When to stop the continuation bets?

I have a problem in knowing when to stop continuation bets. Say I raise preflop 3x the bb and get a couple callers. I'm on the button and just came to the table.

Flop is all low and I'm holding A10s. Checks around to me and I bet. One person calls within a second or two. Turn comes another low, no flush or straight draw.

Should I continue to bet or should I check assuming it is checked to me? If I do bet here should I bet the river even if it misses me and everyone checks to me?

"I'm on the button and just came to the table."

Slow down, check and fold to any bet. You just got here, you don't know if the table is loose, passive or tight, you don't know if there are calling stations or maniacs at the table yet.

Continuation bets are similar to bluffs, know your opponents and have an idea what they'll do before you bluff or continuation bet. This might not even be table you want to play at, you don't know you just got there.

Study your opponents, look for the right situations to play at their weakness.

Depends is the generic answer for most poker scenario questions, your not just playing cards your playing people. For the continuation bet to work it has to happen under the right circumstances and then sometimes they still don't work.

Getting the correct reads on your opponents will make the continuation pay off more than not. IMHO

Okay, so today I played at a few .02/.05 NL tables. The competition was pretty mediocre. Most were semitight to loose and rather passive unless they had something. So at these tables I found my typically continuation bet style to be quite effective. I usually raised 2-3x BB preflop and collected it after betting the 2/3rd the pot on the flop and then again on the turn.

So while you answered my question, I supposed that wasn't was I was asking. At tables described like the above, what could I do to avoid simply paying someone off that was letting me bet into them? Is there anything I could have done? Any read I could have had? It seems like the answer is no...

I used to fire off a continuation bet 90+% of the time, because I found that they would often take down a pot. But, after rereading Harrington on Hold'em (Vol II, I think), I realise that I've been leaking chips by firing onto dangerous pots, and also becoming too predictable.

Besides specific reads on opponents make sure you take into account the texture of the flop, what your opponents image of you is, if they limped/called your raise, if they coldcalled your raise in position and how many callers there are.

I just listed just a few of many factors to take into account when C-betting. There is no generic answer for you.

First a matter of terminology (as I see it):

Continuation bet: Betting post-flop without a strong made hand after raising preflop, because you think you still have the best hand based solely on the likelihood that your opponent hit nothing. Technically, this is a weak value bet. You think you're ahead and you don't want anyone drawing out on you for free.

Bluff: Betting when you think you are behind in order to get your opponent(s) to fold.

I would say betting again on the turn would never be a continuation bet. While it's possible you're just up against a draw, you're behind so often in that situation that I'd consider it a bluff.

If your preflop raise got called by two or more players, and you totally miss the flop, I would often consider just betting the flop a bluff. The likelihood of none of the other players having a pocket pair, pairing something on the board, or having a higher high card, is very low. It depends on the other players' styles and the texture of the board. Betting AT on a 268 rainbow board against two loose players might be a continuation bet. Against tight players on a KQ9 board, not so much.

So reassessing whether you're really continuation betting or bluffing might be enlightening. You might find that you really bluff A LOT, which can be really easy for your opponents to exploit.

this is exactly what im thinking, if you just came to the table the other players basically have no respect for you because they haven't seen you play a hand. and just like said above you have no idea who is who. It's like for example your wife tells you to go buy stuff for a cake for example and you don't know what to put in it, how are you going to buy the stuff? get it lol, prolly not the best example but you see what im saying

Don't have time to read all the replies above, but here's my take.

A CB is NOT a bluff. At least not always and not usually. Your OTB, you have AT. There's one limper. You raise and the BB calls as well as the original caller. The flop is all blanks but both callers check to you. Do you bet? Of course. Not because your bluffing, but because your Ace high is probably the best hand. With just 2 callers you have no reason to believe otherwise.

