How often should you c-bet?

If I am the preflop raiser, I c-bet every flop about 75% of the pot if it is checked to me or if I am first to act no matter what. Is this a leak?

I cbet pretty much everytime except

1) I am up against a calling station
2) I am OOP against more than 2 players (in which case I still cbet flops that probably missed then e.g. not more than one high card (without an A) and no flush draws / mid-high straight draws.

I base wether I c-bet or not based upon....

- I'm first to act or not
- the texture of the flop as it relates to my opponents' range of hands and also the range they likely put me on
- my table image
- when in position I also consider what I call my opponent's cadence. You can make fairly reliable assumptions of the strength of an opponent's hand by the amount of time they take before checking to you.

Originally Posted by freechus9

If I am the preflop raiser, I c-bet every flop about 75% of the pot if it is checked to me or if I am first to act no matter what. Is this a leak?

yes, and could be a big one if your opponents aren't horrible.

yet another c-bet thread...it depends on lots 'o stuff. it's better to c-bet in position. it's better to c-bet when you have fold equity. it's better to c-bet vs. one person rather than 4. stuff like that.

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

yet another c-bet thread...it depends on lots 'o stuff. it's better to c-bet in position. it's better to c-bet when you have fold equity. it's better to c-bet vs. one person rather than 4. stuff like that.

Yes, there is an epidemic in our online game...c-betting a whiffed AK OOP. Let's all pray AGAINST a cure, or we'll be a lot poorer.

The punchline to this joke is that the regular players still fold.

Originally Posted by Chicago_Kid

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

yet another c-bet thread...it depends on lots 'o stuff. it's better to c-bet in position. it's better to c-bet when you have fold equity. it's better to c-bet vs. one person rather than 4. stuff like that.

Yes, there is an epidemic in our online game...c-betting a whiffed AK OOP. Let's all pray AGAINST a cure, or we'll be a lot poorer.

Lol, what's the alternative, check/fold every unfavorable flop, and lose a big pot whenever somebody outflops our strong 1 pair hand?

no ty

Reading the section of Theory of Poker called "Game Theory and Bluffing" should help you cut down on your continuation bets if you think you're leaking there.

You need to find the sweet spot where, you aren't contination betting SO much that they can make +EV calls against you with missed pocket pairs, but JUST enough to where it instills doubt as to whether you are bluffing.

It also helps to sometimes check flops with hands you'd ordinarily bet (e.g. when you hit the flop). The purpose of betting flops isn't really to increase your EV, its really to encourage action when you do hit.

Don't be afraid to check heads up flops when you miss, particularly if you are OOP, or up against a calling station, or if its a flop that VERY likely hit your opponent (e.g. a flop of Td Jd 8h).

Also be more inclined to make contination bets against nits 100% of the time.

The better question is "when" not how often. Like many have said before me, it depends on the flop, position, villain (s), table image and your hand. Don't feel like you have to c-bet everything...a missed flop OOP with several villains is a tough place to c-bet. Checked to you on the button is a great place to c-bet. I play every table a little differently depending on the mixture of players...if everyone is tight/weak then a c-bet always folds them out if they miss. As such, I will c-bet just about everything. However, if there are a few LAGS and calling stations, you need to be careful about what you c-bet.

Originally Posted by djzcko

The better question is "when" not how often.

No...the question IS, in fact, "how often?", when you are talking about whiffing.

Game Theory can be applied here in terms of randomizing your c-bets when you are not sure where you stand. It might say that if the chances of your opp hitting the flop AND calling a c-bet from you are less than 50% (and they are 33% HU, I think), then you should bet based on some random indicator (such as current minute is odd vs. even). This is simply a way to ASSURE yourself that you are not being predictable when c-betting, which is the whole point.

Now, when you hit, you generally HAVE to bet to define your hand to avoid throwing money down later streets.

BTW---if someone wants to debate the higher math with me, you're gonna win

I know some people are going to take this as a sarcastic remark, but I mean it in all seriousness. My only real guideline is to c-bet the large majority of the time when I think it's profitable (compared to checking) and checking when I think the bet at that time is -EV. If I think it's close, I tend to go with the more agressive option of betting. How I determine whether or not a bet is profitable is really 2nd nature and would be very hard to explain beyond basic stuff like position, number of players in the pot, pot size, stack sizes, etc. I guess you could say it's just an instinct for me now that I've been putting in so many hands recently.

As far as how much. I'm a big advocate of not leaking information, particularly on early streets, so I -TEND- to keep my c-bets in the area of 3/4 pot as a default. However, that said, there comes times when I think that more (or less) is optimal, and I'll change it up a bit. I try to not be too predictable doing that, however. For example, if there's a KJ9 2 tone flop, I -may- come out and just pot it, whether I'm holding KK or 76o.

i factor in many things inc:

My Image (how frequently Ive raised and CB'd lately)
Villans Images (nits or calling stations)
Board Texture
Position
players in pot

Against total nits (ty HUD ) I'm betting half-pot 99% of the time, unless a total nightmare flop comes. Obviously against any player with a clue (or a calling station) I'm looking for certain situations in which to c-bet, and I'm mixing up the size of my bets.

There's no "system" for it. Just mix it up, and learn from experience.

I flip a coin.. and then do what I want. So that afterwards, I can see who is right more often, the coin or me.

Originally Posted by jackvance

I flip a coin.. and then do what I want. So that afterwards, I can see who is right more often, the coin or me.

I flip a coin.. and then do what I want. So that afterwards, I can see who is right more often, the coin or me.

Do you look at the coin before or after you decide. Because if I know how you are you think the coin is wrong and pick the other everytime.

Originally Posted by Trainer_jyms

Do you look at the coin before or after you decide. Because if I know how you are you think the coin is wrong and pick the other everytime.

After, I have some dignity. But I figure if I can outsmart the coin I must be a genius. You know me . So far it is winning though.. but I'm getting closer!

The uses of the word may in this thread makes it ostensible that there really is no straightforward answer to the c-bet question.