. To keep it that way, I cbet 5.25 days per week. I like to get all of my work done early so, I cbet Mon through Fri and then my weekends are free for checking flops.

LOL...
Some more poker tips for me?...

Depends... on:
-If its a tourney or cash game (and level of play)
-Situation (What has happened, who are in the hand)
-Flop (What can I represent, is it dry or wet, how has it hit my opponents range)
-How many players (with two players less inclined to bet)
-My hand strength
-What I want to do with the pot (build it, keep it small, etc.)
-Reads / tracker stats

i Cbet around 80% when i get checked by others in dat position...mostly it depends on my hand strength...

I was looking for an article on something else today and found this.........

When Not to Continuation Bet

By Daniel Skolovy
User rating: 4.49 of 5 (507 votes)



In this day and age, you'd be hard-pressed to find a poker player who doesn't know what a continuation bet is - a follow-up bet on the flop after raising pre-flop.

The upsides of the c-bet are obvious: you take advantage of the initiative you gained by raising before the flop and carry it over to the flop.
Often, you'll win the pot without a fight - making the continuation bet a great tool in a poker player's arsenal.

Where you start running into problems, though, is when you start automatically c-betting every single time you raise before the flop.
Yes, continuation betting is profitable. But not when you do it every single time. There needs to be a middle ground or else you become predictable and, ultimately, exploitable.

So when should you not continuation bet?

Against Multiple Callers
If you raise before the flop and are then called by multiple opponents, your continuation bet will rarely, if ever, work. The more players in the pot, the greater the chance you'll be called in one or more spot(s).
A continuation bet, by definition, is a mini-bluff using the fold equity you 've gained by being the pre-flop raiser.

With more players in the pot, your fold equity diminishes and you will be called more often. When there is a high likelihood of you being called, you're better off betting made hands than bluffs.

Against Calling Stations

For the reasons discussed above, when you find yourself up against calling stations you should frequently be c-betting less. As the old adage goes, you can't bluff a calling station.

Now, that isn't to say you should give it up completely. You need to take your particular opponent into consideration before deciding your optimal play.

If your calling-station opponent is the type to peel the flop very lightly, but then frequently fold to a turn bet, then absolutely, keep continuation betting the flop.

Just be ready to fire another barrel on the turn! These are some of the most profitable players to play against.

Calling stations love to call, so let them. But bet a higher mix of your good hands and keep your bluffs and continuation bets to a minimum.

On a Highly Draw-y Board
Some flops are better than others for continuation bets. If your opponents hit the flop, they're more likely to call. So think about your opponents' range - if the bulk of it nails the flop, you're best off forgoing the continuation bet.

If the board is super draw-y, something like 7 8 5, you should almost always be less likely to fire a c-bet with nothing. That's because draw-y boards almost always give your opponent something to like.

If you regularly c-bet this type of board, you're regularly flushing money down the drain.

Remember Your Perceived Range, Too
Try and get into your opponent's shoes. Think about what he thinks you have. If it appears the flop is unlikely to have helped you, you should be less inclined to continuation bet.

An example: you raise from MP and get called by a player on the button. The flop comes 3 3 2. Your bet isn't going to be given respect because the vast majority of the time you will have missed this flop completely.

Continuation bets work most often when flops come that look like they would help a pre-flop raiser.

When You Are Out of Position

As always in poker, if you areout of position, things become more difficult.
If you make a habit out of continuation betting and then giving up when called, your opponents will take notice. They will start calling your raises in position, calling your flop bet and just taking the pot away from you on the turn.

If your pre-flop raise is called in position by a tricky opponent, you should generally c-bet less often. It is already tricky to play a pot out of position, and against a tough player it only becomes even more difficult.

When you are in position things become easier because you can more accurately gauge your opponent's hand strength. This means you can continuation bet more often, because you can more confidently fire second barrels when your opponent checks to you on the turn.

When you're out of position you are left guessing, and often end up being forced to check-fold when your continuation bet fails on the flop.

The Recurring Theme
Obviously there is a recurring theme here. The determining factor in whether or not you should fire a continuation bet or not is fold equity.
Simply put, the greater your fold equity is, the greater the likelihood that your opponent will fold, the more you should c-bet.

Once you lose that fold equity, continuation betting ceases being profitable. So stop trying to win every single pot that you raised before the flop; it's never going to happen.

Take a minute; analyze the board texture, your opponent and his range, and your perceived range.
If all signs point to c-bet, then c-bet.

Emerald- Good find.

I C-Bet about 80%.. I don't do it on draw-y or connected boards.

Out of interest what is your c-bet success?

