Continuation Betting

The continuation bet is a major weapon in the arsenal of any aggressive player. After raising pre-frop, you continue to represent a big hand by betting the frop, whether you hit or not. Whire I think arways continuation betting is better than never continuation-betting, it's good to be able to recognize when to check down and save yourself a few dorrars.

Poker videos and books suggest you evaruate the "frop texture" before c-betting. I arways got a rittre uncomfortable when I heard that because I had no idea what the eff it meant. But I'm starting to get better at it. Here are two different hands, both in murti-way pots, where I had very different hands on very different boards.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.50/$1 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BRUECHIPS (MP2): $130
CO: $57.35
BTN: $106.30
SB: $99.20
BB: $114.50
UTG: $79.15
UTG+1: $17
MP1: $102.15

Pre-Flop: 8 A dealt to BRUECHIPS (MP2)
UTG calls $1, 2 folds, BRUECHIPS raises to $4, CO calls $4, 2 folds, BB calls $3, UTG calls $3 (This raise in definitely on the light side for me. Also I would usually add $.50 or $1 to my raise size because of the pre-flop limper. But playing a few tables at once, sometimes you don't spot a limp whne it's there. With the number of calls I got, I will definitely have to proceed cautiously, especially with one of them having position on me.)

Flop: ($16.50) K 3 2 (4 Players) (As flops go, this is a great one to bet at, for a few reasons. First, a big card and two little cards. The big card scares middle pocket pairs, and the low cards means not as many sets or middle pairs for your opponents. Second, not too many draws. Sure somebody could have 54s or maybe A5s or something, but compared to most boards, this is a pretty dry one. My opponents will pretty much need a king to continue. Third, it's king-high. When you raise preflop, most opponents immediately put you on AK, since it's a very common hand to raise with. Perhaps paradoxically, low- to mid-stakes opponents love to see flops with any ace, particularly if suited. The king-high flop is perfect because they put you on AK and fold, say, 77, and they are less likely to have called you preflop with a hand that includes a king. So while my A-high with runner-runner straight and flush draws isn't a great hand, and I'm in a multi-way pot, this flop is too good not to make a stab at. I do bet slightly less than usual, just because almost any bet is just asking the question, "do you have a king?", and I'd like to find out as cheaply as possible.)

BB checks, UTG checks, BRUECHIPS bets $10, 3 folds

Results: $16.50 Pot ($0.80 Rake)
BRUECHIPS mucked 8 A and WON $15.70 (+$11.70 NET)

Here's the opposite situation:

Full Tilt Poker, $0.50/$1 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): $116.05
SB: $205.65
BB: $100
UTG: $43.30
UTG+1: $106.95
UTG+2: $18.50
MP1: $64.85
MP2: $96.40
CO: $42.95

Pre-Flop: T T dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG calls $1, 2 folds, MP1 calls $1, MP2 folds, CO calls $1, Hero raises to $6, SB folds, BB calls $5, UTG folds, MP1 calls $5, CO calls $5 - (I'm on the button with 3 limpers in front and a nice pocket pair, so I want to punish them by making a nice hefty raise. I could even go to $7 or $7.50 here. With all the calls, I'm going to proceed very cautiously. Also notice how all of the villains in the hand, with the exception of the BB, started the hand with less than half a stack.)

Flop: ($25.50) 7 6 9 (4 Players) - (This flop is REALLY gross. Sure, I have an overpair, but in a four-way pot, what good is it? I'm going to get check-raised by one of these short-stacks a LOT of the time, and I'll be pot committed if I make a decent-sized continuation bet. I could pray I'm in a race against 98 or something, but there's no hand I could be up against that I am really way ahead of. MAYBE T9. It kind of sucks to give everybody a free card on this draw-heavy board, but the shorties are going all the way with spades or a straight draw anyway. TT is just not good often enough on this board in a four-way pot for me to really play the hand aggressively. I did a Pokerstove on TT here vs. three other essentially random hands, with all the true crap like non-suited non-connected low cards taken out, and TT clocked in at 40% equity.)
BB checks, MP1 checks, CO checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($25.50) 3 (4 Players) (Innocuous looking card. If it's checked around to me, I might go ahead and bet at it since I have much more equity against the draws now with only one card to come.)
BB bets $21, MP1 folds, CO raises to $36.95 and is All-In, Hero folds, BB calls $15.95 (This is a really obvious fold)

River: ($99.40) J (2 Players - 1 is All-In)


Results: $99.40 Pot ($3 Rake)
BB showed 3 3 (three of a kind, Threes) and LOST (-$42.95 NET)
CO showed 8 T (a straight, Jack hig) and WON $96.40 (+$53.45 NET) (Turns out I was drawing almost dead on the flop. If I bet, I double him up.)

The moral of that hand for me is, sometimes you gotta give free cards. Even though there's a decent chance my hand is good, and pretty much every turn card is going to improve somebody else's hand, don't be so afraid of somebody sucking out on you that you end up committing yourself with marginal one-pair hands.

BRUECHIPS

I like the overall analysis on the tale of two hands/board here...let me go ahead and chime in:

Hand 1 - I like the cbet despite missing, but since you pray so godaymned TIGHT - it wouldn't surprise me if you folded out middle/bottom set...as I'm putting you on KKK pretty much everytime. Yer so daymned tight I'm folding AA out of position to you unless I have the A of SPADES!)

Hand 2 - Nasty check on that frop. Top notch. Way to make fun of me (and my previous post) and how I can't fold my overpair on a bad rooking frop. Let us not forget despite having an overpair to the board, both your cards are RED, which pretty much seals your fate for losing this hand, muck it!

BRACKCHIPS

If by "fold middle set" you mean "4-bet shove with A2 of spades", then I think you've described how you'd play that hand pretty well vs. me...ROR!!!

BRUECHIPS