Pokeriad / Learn / Continuation bet
Updated November 2026
A continuation bet, or c-bet, is a bet on the flop by the player who raised before it. Two different cards miss the flop about 2 times in 3, so a small bet takes a lot of pots, and a bet of a third of the pot only has to work 1 time in 4.
Button raised, big blind called, big blind checks. From our own solver on a simplified betting tree.
Because most flops miss most hands. Your opponent called with a range of hands, and about two-thirds of the time an unpaired hand has nothing on the flop. Having raised before the flop, you also hold more of the big hands, so your bet is easy to believe.
Bet divided by bet plus pot. A third of the pot needs folds 25% of the time, and three-quarters needs 43%.
That's for a bet you give up on. Most of the time you'll also have some chance of winning when you're called, so the real number is lower.
You raise to $5, and the big blind calls.
He checks. You have ace-high and no pair. This dry, high flop favors the player who raised, so you bet $4, about a third of the pot.
You win his $5 and the small blind's $1. A $4 bet only needed to work about 1 time in 4.
Flops with high cards favor the player who raised, because the caller would have re-raised with most of his biggest hands. Low, connected flops favor the caller.
Our own solver on a simplified betting tree
On dry flops, go small: a third of the pot is enough, because there's little for him to draw to. On wet flops, with lots of straight and flush draws around, go bigger or check.
Don't vary your size by the strength of your hand on the same flop, or you'll be telling everyone what you have. Bet sizing goes into more detail.
Yes. Out of position, bet less often. You'll have to act first on the turn and river too, so a call leaves you in a tougher spot. Save your bets for your stronger hands and good draws, and check the rest.
Bet much less. Everyone has to fold for a bluff to work, and each extra player makes that less likely. If each opponent folds 60% of the time, two fold together 36% of the time and three only 22%.
Don't fold too much. A small c-bet is cheap to call, and a player who folds to every c-bet is giving away the blinds. Against a third of the pot you'd need to continue about 75% of the time to stop him making money with any two cards.
You won't get all the way to that number against every player. It's still a good reminder of why folding ace-high to a tiny bet is often a mistake.
You raise before the flop, check the flop, and then bet the turn. It works well when the flop wasn't a good one for you and the opponent has shown no interest. Checking also protects your hand, since the hands you check aren't always weak.
You bet $4 and he calls. You've still got nothing, and he has shown some interest.
The queen gives you a gutshot to the best straight, and it's a card that helps your range more than his. He checks and you bet $12. That needs folds 39% of the time, and you can still hit a ten.
You win his $5 before the flop, the small blind's $1 and his $4 on the flop.
The pot is bigger and the stacks are smaller compared with it, so small bets go a long way. A third of the pot often does the job, because the player who 3-bet has a very strong range and most flops fit it.
Twelve spots in three rounds.
A continuation bet: the player who raised before the flop bets again on the flop.
No. Against one player on a good flop, often. Against several players or on a bad flop, much less.
Yes. A c-bet only says who raised before the flop. Your hand can be strong or weak.
A third of the pot on dry flops is a solid default for a beginner.
A bet into the player who raised on the previous street, before that player can c-bet.
On wet boards, yes, to get paid by draws. On dry boards, you can sometimes check and let him catch up.
The flop chart comes from our own solver on a simplified betting tree. The folds needed are bet / (bet + pot), and folds from several players are multiplied together, which treats them as independent.
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