The continuation bet, or “c-bet,” is one of the most fundamental plays in modern No-Limit Hold’em. However, many players approach it incorrectly, either betting far too often or not nearly enough. Mastering the c-bet requires a sophisticated approach that blends powerful exploitative plays with a solid Game Theory Optimal (GTO) foundation. This guide will walk you through the key concepts of c-betting frequency and sizing to help you build a stronger, more profitable strategy.
Punish Your Opponents: The Exploitative C-Bet
An effective exploitative strategy begins with identifying your opponent’s tendencies. If you notice your opponent is folding to c-bets too often, the simplest adjustment is to start betting a lot—perhaps even 100% of the time.
A particularly powerful tactic against these opponents is to
bet frequently with a small size, especially on board textures that are not good for their range. The math behind this is compelling. The formula to determine how often a pure bluff must work is: Bet / (Bet + Pot).
- If you bet just 10% of the pot, your bluff only needs to succeed 9% of the time to be profitable. This forces your opponent to defend an astounding 91% of their hands to stop you.
- Even with a slightly larger 25% pot-sized bet, your opponent must defend 80% of their range to keep you from auto-profiting.
Considering players only connect with the flop with a pair or decent draw about 40% of the time, defending this wide is incredibly difficult. This is precisely why you see elite players, especially in tournaments with shallower stacks, using tiny bet sizes like a single big blind.
Building a GTO Foundation
While exploiting opponents is profitable, a truly robust strategy is grounded in GTO principles. Developing this strategy requires a clear understanding of two core components: how often to bet (
frequency) and how much to bet (size).
How Often Should You C-Bet? (Frequency)
Your c-bet frequency should be determined by three primary factors: the types of hands in your range, who has the range advantage, and your position.
1. Range Advantage
Range advantage is the concept that one player’s range of possible hands has more equity on a specific flop than their opponent’s. As the pre-flop aggressor, you will almost always have a range advantage over the caller. The strength of that advantage dictates your betting frequency.
| Strength of Advantage | Recommended Frequency | Hands to Bet (Typically) |
| Strong Advantage (> 58% Equity) | Bet most of the time or every time. | Your entire range, including premium hands, draws, marginal hands, and junk. |
| Moderate Advantage (54% – 58% Equity) | Bet pretty frequently. | Premium hands, draws, and some low-equity bluffs. |
| Small/No Advantage (≤ 54% Equity) | Bet less often. | A more polarized range of just premium hands and draws. |
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For example, on a high-card flop like
A♠7♡6♢, the initial raiser may have a 65% equity advantage, making it a spot to bet nearly every time. Conversely, on a board like
7♣6♠5♡, that advantage might shrink to 52-53%, meaning you should check much more often.
2. Hand Types
To bet with the correct frequency, you must consider your entire range and categorize your hands:
- Premium Made Hand: Strong hands you’re looking to get all the money in with.
- Draw: Hands with varying equity, from strong combo draws to weaker gutshots.
- Marginal Made Hand: Hands that prefer a smaller pot and want to get to a cheap showdown.
- Junk: Hands with little to no potential that you are giving up with (unless betting your entire range).
3. Position
The rule for position is simple: you should c-bet more often when you are in position and less often when you are out of position.
How Much Should You C-Bet? (Sizing)
Your bet size is determined by the relationship between frequency, nut advantage, board dynamics, and stack depth.
- Frequency and Size Relationship: Generally, the more frequently you bet, the smaller your size should be. When you bet less frequently with a polarized range (your best hands and bluffs), you should use a bigger size.
- Nut Advantage: A player has the nut advantage when their range contains more combinations of the strongest possible hands (two-pair or better). If you have the nut advantage, you should bet larger. If you don’t, you should bet smaller. For instance, on an A♠K♠J♠ board, an early position raiser has a massive nut advantage and should bet big. On a J♣5♢5♡ board, the Big Blind caller may have more fives in their range, so the pre-flop raiser should use tiny bets.
- Board Dynamics: On dynamic boards that are likely to change (e.g., J♡10♡3♣), you should bet bigger to charge draws. On static boards that are unlikely to change (e.g., J♠6♣2♢), you can bet smaller.
- Stack Depth: With deeper stacks, you can bet bigger to build a pot that can go all-in by the river. With shallower stacks, smaller bets are more appropriate.
How to Play When You Don’t Have the Advantage
On some boards, like middle or low connected flops (
9♠7♠5♣), you as the pre-flop raiser may actually lack the range advantage. In these difficult spots, you must adjust your strategy significantly:
- Check a lot.
- When you do bet, use a polarized sizing with only your premium hands and best draws.
Common C-Betting Mistakes to Avoid
As you build your c-betting strategy, be careful to avoid these common, exploitable mistakes:
Checking Too Much Junk: If you check back all your junk hands on the flop, your range will be mostly garbage when you get to the turn, making you highly vulnerable to your opponent’s aggression
Being Too Straightforward: Betting all your pairs and checking all your ace-high hands makes your ranges transparent. Opponents will know your checking range is weak and can bluff you relentlessly.
Slow Playing: Trapping with your best hands is almost always a lower EV play than betting. You need your premium hands in your betting range to balance out your bluffs and protect your equity. If opponents realize you only bet your draws, they can crush you by raising frequently.
Over-Bluffing: While aggression is good, bluffing too often is a recipe for disaster. Exceeding a typical limit of a 2:1 ratio of draws to value hands is a self-sabotaging mistake.