80% seems very high (although I don't know your preflop range) But it implies you bet all overcards and all under pairs.

I agree with Stu........

Basically folks, if you are C-betting at 80% (or anything above 60%) of the time, then you are really giving up your fold equity and showing the rest of the table that you are just throwing money at the table just for the sake of throwing money. (I seem to remember Pres. Bush doing the same thing with the economy ---- it didn't work for him either!)

If you want the c-bet to be most effective then I suggest doing it when you are getting most Value for it; value for your image and the hand. 40 to 60% is about the max that I would consider as a good self image. (with the table's current image and looseness being a major factor in determining the 20% difference)

Being unpredictable is a good image to set in your opponent's mind! Mixing it up from time to time to force your opponent into those difficult decisions can help you profit at any level. But if you are the guy at the table C-betting every time you raise pre-flop...... then you have no chance of taking that pot down when you do it, because that C-bet has no value.

Consider this...........

Being Predictable.
Say, for example, you are at a table with a huge NIT (the guy that plays super tight preflop, but super weak postflop; only bets on the flops that hit) and you have a good read on him. You should already have a plan of action against him should he place a C-bet. (fold or re-raise) But if the flop is a dry street then you should have no fear of placing big money in the pot because you know he is going to fold as he never plays those boards past the flop. Thus making you able to steamroll straight over your opponent simply because he was predictable.

Now, if you are being the guy that c-bets continuously, then you are also being predictable and can easily be exploited. Thus making you the one being steamrolled simply because you are predicable and your C-bet holds no value.

The reason being is so they never know if you hit or not. They do not know what in the world you do or do not have.

Sure I get check raised etc... and when I have air and am probably beat I can get out of the hand cheaply enough that all the success's make up for it, when they get tired of it and I have a strong hand I get paid off.

Thats a huge difference, I set my loses myself when I miss and wind up folding. Getting played back at they have alot of chips in the middle already by the time they figure out I have them nailed. You will never know if I have the nuts, or total air without risking a bunch of your chips to find out....

Great post Emerald.

I find I will fire a c-bet approx 70% of the time. Depends on board of course and never into more than 2 other players.

and more like 33% when I'm out of position

Depends on the flop and what you believe your opponents give you.
If you Cbet too much you will be get raised often.
You should do it nearly 75%!

I c-bet about 60-65% of the time on average

I try for about 50% just to make it hard to tell if I hit or not.

Post flop tightness of a player is a good predictor in knowing if your opponent will fold. Other than that if I don't have that information, I usually don't cbet when there's more than one player on the flop, but in sng's I might cbet if I think it has a good chance of working according to what's on the board and if the cbet in question doesn't cripple my stack.

I also found this ....... pretty helpful.

Making Better C-Bets

By Daniel Skolovy
User rating: 4.73 out of 5 (262 votes)




Lots of multi-tabling, auto-pilot TAGs have the same, simple leak in their game: firing mindless continuation bets whenever they're the pre-flop raiser.



When you fire c-bets with reckless disregard, more often than not just going to end up folding later in the hand.

Add all of those folds up over the course of a session - or a month, or a year - and you can clearly see that's going to cost you a lot of "non-showdown" winnings.

Indentifying bad c-bets
Bad c-bets are ones where the only thought that enters your mind is, "I'm the pre-flop raiser, so I should bet again." Simple as that.

The problem with thoughtless continuation-betting is that when your opponent calls, you usually give up on the hand when he bets on a later street. When you fold, you forfeit your pre-flop raise, your c-bet and the rest of the pot without a fight.

When you put money into the pot and fold, not only will your overall bottom line suffer, your "non-showdown" winnings take a big hit.
In Poker Tracker terms, that means a sharp, downward-sloping "redline."

Losing a raise and a c-bet might not seem like a big deal, but it's a leak that can repeat itself countless times in a single session

Do it often enough and it can become a massive leak for a player with an otherwise decent game.

C-betting better
If the main factor in bad c-betting is thoughtlessness, the way to become a better c-bettor is, naturally, to think about your c-bets. Every time.

What do you think about? You think about what your goal is.

As the c-bettor, your goal is to use the initiative you've gained being the pre-flop raiser and get a fold from your opponent.


Focus your c-betting on situations when he's likely to fold; check instead when he's likely to call.

Dry boards with big cards are the best boards to c-bet

It's human nature for your opponent to put you on big cards when you raise pre-flop. When the board comes A 3 8, it's an easy c-bet.

The board is dry, and he's very likely to have missed. You're the pre-flop raiser, so you're more likely to have an ace than he is. In this case, your continuation bet is likely to succeed.

