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Continuation Betting – When is it the Right Time to Make a Continuation Bet
When you have a decent hand pre-flop which you decide to bet on, and you happen to miss the flop, the bet you place right after the flop is called a ‘continuation bet’. Continuation betting is pretty common nowadays in no limit Texas Hold’em, so much actually that it’s losing its distinction. Players tend to call bets on the flop without having anything just to get to 4th street (the Turn card). This is why you should think twice before making a continuation bet if you don’t have a hand. Also be sure to check on occasion just to diversify your plays.
There are several factors you need to take into consideration before you make a continuation bet:
- The texture of the flop.
- The number of players involved in the hand.
- The playing styles of these players and their tendencies.
- Don’t make the same bet all the time. As the tournament progresses, change it.
During the early stages of a poker tournament, when the blinds are still low, you can allow yourself to make continuation bets more often as you won’t be risking much of your chip stack. You will, hopefully, flop top pair with top kicker, two pairs or a set so you’ll be able to build a nice pot.
If you flop a top pair with a low kicker you’ll have to consider your next move carefully as you don’t want to be facing a call or a re-raise. For example, you raise pre-flop with J-9 suited and the flop comes J-4-2. If the other player checks you should check as well. You’re not inclined to add to the pot needlessly as your opponent might be holding J-x with x being higher than your 9. The fact that you check behind the other player can also hide the strength of your cards, which will let you get more juice on the following cards.
If your opponent is holding a medium pair like pocket 7s or pocket 9s and you check behind him on a flop of J-4-2, he’ll likely call a bet on 4th street unless you see a high card that you think will help him, in which case you can just check again.
Checking behind your opponent after you’ve flopped a strong pair will let you check behind again when you miss the flops without exposing the fact that you’ve a weak hand. This will keep the pot small and you’ll be able to leave it if he makes a move on the turn.
If you bet a continuation bet after your opponent checks, and he then raises and you call, and after all that he bets on 4th street, you just contributed to the pot with a mediocre hand, which is a bad move. You’ll end up betting ½ your chip stack or more with your mediocre hand, which can only beat something weaker.
Placing a continuation bet changes after the blinds have increased in the advanced stages of the tournament. If you flop the same hand above against one opponent and your chip stack is x25 the big blind or lower you’ll want to make a continuation bet for 2 reasons.
Firstly you wouldn’t want your opponent to see a card for free and let him improve his hand. Secondly, other players will expect you’ve made a continuation bet holding nothing and if they have at least a medium pair they’ll check-raise and may bet their entire chip stacks, which may allow you to double up. Placing a continuation bet in this spot may commit you to the pot and force you to go all the way.
The more advanced the stages in the tournament the more cautious you need to be when you make a continuation bet. In the early stages of a tournament players may try to bluff you out of the hand or trap you with big check-raises. If you check of the flop you’ll avoid these situations and with a medium hand with a top pair and may enjoy more profit the more you play.
