Texas Holdem,
online poker,
Multi Table Tournaments,
Betting Strategy
July 4 2009
Continuation bets are bets that you make after you raised the
action pre-flop and the flop missed your hand. If you make a bet when you hit your hand it's called betting for value. A continuation bet is one that you make in hope that everyone else in the hand missed, and you can pick up the pot because you took the lead in the
betting pre-flop and bet again.
The most common
continuation bet will be when you hold a pocket pair and an ace comes on the flop. You missed making trips, but the ace is intimidating for anyone who doesn't have one. If you make a continuation bet, your opponents will think that you raised pre-flop with a big ace, and you'll often pick up the pot right there. Rag flops with three low cards are another opportunity to make a successful continuation bet. Opponents will put you on an over-pair and get out of the way, instead of chasing six outs.
Sometimes it requires that you make more than one continuation bet, especially in
Limit Holdem. Some players will look you up on the flop bet to see if you're going to bet again. Making the second bet is usually enough to make them go away if they have second or bottom pair. If you think your opponent is on a draw it will be necessary to also bet the river if no possible draws could have been completed.
