Poker Article - "The Continuation Bet"

"The Continuation Bet" - by Al Spath

Many times you will pickup a most commonly sought-after hand: AK (Big Slick), and you will normally be in
position to put in a raise, only to find you still are unable to thin the field entirely, and still have several
callers. When the flop hits the board and misses your hand, you are faced with an immediate and critical
decision. Because of your pre-flop raise, you will most likely be the first to act after the flop. From early
position (EP) you most assuredly will be first to act, and from late position (LP), other players respecting
your raise will check to you, and accordingly, "the continuation bet" is to be employed. You must keep in
mind however, your opponents are aware that the flop might not have helped your hand improve and one or
more of them will be reluctant to fold if they hold any pair, big draw, or significantly high overcards to the
board.

Note: Betting after the flop, turn and on the river is referred to as barreling also.
How aggressively or cautiously you proceed with a raggedy flop and two premium overcards depends
primarily on the "number" of opponents, and secondly on the "quality/skill level" of your remaining opponents.

Should there be two or less opponents, the "continuation bet," (so aptly named as you are continuing the
aggressive betting pattern you displayed pre-flop), is made leading at the pot. With two or less opponents,
the correct play is to bet again, in spite of missing on the flop, unless one of several conditions exists within
the texture of the flop. Should the flop contain three to a flush, three coordinated or running cards for a
straight, or a pair in the playing zone (these are cards that others would be holding, if calling a raise), and
your holding does not "fit" with the flush cards or straight cards, you must consider options other than a
continuation bet. To be clear, if you held Ace/Jack off-suit and the Ace is in the suit of the three-flush,
continue to pound the pot, and if your Jack extends a run of unsuited cards (T98), also continue your betting
sequence. Occasionally the Ace or Jack will provide another draw (longer odds), such as a gut-shot straight
draw with a flop like KT2, or 8T7. To continue the bet would be a semi-bluff, as you have a number of outs
that can improve your holding, although presently you have only an Ace high hand.

Note: As I mentioned above, the quality of play your opponent personifies can make this decision much
more difficult when you consider the fact that a "solid" player called your initial pre-flop raise, and past
encounters have shown this player to hold premium cards that will win a high percentage of hands.

Additionally, more experienced poker players using the "continuation bet" will use this technique even with more than two opponents, especially if they feel their opponents consider them a solid/aggressive player. As you gain more experience and knowledge of your opponents; you too may decide to factor in having additional opponents when you employ this maneuver, however, if you are fairly new to the game, stick to no more than two opponents remaining in the hand.

Should one of your two remaining opponents fold following your bet on the flop, you should then continue
the betting again as the turn card is exposed (even if it too misses your hand), as long as the board does not
represent a potential fit for your opponent. If your opponent continues to call and you miss again on the river, I feel you have two logical options; you can bluff a final time, but without a draw on the board, it is most likely your opponent has remained in the hand with at least one pair, and has you beat. Or, you can check and then fold if your opponent bets. What I really can't advocate is that you check and call in hopes your opponent is betting a weaker unmade hand.

So to summarize, if you raise pre-flop, bet again (with a missed flop), with two or less remaining players
(called a continuation bet). If both players remain in the hand, slow down (check) if you miss on the turn, as
you are not likely to run them both off. If only one player remains following your flop bet, bet the turn even if
you miss (unless you feel the board has dramatically improved your opponents’ hand). Should your sole
opponent call or raise your turn bet, consider folding to the raise, and strongly consider checking and folding
to a bet on the river if you have not improved.

Note: More experienced players, with much better post flop skills may be able to continue betting with more than 2 opponents and use other tactics to win pots when they don't hit the board.

 

What situation causes you the most concern when faced with continuation betting when holding hands like AK or AQ (no pair, just high cards)?:

1. Too many opponents?
2. A pair on the board? (sometimes higher than your hole cards)
3. Suited texture (one suit) on the flop?
4. Three running cards on the flop (9TJ)?
5. Dry board, something like T62 (3 suits).

Please explain why and how you combat the one(s) you select for a great discussion here. thanks. Al

 

Not being a great player by any means I have struggled with AK often. Initially I get excited that I have a premium hand and then that excitement turns to confusion when I miss the flop entirely. The 2 things mentioned above that worry me the most are the number of opponents and whether a pair lands on the board.

The more opponents the more I am sure I am beat and will fold to any continuation bet or raise. If I only have one or two opponents I will try one bet and then check fold.

I feel like I misplay AK more than anything else and feel it has much more potential than I give it credit for when the flop is missed.

 

If I am the initial raiser, I will generally 'c' bet. Most times it works and I can get rid of chasers. Sometimes, I have continued to bet all the way to the river and won the pot from someone chasing. And as often I've done that only to find someone has married their small pair and just won't fold... it's been my challenge to figure out the difference and I'm still working on that!