Are you still continuation betting (C-Betting) on every flop after you raise? It’s time to level up. Mastering flop strategy, especially when you’re in position against the big blind, means moving beyond a 100% betting frequency and embracing Game Theory Optimal (GTO) frequency and sizing. Against skilled opponents, being precise with these strategies is exactly what leads to making more money.
This guide will break down how to approach and master your C-Betting strategy on the flop.
Core Principles: It’s All About Frequency and Sizing
The decision to bet and how much to bet is not random; it all comes down to how your range of possible hands connects with the board. To make the right play, you need to consider two key concepts:
- Nut Advantage: This asks who has more super-strong hands like sets, two pairs, and straights in their range.
- Range Connectivity: This evaluates how well your opponent’s range of hands likely connects with the flop.
How Often Should You Bet? (Frequency)
- Bet Very Often: When you have a significant range advantage and hold a lot of very strong hands, you should bet very frequently. This is common on high card boards (like King-high or Queen-high) because your pre-flop raising range is full of strong high cards.
- Bet Less Often: You cannot continuation bet 100% of the time. As the board gets worse for your range, or when your opponent is likely to have very strong hands, you must incorporate checking.
- Check Even More: If the flop is particularly bad for your range, you need to check even more frequently.
How Much Should You Bet? (Sizing)
- Bet Large (e.g., 2/3 Pot): When you have a big nut advantage, you should bet big most of the time. For instance, on an Ace-King-Queen flop, as the pre-flop raiser, you have all the sets and two pairs in your range. You also bet larger when your opponent has decent range connectivity and isn’t likely to fold to any bet.
- Bet Small: Use a smaller bet size when you do not have the nut advantage. A small size is also effective when your opponent has very poor range connectivity—meaning they have “a lot of garbage” and can’t have many good hands.
- Bet Small to Medium: On middle connected boards where straights are possible, you should typically use a smaller size when you bet. This is because you might sometimes be betting into an opponent who has the nuts.
Strategy by Flop Texture
How you adjust your frequency and sizing depends heavily on the type of flop.
- High Card & Three High Card Boards (e.g., AKQ, KJ10): On these boards, you have a big range and nut advantage. The strategy is to bet almost every time with a large size (like 2/3 of the pot).
- Very Disconnected Boards (e.g., K82, Q73): Here, you have a big range advantage, but your opponent’s range connects poorly. You should bet very often, but use a small size.
- High Card Paired Boards (e.g., AA4, KK4): You have a big nut advantage on these boards. The correct approach is lots of small betting, very frequently, often every single time.
- Middle Connected Boards (e.g., 985): Your hands are vulnerable on these boards, and your opponent can have good hands and possible straights. This calls for a decent amount of betting with a medium size, but also involves a lot of checking.
- Low Card Paired Boards (e.g., J44, J66): On these flops, the big blind actually has more trips in their range, so you lack the nut advantage. You should bet way less often, and when you do bet, it is often for a tiny (small) size.
A crucial factor is always considering how your specific range, based on your position, lines up with the board. If you raised from early position (UTG) with a tight range, you might have to bet much less frequently on a 7-6-5 board compared to if you had raised from the button. This is because the big blind’s calling range often contains all the sets, two pairs, and straights that your tighter UTG range misses.
What Hands to Bet (When Not Betting 100%)
When your strategy calls for checking some hands, you must be selective about what you bet. Prioritize these hand types:
- Vulnerable Made Hands: Bet your best hands that are good now but could easily be outdrawn. An example is holding nines on a 9-8-5 board.
- Draws: You can bet both your high-equity and low-equity draws when in position. It’s better to bet draws that can easily call a check-raise, such as flush draws with overcards. Be careful betting high-equity draws that don’t want to face a check-raise, especially with a medium stack size (around 50 big blinds).
- Hands to Check: Avoid betting medium-strength hands, like middle pair. It’s often better to check these hands to control the size of the pot and protect yourself from being check-raised.
How to Achieve Mastery
Perfecting your flop strategy requires dedicated work. Here’s how to do it:
- Use Heuristics: Utilize tools like a continuation betting flowchart to understand the proper strategies. Work to develop your own good, strong heuristics so you can consistently make the best decision.
- Train Constantly: Use a GTO trainer to drill these situations over and over. This kind of hard training is what improves your poker skills.
- Focus on Weaknesses: When you find spots where you struggle, make a point to practice them repeatedly.