Betting the flop after raising preflop is known as a continuation bet, c-bet, or firing the first barrel. Firing the second barrel refers to placing another bet on the turn after the first. Finally, another river bet would be on the third barrel.
Firing these barrels at the appropriate time to exploit your opponents’ specific techniques is a vital instrument for increasing your profits. Before we get into playing against specific opponents, let’s go over the basics of an optimal barreling strategy.
A generic optimal strategy does not strive to extract the maximum against any single opponent, but rather to ensure that, regardless of your opponents’ strategy, you will perform relatively well.* As a result, it’s a smart approach to fall back on when facing powerful opponents, as well as a reasonable default way to play versus unknown people.
Assume you open raise and the large blind calls you. Your opponent checks the flop. You’ll gamble some hands while checking others. Assume you bet, and your opponent calls and checks the turn. You’ll wager on some hands while checking others. If your opponent calls and checks the river, you’ll have one more bet or check option.
So, what is the best strategy for making these decisions? Calculating the ideal strategy for an entire no-limit game is impossible. However, by playing similar but simpler games, one can obtain a sense of what the approach would be without having to calculate solutions for each hand in every situation.
The ideal strategy looks somewhat like this. We will begin with the river plan and work backwards.
On the river, you will bet your strong cards for value, as well as enough of your busted hands to bluff your opponent into paying off part of your value bets or risk being run over. You will check down the most modest-strength hands and attempt to win at showdown. As a result, your opponents will perceive your river betting range as polarized—either you have a very powerful hand or a bad hand—because you will tend to check hands of moderate strength.
On the turn, you’ll bet your good hands for value, as well as enough weak hands for balance, forcing your opponent to pay you off at times or risk being ran over. In general, you’ll stake a higher proportion of your total hands on the turn than on the river for two reasons.
First, when your opponent calls preflop, flop, and turn, he demonstrates a considerable degree of strength. As a result, you’ll need a stronger hand to profitably wager on the river. Your opponent has only called twice on the turn, so his range is weaker on average, allowing you to stake more hands for value.
Second, betting can force your opponent to draw on the turn, but drawing is not an option on the river.
On the river, you select your weakest hands—those with little chance of winning a showdown—to bluff with. That’s because if you bluff with your medium hands, you’ll typically “bluff out” your opponent and win the showdown anyhow, thus you gain nothing. Bluffing with a bad hand can be profitable when done correctly.
However, on the turn, you do not necessarily want to bluff your worst hands. Often, you want to bluff with good drawing hands and abandon your weakest ones. The obvious advantage of semibluffing (with a draw) over cold bluffing (with a completely blown hand) is that you have a chance to win if called when on a draw.
So, on the turn, you bet your good hands for value and your weak hands as bluffs to balance, and the poor hands you select are usually those with a potential to draw out if called. You generally check behind mediocre and bad hands, with a few large hands and draws to balance. And the overall percentage of hands bet on the turn is substantially higher than on the river.
The logic for the flop is similar to that of the turn. You can bet more hands for value because your opponent only called preflop and so has a broad and weak range. You also bet that your opponent will draw. Because you are betting more good hands, you must also bet more weak hands and draws to maintain balance.
So, a basic outline of the generic optimal strategy is to bet a large percentage of hands on the flop, a smaller percentage on the turn (weighted toward betting good hands for value and some draws as semibluffs for balance), and a smaller percentage on the river in a polarized fashion—strong hands and terrible hands for balance.
(Clearly, your opponent does not need to check and call every street. He can either bet out or checkraise. These alternatives would prompt you to make changes to the plan. Surprisingly, however, these changes have little effect on the fundamental structure of the best approach. They make decisions with their hands on the border, but the danger of being checkraised isn’t quite compelling enough to leave the entire system.
This strategy takes full advantage of both position and the no-limit structure. It makes it extremely difficult for your opponent to play modestly made hands profitably. For example, suppose your opponent has A5 on the A96 flip. If you play a diverse variety of hands before the flop, your opponent will be the favorite to have the strongest hand. Unfortunately for him, he will not be able to turn that advantage into profit by the end of the hand since he will have to go through three betting rounds in which your betting ranges gradually tighten.
So, if your opponent has the best hand, you can bet the flop and check the turn and river. But if he has the worst hand, you can stake all three streets. He can’t react to this approach by simply folding to greater bets since you bluff weak cards frequently enough to compel him to choose between paying you off or abandoning hands with value.