On the flip side, when you raise and the board comes 3 2 6, you're probably not going to get credit for a real hand that often. It's probably better to check, unless...


You plan on firing multiple barrels

A board like the one above may not be great to c-bet if you plan on going "one and done" on it - meaning firing one c-bet then giving up when called.

It may still be profitable to c-bet, but only if you plan on firing multiple barrels.

On a low board, or a board with one medium-high card like T 4 2, your opponent is liable to peel with almost any pocket pair. They hope you'll give up when your c-bet is called and they can go on to check it down and win the hand.

This article, though, is to get you to stop that mindless "one and done" c-betting and get you thinking. On these types of boards, "one and done" c-betting just isn't profitable.

When you think about your opponent's range in most of these cases however, multi-barreling on these types of boards can become extremely profitable.

Your opponent's range is usually made up of weak, one-pair hands. You can often just fire the turn and river and have them fold out a very high percentage of the time.

More bad c-betting spots:
Multi-way pots.Multi-way pots just mean more opponents that can catch a piece of the board and call you. When you're looking for a fold, that's obviously not ideal.


Draw-heavy flopsIf you raise in early position with A K, get called on the button, and the flop comes 6 8 9, it's probably best not to fire that c-bet. That flop just smashes your opponent's calling range.


Vs. calling stations.It's basically the age-old adage: Don't bluff calling stations. You can't bluff a guy that never folds.


Flops that don't help your perceived rangeThese are the boards that you either plan on firing multiple barrels on or you don't c-bet.

If a board looks like it didn't help your range, making a single c-bet then giving up is literally flushing money down the toilet. Either plan on firing good turn cards (i.e. big cards), or just check.


Showdown-value hands.A flopped hand that has good showdown value but isn't quite strong enough to bet for value is a good one to check through.


A good example would be A 7 on a K 7 2 board.

You're likely to have the best hand, but betting will just fold out everything you're ahead of. No worse hands ever call, making it perfectly fine to check behind when in position.



When you actually think, your c-bets improve.

Bottom line is if you want to make better c-bets, you have to think through every situation.


Think about your opponents and their playing styles. What boards are likely to have helped their pre-flop calling range and what boards they think helped your pre-flop raising range.


Always c-bet with a plan. The main thing: ditch the "one and done" approach.

If you plan on firing one barrel and giving up, don't. It may be better to not fire any at all.

Nice article

I am loving this guy's writing. Good info with humor

I'm definitely in the "thoughtless c-betting" category. I fire like a madman pretty much all the time. And definitely end up going one and done much too often. But I still get so many folds it's hard to believe slowing down is better.

Cbet: 81.3%
Success:43.6%

Same games just another session, after "working" on cbetting better....

Cbet: 54.4%
Success:48.8%

Not sure that worked out so well.....lol

Same here, I bet when its checked to me (HU). In the micro games, it's easily a profitable play.

It mostly depends of opponents table image.There is a lot of different situation.If you do c.bet often you may be reraised by opponent who has nothing but has marked you as a bluffer.There is a different types of opponent.There is a players who got a hand but will take risk and just calls your raises to get value.I have played tournament yesterday.I was dealt JJ in middle.Raised 4 blinds and get one caller.On the flop there were lower cards.I got overpair and was confident in win.I bet and get reraised.I pushed all in and loose hand.He has pocket quins, ouch.It occurred early in tournament and I was very disappointed.Because of situations like this one,I think that is better to pass 10-15 hands when you sit down, just for study your opponents.Dont get involved unless you got a monster.

Have you ever just finished a good book about poker with a new strategy that you were just itching to go try out? And then when you get to play, you end up dumping off 2 full buy-ins right off the bat?

It's usually not because the strategy is bad, but rather because it's just not in your comfort zone.

Personally I am still trying to employ more of the style my self, but because I am coming from live to online I tend to lean more to the passive side of the bar and need to become more aggressive postflop as a result. The one and done is my biggest challenge for the moment. I just have a hard time continuing to place chips on a draw.

All of this has been very helpful. I have the bad habit of C-betting everytime I'm the raiser and it's checked to me. Now that I have read this hopefully I'll put more thought into it. Great Great help!!!

It's my *opinion* that people continuation bet entirely too much, especially in LHE. At least, they do it without consideration of the flop texture, opponents propensity to call with nothing, position!, and a host of other variables.

I will say that heads up or very short handed, I'll CB a great deal more often than otherwise. But I routinely see people blindly bet out with nothing into a 9TJ flop with 5 people in the hand, and it's like setting fire to money. Just give some thought to each situation.