Continuation Bets In No Limit Texas Holdem

No Limit Texas Holdem Continuation BetA continuation bet is the bet a poker player places on the flop after having raised preflop, regardless of whether or not the flop hit the player’s hand. Say, for example, you raise preflop with AK and get one caller. The flop comes 56Q and the opponent checks to you. You throw out a 3/4th pot bet, the opponent folds and you take the pot down. You have just made a continuation bet.

Continuation bets are funny things because they represent great strength but are always regarded with suspicion at the table. The person placing the continuation bet raised preflop and followed through with a big bet on the flop so it should look like a strong hand. The only problem is everybody knows that the continuation bet is often made with nothing. But using the continuation bet correctly is a major part of a well rounded Texas holdem strategy.

There are two things the continuation bet accomplishes.

  1. First, the continuation bet is simply used to take a pot down after raising preflop. You were the one who initiated the betting preflop and you will most likely take the pot down postflop. It doesn’t matter if you’ve hit or missed the flop; it’s a continuation of your preflop aggression.
  2. The second thing continuation bets accomplish is they make it difficult for your opponents to read your hand. If you only continuation bet when you had a good hand, it would be pretty easy to play a perfect game of poker against you.

These two purposes feed off each other and serve to make the continuation bet a powerful weapon. The continuation bet allows you to mix up your game and steal pots at the same time. It makes it difficult for your opponents to read your hand if you’re constantly throwing out continuation bets after raising preflop. The confusion this causes will in turn get more action for your strong hands. It’s a wonderful combination.

When deciding whether or not to place a continuation bet, there are several factors to consider.

  • The most important factor is the number of players in the pot. If there’s just one player in the pot with you, I recommend a continuation bet close to 100% of the time. If there are two or more players in the pot, your continuation bet frequency should drop sharply. If there are two or three other people in the pot with you, I recommend you only continuation bet if you have position, both your opponents checked to you and the board looks dry. If one of those three things is missing, skip the continuation bet.
  • You also need to consider the types of opponents you’re up against. If you’re sitting at a table full of fish, the continuation bet becomes less important. Against the fish the best strategy is to just bet when you have a hand and check when you miss the flop. If you’re up against a bunch of fold-machines, be liberal with your continuation bets.
  • Your image and recent history have a major effect on your continuation bet success as well. If your opponents think you’re a maniac, it will be hard to get them to fold to your continuation bets. If the table has seen you take a bunch of pots without showdowns lately, you may want to reconsider your next continuation bet.
  • The flop texture should be taken into consideration as well. Certain flops are more likely than others to have hit opponents’ hands. A flop like 789 all hearts is much scarier than a flop like 26Q of all different suits. Coordinated flops are likely to have either hit an opponent or given someone a decent draw.

If a continuation bet gets called, make it your default play to just give up on the pot. It quickly gets expensive trying to steal big pots with no hand. Once in a while your opponent will be chasing a draw and you can take the pot with a second barrel on the turn. The problem with that is it’s tricky to find opponents who chase draws on the flop but not on the turn. That’s why it’s usually a good idea to just give up if you get called.

Occasionally, an opponent will float (call) your continuation bets on the flop with the intention of stealing the pot from you on the turn. These guys can be a real pain, but if you throw in the occasional turn check-raise, you can keep the floaters off balance. The continuation must be used much more in heads up Texas holdem, because against one opponent, he/she will only have a pair on the flop one third of the time.
On the surface, the continuation bet looks like a fairly straight-forward maneuver, but there’s actually a lot to consider before you just go around throwing continuation bets everywhere. Make it a calm, conscious decision to use the continuation bet and pick your spots carefully. If you can master the art of the continuation bet, you’ll make it twice as easy to make money at this game.