what is a continuation bet?

does it happen in limit and NL play? is it only on the flop?

[Xhad]

A continuation bet is when you bet solely because you were the aggressor last round and think you can get your opponent to fold if you bet again.

It's usually used to describe flop bets made in no-limit hold-'em but the term could easily be expanded to other situations.

Its a sort of semi-bluff that an agressor from a previous street will make, both in an effort to get his opponents to fold and to disguise his hand for when he actually has the goods.

[MikeBandy]

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Xhad: A continuation bet is when you bet solely because you were the aggressor last round and think you can get your opponent to fold if you bet again.

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I’d add that the term is never (as both you and Xhad know) used in draw or stud games. It can be used in limit, no limit, and pot limit community games such as hold ‘em and Omaha.

Continuation bets can be used on the flop and on the turn. For example, I raise preflop with Big Slick, and there’s one caller. I make a continuation bet on the flop, and another one on the turn. However, I don’t think anyone would call it a “continuation bet” if I were to bet again on the river.

Mike Bandy

No - at that point its a flat bluff - and if you're opponent has called your continuation twice, chances are unless you make a HUGE raise, he's calling.

I almost always make continuation bets. I love making them as a semi-bluff. They are usually good to thin the field to one or two. A lot of times they will get a raise - which will usually tell me where I am.

People make continuation bets because it is a simple matter of mathematics for it to be profitable. Let's say in a NL cash game with blinds $5/$10, you open after one limper for $45.

The limper is the only caller and you go heads up to the flop.

There is $105 in the pot. It is very likely that your opponent missed the flop even if you did as well. This is where continuation bets come in. If he checks, I can bet $105 which is the CB. For this to be profitable, he has to fold slighly less than half of the time, which most players would do. I say slightly less than half of the time because there will be times where he calls the bet and you still win the hand by improving on the turn or river.

If you make a CB of 1/2 the pot on the flop, than you only need your opponent to fold slightly less than 25% of the time for it to be a profitable bet in the long run. A lot of money is to be made from continuation bets.

You can continue to CB into the turn and sometimes the river, but you have to be very careful and it has to be very read dependant. It is also not reccomded to ever CB the turn if you are facing more than one opponent.

[Vincent Lepore]

A continuation bet is when one bet's (first bettor) on the flop after having raised (put in the last raise) on the flop. It is neither a bluff, semi-bluff, value bet nor a protection bet. In fact it can be all of these and maybe even a bating bet. It is done in limit in the same manner as NL except that in limit one is "limited" to the amount one can bet. In NLH it is usually a bet between a 1/2 and pot size bet. Some good players for the most part will make the same continuation bet size regardless of their reason for the bet. Some good and great players vary the size of the continuation bet according to a some mathematicl formula that they feel comfortable with. An example would be to 80% of the time bet 3/4 of the pot while varying the other 20% between .5 and 1 of the pot.

Vince

A continuation bet is best used in tournaments to take take a pot post-flop after being the pre-flop aggressor.

The theory works better in a tourny because most people don't want to take the chance of going bust against someone who has now advertised the strenght of their hand twice (pre-flop and post-flop).

[Vincent Lepore]

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A continuation bet is best used in tournaments to take take a pot post-flop after being the pre-flop aggressor.

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That is but one reason to make a continuation bet.

Vince

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People make continuation bets because it is a simple matter of mathematics for it to be profitable. Let's say in a NL cash game with blinds $5/$10, you open after one limper for $45.

The limper is the only caller and you go heads up to the flop.

There is $105 in the pot. It is very likely that your opponent missed the flop even if you did as well. This is where continuation bets come in. If he checks, I can bet $105 which is the CB. For this to be profitable, he has to fold slighly less than half of the time, which most players would do. I say slightly less than half of the time because there will be times where he calls the bet and you still win the hand by improving on the turn or river.

If you make a CB of 1/2 the pot on the flop, than you only need your opponent to fold slightly less than 25% of the time for it to be a profitable bet in the long run. A lot of money is to be made from continuation bets.

You can continue to CB into the turn and sometimes the river, but you have to be very careful and it has to be very read dependant. It is also not reccomded to ever CB the turn if you are facing more than one opponent.

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Not sure it can be said any better. I came across the strenght of the continuation bet on accident not too long ago. I Did it twice and thought "seems to work". It almost seems to guarantee a modest hourly profit in the small stakes NL that I play.

Example: I have AKs left of the button. I raise 6 small bets. 2 call. Blinds fold. Ugly flop, say 10 5 2 rainbow. I'll bet another 6 small bets.

From there you can often get both to fold.

A better result is when a tight player folds due to the miss, and a loose player stubbornly calls with something like KQ. Looking for his pair or some mytical flush or straight. When you hit a turn like a K and dominate him there's usually some good money on the table.

Something to add. When I go up in stakes I usually short stack. When you apply the continuation bet aggressively short stacked, you can effectively end the hand in situations like I've mentioned above. A raise on the turn could put you all in. I think that seeing the board at that point takes some Reverse Implied Odds out of the picture. (I might not know what I'm talking about, I'm new at this /images/graemlins/smile.gif). The loose player might have K10s. Or if the board is 9 10 2 K you close the hand and save against a potential straight if he has JQ etc. etc.

Doing this I seem to double my short stack more often than I lose it. I also see situations where if I had more money, I could fall victim to hitting a 2 pair when the loose player hits his straight or backdoor flush. I would have probaly raised into it, costing me huge.

I know short stacking is not a correct way to go about things but I do beleive it gives the Continuation Bet some strength. Any thoughts?

[MaxPowerPoker]

Here is a great blog post on using the continuation bet in limit hold em:

Continuation Bets with Overcards in Limit HE (http://suckout.blogspot.com/2005/10/continuation-bets-with-overcards-in.html)

[Xhad]

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I know short stacking is not a correct way to go about things but I do beleive it gives the Continuation Bet some strength. Any thoughts?

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Ed Miller advocates exactly your approach in NL games (come in with a short stack, only play very good hands and try to get all-in before the turn). Check out Getting Started in Hold-'em next time you're in a Barnes and Noble or something.