Gareth James Brings You 5 Tips to Crush Flop C-Betting
In his latest strategy video, Gareth James takes a look at c-betting, giving you five top tips on how to approach this technical aspect of your post-flop play. Check out the video at the bottom of the page, and read on for all the advice!
I've coached a lot of players, looked over a lot of databases and seen some very costly mistakes when it comes to flop c-betting! In this video, I go through some of my top tips for flop continuation betting (aka c-betting) that, when fixed, can help you make more deep runs and more final tables.
Even solid players sometimes forget these things, so make sure you pay attention!
1. You can group flops into sub-categories
There are 1,755 strategically different flops. You can't learn the strategies for every single one. But you can group them together into sub-categories like Axx, K/Q + 2, paired and monotone. This makes it easier to learn the c-bet strategies for the different types of flop.
2. You should c-bet more in position than out of position
Take a look at your own stats right now... if your flop c-bet numbers for IP and OOP are close together, you're probably doing something wrong. Either you're not c-betting enough in position. Or you're c-betting too much out of position.
The following 3 tips are for IP c-betting versus the Big Blind.
Related: Why You Shouldn't Continuation Bet So Much
3. Paired boards can often be c-bet for a small size
The solver will almost always advocate for a small bet-size and very often. The Big Blind will often have a high proportion of very strong hands, but they will also have a huge percentage of hands that would have to fold to a big c-bet. When we bet small the Big Blind has to call more often, and very often these hands are not that strong.
(There's a bonus 6th tip hidden in the video on which paired boards we should look to check more)
4. Low boards often have a big c-bet or check strategy
Both low connected and low unconnected boards have a big c-bet or check strategy. Think about how these boards connect with the BB's range. They will often have a lot of made hands plus a higher proportion of very strong hands like 2 pair, sets and straights. When we have too many hands that can't comfortably c-bet and call a check-raise, we have to c-bet a more polarised range and start checking back some hands.
5. C-bet the best boards for your range often
Look out for the boards that are the best for your range and bet them very frequently. These boards include 2 Broadway, ABB, ABx since we have a higher proportion of the very strong hands like sets, two pair and straights.
Gareth James is the head coach and founder of MTT Poker School and the lead instructor for MTT Game Changer, an interactive group coaching program and course aimed at part-time poker players looking to compete with the pros. For more information, click here.