Your CB is called by one opponent. Do you fire another round? No. Now that you've been called you have information you didn't before. Maybe they're on a draw, maybe they're slow playing you, maybe they flopped middle or bottom pair and were afraid to bet out, who knows. Giving a free card is a mistake ONLY if you know for sure they are on a draw, but you can't just assume that. You must put them on the entire range of possibilities.

So when you bet, bet enough to make the drawing hands pay even if they do get 2 freebees (3/4 pot?) and don't pay off by calling a big bet if they draw out. Yes, you may face a river bet. If you checked the turn then it will usually be a cheap one. Don't be afraid to call. The value of a cheap look-up is not fully appreciated at the lower limits but I can't stress enough how important I think it is. You gain information, respect, and you'd be surprised at how often you'll snap off a bluff.

This advice applies best when you're facing only one opponent, and not at all against three. Also, with anything less than an ace in my hand I'm unlikely to bet at all.

"I have a problem in knowing when to stop continuation bets. Say I raise preflop 3x the bb and get a couple callers. I'm on the button and just came to the table.

Flop is all low and I'm holding A10s. Checks around to me and I bet. One person calls within a second or two. Turn comes another low, no flush or straight draw.

Should I continue to bet or should I check assuming it is checked to me? If I do bet here should I bet the river even if it misses me and everyone checks to me?"

Important things to consider b4 you make a continuation bet are texture of the flop and the number of calls. You said you raised from the button and you got two callers right? You missed the flop so you should check. Remember, a continuation bet is a bluff, I noticed a lot of people on cardschat use the term continuation bet when they raise preflop, hit the flop and bet. That's a value bet, a continuation bet is when you missed the flop completely and you were the preflop raiser and bet anyway. It's best to make a continuation bet against only one caller, against two usually don't continuation bet, and if you get 3 callers or more just check fold if you miss. If you're continuation bet is called then just cut your losses there and don't continue bluffing. Here though, because the texture of the flop is so good, making a continuation bet against two opponents is a pretty good play, you might even have the best hand if they both have weaker aces or two paint cards.

So I suppose I do bluff...a lot. But, when I do have something I'm betting the same as if I don't which would make quite hard for my opponents to read.

The good players I play against will generally reraise my flop after the bet because they know if I don't have something I usually fold. When that happens I generally end up leaving the table after a bit if I can't change their outlook of me.


I know, I know...it's quite dangerous to bluff when there are several people still in the pot. But so often do most of them fold on the flop, and the rest fold on the turn that I find myself in this dilemma.

Another thing I like to do is if I see that straight or flush draw I will bet so they don't have odds to call. That way in the long run I should come out with a positive EV.......assuming I win when they don't hit their flush.

I think alot of people feel obligated to try to win the pot after they've bet PF. You bet on the flop ONLY if you think you can win it there, or if your pretty sure you have the best hand.

Recently I've begun to look at a PF raise as more of a straddle bet with the advantage of having seen my cards before I made it. When I have a good hand, I want to raise the blinds, when I have a speculative hand, say suited connectors, I want to see a cheap flop. But either way, once you've bet, that money is gone and you're starting anew. When you raised PF w/AK and the flop comes down 378 and someone in early position bets out, don't feel cheated or obliged to try to steal it back. Be done with it and move on to the next hand. Don't spend too much time wondering what the other guy had. It doesn't matter.

if you get more than one caller be very careful with making a coninuation bet unless you catch a piece at worst.

I raise preflop(not when I have a low suited connector) so people can't just limp in with suited connectors for cheap or check the BB. In both cases, I don't want them to catch something so I hope my preflop raise will drive them out.

When do you stop continuation betting?


"and get a couple callers"


Right here.

I would pot bet out and see if he reasie over the top.
If not hes trying to draw and is a calling station.

When do you stop continuation betting?

Thats easy.....you dont make those kind of plays if...

...youre not alone against 1 opponent

...you dont know your opponents style

...you dont have any hits or draws

So I've been trying to stop cbetting after the flop if people call and I have no pair or draw. It's been working pretty well so far...though if no one bets on the turn or river and I have position I have been firing another bullet on the river.

