Defence Against The Continuation Bet

[gulebjorn]

So, in practice, you don't play your big hands the same way? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[JaBlue]

He's asking what to do when faced with a probable continuation bet.

[gulebjorn]

I think there are as many ways to handle continuation bets as there are types of opponents. If they keep pushing you around and you want to stop them, check/raise them when you hit a decent hand. Check/calling could be a good option if you have a hand that is strong enough to give them a free card with. Folding could be best if you have a marginal hand and the flop has likely hit their hand. If you have a hand that you would like to draw to, but their continuation bets are too large to call, consider a blocking bet.

Try posting some specific examples of hands that had you troubled, and be sure to include a read on the villain. This might help you a lot more then discussing this in general.

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
He's asking what to do when faced with a probable continuation bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Correct, and I'm trying to clarify what a continuation bet is for my own satisfaction, not for him. I'm asking about certain stipulations about the rules of a continuation bet.

Example:

John raises preflop. Larry calls. John has 77. Flop is 492. Larry checks and John bets pot. Now is John simply making a continuation bet here, as the flop didn't improve his hand? Or does that not count as he already has a hand, a pocket pair?

That's what I'm asking.

[gulebjorn]

[ QUOTE ]
stipulations about the rules of a continuation bet.

[/ QUOTE ]
Are there rules? I'd say if John wants to protect his hand and take it down right there, he's making a continuation bet. If he thinks he has the best hand and wants to get called, he's betting for value. Makes sense?

[JaBlue]

Gotcha.

As I understand it a continuation bet is continuing the lead after raising preflop without connecting with the flop, whatever that means - if you opened with 77, that means betting the ace-high flop, etc.

I'm sure you know that the semantics of what a continuation bet is don't really matter and not to worry about them.

[-Skeme-]

Yeah, I know they don't matter. I just want clarity is all. Um, Bear, the rules to a continuation bet were in Harrington's first book. I stated them earlier, but he didn't clarify on what improving on the flop actually was. I'll PM Don Slansky or something.

[tommo]

if you play close attention to players you'll often recognize that they make different bet sizes when they are making continuation bets versus regular bets. for example on one player my notes state: bets 2/3rd pot continuation bets and bets full pot when he has the goods.

[gulebjorn]

Really? I thought continuation bet was already a widely accepted term before Harrington talked about it in his book...

[-Skeme-]

I'm sure the term itself predates the book, but I'd never heard any specific rules of a continuation bet before reading it. I'm not sure.