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The Continuation Bet in No Limit Texas Holdem

A popular and important strategic maneuver in the game of no-limit Texas Holdem Online is the continuation bet. Although the continuation bet is sometimes overused, if it is ignored, the results can be unfortunate, as it makes it easier for opponents to catch on to your style of play. It’s always important to keep of track of poker stats - how are different strategies actually working for you.

What is the Continuation Bet?

In no-limit Texas hold’em, aggression wins pots. The player who is leading the betting is in control of the hand, and can win if he shows down the best hand or if he gets his opponents to fold. This is why it is often a good idea to enter a pot raising before the flop. Usually you will do this with a strong hand, but not always.

The bad news is that you will probably miss the flop, since most flops miss most people most of the time. The good news is that your opponents will also miss the flop for the same reason. Since you bet before the flop, your opponents have no reason to believe that your hand is not still good after the flop. Therefore, you can often win the pot by making a continuation bet on the flop. This is a continuation of the betting action you initiated before the flop, and is intended to disguise whether the flop hit you or not. If an ace comes on the flop, opponents may believe you raised pre-flop with a hand like AK or AQ. If it does not, your bet on the flop may indicate an overpair.

Making Continuation Bets Work for You

You should not fall into a predictable pattern with your continuation bets. If you make a continuation bet every time you hit the flop and check every time you miss, your opponents will quickly learn to raise your continuation bets. If you never continuation bet and only bet the flop if you hit it hard, your opponents will figure out that a check on the flop means weakness. Alternate your betting pattern while erring on the side of making the continuation bet to keep opponents guessing.