Continuation betting is like a disease to some people. I'm not joking. I have few friends who play poker and they ALWAYS bet out on the flop regardless of if they have something or not. I tell them that they should slow down. They tell me "no, i must bet. checking shows weakness". Very fallacy thought. You can also show strength by check-raising. When you give table image that you're type of player who check-raises, they won't bet into you easily if you check or won't think you have weak hand. Just because you don't bet don't mean you have weak hand or they'll bet into you. Sometimes, check/folding is profitable move more often. Adding check/raising to your plays changes up your table image and good way to exploit it. People get scared to bet when you check.

If you can calculate all the bluffs you won through continuation bet or bluffs you lost through continuation bet, you lose more.

You said you just came to play , so you should have played slow. But to your question, i suggest that you should be bet smaller and dont stop your continuation bets, if u do it then you feel for it, bcoz other player gets the advantage of bluffing and he may bet some 10x and make you to fold!

There was just a Huge thread on this very subject with a TON on great information regarding this very subject.

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

"Don't have time to read all the replies above, but here's my take. "

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I'm sure its polite asked requirement for answering on forum.I've decided to quote that cuz IMO it's very impotrant for everybody not to be influenced by opinion of others while answering.Answer first to original question than read other answer if interested

sry , as above

it helps to have notes on opponents. jot down notes when you can. they can really help you out in situations like this. but ok, you've raised preflop because you're pretty sure that AK you're holding crushes just about everyone at the table. you're on the button, this is a micro or free game...there were 5 limpers before you, that's pretty typical...so you lay down a pretty big raise. 3 of the previous limpers just go ahead and go "oh what the hell, i'll call". one has AT, one has 56s, one has 57o (this is also typical). the flop comes T54. let's say AT is first to act, and he min bets, and the other two guys call, this is where having notes come in handy, usually i'm trying to figure out if i should try to make these guys fold, or is the price right to just be a calling station cause these guys suck and hope to out-draw, knowing even then i may all ready be beat...or if i should just fold after investing that much preflop.

or lets say they all just check to you. i'll lay down a bet, then they all call...ok, i know its time to start check-folding...hopefully you get to see what they have at the end of the hand, take notes accordingly. i mean this is just an example against lousy players, because there are a lot of those. when i don't hit, and i've got a total calling station or two up against me, i usually ask myself if i really want to enlarge a pot even more to reward some moron for getting lucky. i know how to cut my loses...the donk probably does not, so try not to commit yourself when there's nothin doin

I stop c-bet when I completely miss the flop from late position and have a raise before me more than pot, but from button if nobody make bet I make compulsory bet.

Yes, yes, yes. The c-bet is a flop bet meant to take down the hand right then, or to figure out where you stand-- after that, a bet with nothing is a bluff. The c-bet will only work a couple of times before it loses respect. And it works best in position, with everyone checking to you. I overuse it, too -- and it's cost me tons. After a bit, the others know I will c-bet after a preflop raise and they just milk me dry. So I am trying to cut back. It's a tool, but cannot be a habit.

pokerlovesme caught the key -- a check shows "weakness." If that is your primary thought, it's an ego thing. Others will use it against you. Don't worry what they think. Consider only whether they will fold if you make that bet. Consider what you will learn by making that bet, and be prepared to act on it. When they call a c-bet, they are likely in the process of taking your chips -- unless you improve dramatically.

"check shows weakness" That is not my thought. That is some of my friends' thoughts, which is a very fallacy ego thought like you said. There are lot of various ways to take down the pot besides continuation flop bets.

Good question. If you got 2 callers on the flop too, on the turn the check-fold is the best option. Or maybe on the flop too at three callers. But I check the turn with two opponents almost every time.. Depends a lot on how tight are those callers.

This has really helped! I've been c-betting too much.