Continuation Bets

Should I be c-betting when I totally miss the flop in the early stages of 10+1s? I don't think I take down the pot nearly often enough to make it profitable as a pure bluff, and I doubt they're paying attention enough to bet me out when I check/realize I only bet when I hit. Are they paying more attention than I think, or is there something else that I'm missing.

Incidentally, my c-bets are pretty consistently 1/2 pot.

[Burno]

Heads up I almost always make a CB. With two opponents, I occasionaly do it. With three or more I never do it.

[citanul]

i think you need to consider that there are more factors than just "ok i raised, so now i should continuation bet."

the single most important thing to consider is the number of opponents. the fewer the better. at a 10+1 value bets are going to be plentiful enough that you should rarely be continuation betting against 2 players and basically never against more than 2.

then consider the texture of the flop.

and consider what you've seen your opponent do.

there are spots where 1/2 the pot is just a bad continuation bet regardless of other factors. you should mix up your continuation bets a bit (this will be more important when you're playing more observant opponents than the 10s players) just like you should mix up your value bets.

at the 10s, you could safely continuation bet exactly 1/2 the pot every time you did it and if you picked your spots well, show a profit on those while simultaneously only value bet 1.5x pot and show a profit on those too. it's all about knowing where and when to get your money in. however, your initial diagnosis that since they don't fold as much, the continuation bet loses value is quite correct. don't continuation bet at opponents who call down with nothing when you have less than nothing.

finally, the kicker: occasionally realize you're not just continuation betting AK against one or possibly 2 donk opponents, you're value betting whenever you're ahead.

citanul

I should've mentioned that I basically only do this heads up and certainly never do it to a monotone flop or something similar.

I've thought about it a little more and realized that I probably should just drop out c-bets OOP. I'm fairly comfortable making a small bet with an unimproved AK if it's checked to me (even against 2 opponents).

This gives me some pause though because if I check OOP after raising in a 10+1 game, I'm almost always getting bet into (and I certainly exploit that when I do hit). Is it reasonable to check after raising OOP in all situations unless I think I have the best hand in a draw-heavy flop?

Edit: (keep in mind these are 10+1s and I'm not trying to fool even semi-observant players)

[skirtus]

Just do a search and read a ton of AK posts. In the early levels this is the main hand you are c-betting after raising. I used to look for a formula on how to play these hands. There isnt one. Or better yet post your last 5-10 AK hands when you missed the flop in the early rounds.