Float

I've heard very little about Floating. I don't really understand it. Can someone break it down for me? Thank you in advance.

Basically when you float a bet all it means is that you call a flop c-bet in position with a weak hand because you think the bettor may be c-betting light and that you may be able to take the pot away from him later because he'll think his light c-bet was called by someone with a hand worth flat calling with. So then on the turn, if he checks (essentially giving up the pot as the sort of avg poker player would do after firing one bullet) then you bet with your trash and he mostly folds. Think of floating as sort of the set up (on the flop) to a delayed bluff (on the turn).

Keep in mind that you must have position for this to work and that you calling the c-bet on the flop has nothing to do with your hand strength. You could be floating a flop c-bet with J5 on a board of Q72, but it is irrelevant based on what you're doing. Now if he fires again on the turn or check-raises on the turn and you really do have crap, then fold most of the time.

Does c-bet mean a continuation bet after the flop? Also, if you are floating, how much of a raise should you call pre-flop and post flop? I'm thinking 3x the big blind, and anything more than that just fold? Or do I have the concept backwards?

Yes, c-bet = continuation bet.

Well PF what you call will be somewhat dependent on what your cards are. I wouldn't recommend calling an UTG raise from MP with J5 or that sort of thing.

But let's say we're playing $100NL FR. I'm in the CO with AQo, it's folded to villian in MP and he opens for $4.00. I call the $4.00 and it folds around. Now I'm in position AND heads-up. The flop comes J72 rainbow, we whiffed, and villian leads out for $7.00 (into the $9.50 pot). In many cases we'd just fold right here. But if we know this villian (via experience or poker tracker stats, etc) and know that he would c-bet the flop with pretty much anything including total air, then we can float here by calling his c-bet. Now say the turn comes off with a brick like a 5 in the fourth suit and he checks (typical sign of weakness here) then we lead out say $13.00 (into a $16.50 pot) and most times he folds and we win the pot right there. That's only one example, there are many flavors of situations where you can float. The key is to know why you're doing it though, not to just start calling bets with a lot of hands just to try it.

So the short answer is that it depends on the situation and the villian. In the example above I noted calling a 4xBB PF raise then a 3/4 pot sized c-bet.

Just wanted to add to this^ When your looking to float in position theres usually 2 sets of criteria you should be looking for. You either believe you have implied odds post flop or folding equity (possibly because villain gives up very easily postflop to resistance or has predictable tendancies) This will depend largely on your opponents and what position they are opening from.

If a maniac opens in MP and you have 44 on the button, your calling not because you expect him to fold easily post flop, but because you expect to win a lot of extra bets from him if you hit your set. So there is hardly any value floating with trashy hands against players that simply don't fold easily.

Against a tag, you can sometimes float any 2 cards relying on fold equity, depending on the position they open and how strong/weak you think thier range is. I would much rather do it with something like a small pocket pair or suited connectors though. Because if they are weak they will typically give up by the turn or fold to a flop raise if the board texture is unlikely to hit thier opening range, or looks scary to them.If they are strong you can flop well and stack them.

This is a play you should use sparingly with hands that have little flop potential. Also always take into account the types of players left to act to your left (squeezers, shortstacks, etc.) which might not make it a good idea.

So, for an ideal float, you want position and a player that you feel will give up easily postflop to resistance. You also want everyone to the left of you to fold, putting you heads against your target? Is that correct for a float in an ideal situation? Or would you only continue the float if you are heads up?

That's a really good summary, yes.

Really you want to be heads-up.