A continuation bet, or c-bet, is a bet on the flop made by the player who made the last raise before the flop. The bet “continues” the story your preflop raise started: you showed strength, so you keep betting whether or not the flop helped you.
A c-bet example
You raise to $6 with A♣ J♣ and the big blind calls. The flop is K♦ 7♠ 2♥. You missed, but you bet $5 into the $13 pot. That is a c-bet. The big blind has to fold most hands that missed this board too.
Why c-betting works
- The preflop raiser usually has more strong hands (big pairs, ace-king) than the caller, so you are credible on most boards.
- Two random cards miss the flop about two-thirds of the time, so a small bet wins the pot often.
- When you do have a strong hand, the bet builds the pot.
How much to c-bet
- Dry, disconnected boards (like K-7-2 rainbow): a small bet of about 25–35% of the pot works, because your opponent rarely has a good hand to continue with.
- Wet, connected boards (like 9♥8♥7♣): bet bigger, around 60–75% of the pot, or check more often, since these boards hit the caller’s range.
When to check instead
Check more often in multiway pots, out of position, and on boards that favor the caller. Against players who call everything, skip the bluffs and c-bet for value. The bet sizing calculator shows how often a bluff needs to work at each size.
Every term in this series is listed in our poker glossary.
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