In Texas Holdem, betting a flop that doesn’t help you, after you raised pre-flop, is known as a continuation bet. For example, supposed you raised pre-flop with Ace-King and the flop contained three small cards. If you are first to act, you would bet even though the flop missed you. You are continuing with the ruse that you raised before the flop with a big pocket pair. Hence the name continuation bet.

Playing winning poker means that you have to be aggressive. The winning players bet and raise, while the losers check and call. In the example above, if you raise pre-flop with Ace-King and then check on the flop, you are announcing that you raised with two big cards and did not hit the flop.

Many times your opponent will not hit the flop and a continuation bet can win it for you right there. The continuation bet is most effective in no limit games because you can vary the size of your bet, but it can also be profitable in limit games under the right circumstances.

If your opponent is holding two unpaired cards, they will not flop a pair about two-thirds of the time. This, however, does not mean that they will fold to your bet two-thirds of the time. They could already be holding a pocket pair, or the flop may have given them a draw. You need to look at the flop carefully and look for flush draws or possible straights. If you are playing in a no limit game you can sometimes make your continuation bet large enough so your opponent is not getting the right odds to call it. But if you are in a limit game you will not be able to bet enough for this to work. Making a continuation bet will also be dependent on the number of players in the hand.

Continuation bets really work best against a single player because they will miss the flop two-thirds of the time. When you are heads up against a single player, you should make a continuation bet a good percentage of the time. However, with each additional player in the hand the probability of all of your opponents missing the flop decreases. A good rule of thumb is not to make a continuation bet into more than two players. A continuation bet is in essence a semi-bluff. You semi-bluff when you don’t have a made hand, but have the opportunity of winning a pot if you do make your hand, or if your opponent folds when you bet. Bluffing or semi-bluffing against a large field will not usually work and the same is true for the continuation bet.

Although making a continuation bet is a powerful tactic, you don’t want to automatically make a bet every time you miss the flop. If your opponent is sharp, they will pick up on what you are doing and then check the flop when they have a very strong hand to trap you. A good time to make a continuation bet is when you have a pair on a draw. If the flop contains two cards that are higher than ten, then there is a good chance that someone hit the flop and making a continuation bet may not be wise. Many players will call your pre-flop raise with two high cards and there is a good chance they have hit the flop. If you had raised with a smaller pocket pair, making continuation bet into this type of flop will only lose you money.

Continuation bets are just like any of the other tactics you use when playing poker, such as bluffing, semi-bluffing, check raising and slow playing. If you use them correctly, you will be a winner, but if you use them incorrectly, they might just come back to bite you if you do it too often and become predictable. Pay attention to your opponents and the game before your make your bet.