What Is a C-Bet in Poker? Continuation Betting Strategy

The continuation bet is the most common bet in poker. Raise before the flop, get called, bet the flop: it happens hundreds of times a session. That is exactly why getting it right is worth so much, and why the old advice of “always c-bet” costs players a lot of money today.

C-bet meaning

A c-bet is a flop bet by the preflop aggressor, the player who made the last raise before the flop. If the cutoff opens, the big blind calls and the cutoff bets the flop after the big blind checks, the cutoff made a c-bet. If the cutoff then bets the turn again, that is a turn c-bet or a “second barrel”.

If the big blind bets first into the cutoff instead, that is not a c-bet. It is a donk bet.

Why c-betting works

Two ideas explain almost every good c-bet decision:

• Range advantage. The player who raised preflop has more strong hands on average across their range. A button open contains AA, KK and AK; a big-blind call usually does not, because those hands would have 3-bet. On a flop like A♠8♦3♣ the raiser simply has more aces.
• Nut advantage. Even if ranges are close overall, one player may have many more of the very best hands, like sets and two pair. The player with the nut advantage can bet bigger.

When you have both, bet often. When the board gives the caller the advantage, slow down. Your actual hand matters, but your range matters first.

C-betting by board texture

Notice the pattern: high, disconnected boards favor the raiser, while low, connected boards favor the caller. The big blind defends with lots of small suited hands and connectors, which make two pair, straights and strong draws on those low flops.

Small vs big c-bets

The board decides the size, and the size decides how often you bet.

• Small (25 to 33% pot), high frequency. When your whole range is ahead and your opponent has few ways to improve, a small bet wins the pot often and gets value from worse hands cheaply.
• Big (66 to 75% pot or more), lower frequency. On wet boards your strong hands need protection and want to charge draws. You bet fewer hands, but the ones you bet are either strong or have real equity.

Using one size for the whole range on a given board keeps you simple and hard to read. Mixing two sizes is a later refinement.

In position, out of position and multiway

In position

C-betting in position is easiest: if you check, you see a free card, and if you bet, you act last on the turn too. This is where the highest c-bet frequencies live. Read more about why in our guide to poker positions.

Out of position

Out of position you check more, because a bet that gets called leaves you guessing on the turn without information. You still c-bet boards where your range advantage is large.

3-bet pots

After a 3-bet, the aggressor’s range is much stronger and the stacks are shallower compared to the pot. C-bets get more frequent and usually smaller.

Multiway pots

With two or more callers, someone connects with the board far more often. Bluff c-bets lose much of their value, so c-bet less and mostly with hands that have real strength or a strong draw.

Common c-bet mistakes

1. Auto c-betting every flop. Good opponents float and raise you on boards that favor them.
2. Betting medium hands that want to reach showdown. A hand like second pair on a dry board often does better as a check: it gets worse hands to bluff and avoids getting raised off its equity.
3. Giving up on every turn. If your flop bets are always followed by a turn check, opponents call the flop with anything. Plan which turns you keep barreling on.
4. Ignoring position and player count. The same hand on the same board is a bet heads-up in position and a check out of position into two players.

How to play against a c-bet

Against a small c-bet, you need to continue with a lot of hands. A bet of a third of the pot only needs to work about 25% of the time to profit as a bluff, so folding too often hands your opponent free money. Use pot odds and minimum defense frequency to see how much of your range should continue, and look for check-raises on boards that favor you.

Frequently asked questions