What Is a Continuation Bet? C-Bet Poker Strategy

Six-handed cash game, 100bb stacks. You open to 2.5bb in the cutoff with A♠ Q♠. The button and small blind fold; the big blind calls. The pot is 2.5 + 2.5 + 0.5 = 5.5bb.

The flop is K♦ 7♣ 2♠ and the big blind checks. You have ace-high: no pair and no draw yet, only backdoor spade and straight draws.

The decision: bet about a third of the pot, 2bb.

• Board: a dry king-high flop favours the raiser. The cutoff holds more of the strongest hands here, such as A-A, K-K and A-K, because the big blind would usually 3-bet those before the flop. Many big blind calls, such as small pairs, suited connectors, Q-J and J-T, missed completely.
• Fold equity: you risk 2bb to win 5.5bb, so the bet breaks even if the big blind folds 2 ÷ (5.5 + 2) = about 27% of the time. On this board they will usually fold more often than that.
• The caller’s price: they call 2bb into a pot of 9.5bb after the call, about 21%. On a dry board there are few draws to charge, so a cheap price costs little.
• If called: three aces give you top pair, about 6% on the turn by the rule of 2 (3 outs × 2). That is little equity, so plan the turn now. Bet again on turns that give you a draw: a spade for the nut flush draw, or a jack or ten for a gutshot. Check back most other cards.

Now swap the flop for 8♥ 7♥ 6♣. The same A-Q usually checks: that board hits the big blind’s pairs and suited connectors far more than your high cards, so a bet folds little and gets called or raised by better hands.

C-bet more often when:

• You are heads-up. Each extra opponent is another chance someone connected. If each opponent misses about two flops in three, two opponents both miss only about 4 times in 9 (44%), and three opponents about 30% of the time.
• You are in position. Acting last lets you see a check first and realise more of your equity on later streets. Out of position, many players c-bet less and check more hands. The guide to poker positions explains why.
• The board suits your range. Ace-high, king-high and paired high-card flops favour the preflop raiser, whose starting hands contain more big cards. Read flops with the board texture lesson.
• You have value or real backup equity. Top pair, overpairs, sets, flush draws and open-ended straight draws all bet comfortably.

Check more often when:

• The flop is low and connected, such as 7-6-5 or 9-8-6. It favours the caller’s range.
• The pot is multiway and you hold nothing. Bluffs need every player to fold.
• Your hand wants a showdown. Betting second pair can turn it into a bluff: worse hands fold and better hands call.
• The opponent rarely folds. Against a player who calls too much, bet your value hands and give up more of your bluffs.

Size the c-bet for the board, then use the same size with your value hands and your bluffs on that board, so the amount does not reveal your hand.

• Small, about 25–33% of the pot: dry, high-card boards where you have the range advantage and few draws need charging.
• Medium to large, about 50–75% of the pot: wet, connected or two-tone boards where you want to charge draws and protect your made hands.

The table shows what each size asks of both players with 100 in the pot. A bluff needs folds of bet ÷ (pot + bet); the caller needs equity of call ÷ pot after the call.

A flush draw seeing one card has about 18% (9 outs × 2). Against a third-pot bet it is close to the 20% price; against two-thirds of the pot, which needs about 29%, it must rely on implied odds. Check any price with the pot odds calculator, and compare specific hands with the equity calculator.

1. C-betting every flop on autopilot. A bet with no target on a board that hits the caller loses chips. Know which worse hands call or which better hands fold.
2. Betting into several players with air. Fold equity shrinks with every opponent. Multiway, c-bet strong hands and good draws.
3. Using different sizes for value and bluffs. Observant opponents will read the size.
4. Betting the flop with no turn plan. Decide before you bet which turn cards you will bet again and which ones end your bluff.

What does c-bet stand for?

C-bet is short for continuation bet. The preflop raiser “continues” their preflop aggression on the flop. A second bet by the same player on the turn is often called a double barrel.

How often should you c-bet?

There is no single correct percentage. Heads-up on a dry high-card flop, the raiser can bet often with a small size. Multiway, or on a low connected board, many hands should check.

Is a donk bet a c-bet?

No. A donk bet is a bet by the preflop caller into the raiser before the raiser can c-bet. The donk leads and probe bets lesson covers when that makes sense.

How should I play against c-bets?

The facing c-bets lesson covers it, and the poker strategy guide shows where c-betting fits in a whole hand. Sign in to open the full continuation betting lesson, with board-reading drills and sizing practice.