So, even when he has the greatest hand on the flop, he usually wins modest pots and loses huge if he tries to go to showdown. That is the power of the general optimal strategy.
The key component of the approach is that the huge turn and river bets are normally excellent hands, but they are balanced out by enough bluffs to prevent your opponent from just laying down when you bet. Many, if not most, players make mistakes because they do not bluff frequently enough on the turn and river to properly balance their value bets. This vulnerability is extremely exploitable. For example, against someone who folds too frequently on the turn, a player holding A5 on an A96 flop can profitably call the flop continuation bet and hope the pot is checked down. In fact, simply giving up too often on the river can be a critical mistake.
In response to the overwhelming number of players that quit too frequently, some fairly excellent players have developed the counter tactic. With decent hands, they call one or two bets, expecting to check it down from there. If their opponent follows through with a large stake, they just fold.
This counter tactic works successfully against many players, but it pays a high price when someone bluffs, as detailed above. It performs even worse against a strategy containing more bluffs than the typical optimal approach.
Your barreling strategy will be similar to this one regardless of who you are against. You will bet more hands on the flop than on the turn or river. However, depending on your opponents’ blunders, you can adjust your tactics to capitalize on them even more.
Before we begin, keep in mind that everytime you deliberately deviate from the best approach, you expose yourself to exploitation by a well designed counter strategy. For example, if you bluff more frequently than is necessary, your opponent can take advantage by checking and calling more frequently with well-made hands.
Deviate from the generic optimal strategy only when it is beneficial to you.
Principles For Continuation Betting
Continuation betting is an essential component of any no-limit strategy. The decision to try a continuation bet after missing the flip might be difficult, but it ultimately comes down to a simple trade-off. Betting boosts your chances of winning pots where your opponent has flopped a bad hand. However, if your opponent flopped heavily, you are more likely to lose more money. To develop the most effective strategy, you must find a compromise between these two objectives.
Principle 1: Just Do It
Very powerful opponents necessitate a calculated and detailed continuation betting strategy. Fortunately, the bulk of opponents you’ll face at $1-$2 aren’t that powerful. As a result, the following summarizes the fundamental continuation betting strategy for $1-$2:
Simply do it.
As previously stated, the fundamental trade-off for continuation betting is that by betting, you will win more pots against terrible hands while losing more money against excellent hands. Your average competitors at $1-
$2 players (even the “good” ones) fold too frequently under pressure, and thus don’t win as much as they should with their stronger hands.
So, by continuing to gamble against these people, you’ll win more frequently than you should and lose less on average than you should when caught. Both characteristics make betting more appealing than it would be against a really strong opponent.
As a result, we propose that you place continuation bets regularly and reduce your aggression only when faced with opponents that abuse your strategy.
As a starting point, you could bet almost every time in heads-up pots and maybe 70-80 percent of the time in three-handed pots. In pots with four or more players, you should be more cautious, but you can still successfully c-bet on many dry flops.
Example 1
You make $10 on the button with A♠ 6♠ when your opponent limps under the gun (27/9). The shades close, and the limper calls.
The flop is J♦9♠8♦. Your opponent checks.
Bet around $15. This flop is well-coordinated and provides little room for improvement. It strikes many of the hands that your opponent may have limped in with. Overall, this situation is unfavorable for a continuation bet.
However, we believe you should bet anyhow. The flop misses and hits numerous of your opponent’s hands. When your opponent hits the flop and calls, he usually does so with a weak hand, such as a draw or a weak pair.
Depending on the turn and river cards, as well as the action, you may be able to take a significant portion of the pots on a later street. Even in this rather awful circumstance, your opponent plays weakly enough for you to consider a continuation bet.
Example 2
Open for $7 from under the gun with A♣ Q♠. A tight, slightly gritty gamer presses the button. The large blind, a 38/14 player, also calls.
The flop is J♣ 9♠ 4♠. The massive blind check.
Go ahead and place a continuation bet. A $12 stake into this $22 pot should work reasonably well. Typically, the nitty player will have a pocket pair, a suited ace, or a connector, and many of those hands have missed the flop.
The loose player in the blind plays a lot of garbage, which results in weak hands. If the nitty player folds and the loose player calls, you’ll be in an excellent position to steal the pot later in the hand.
A slightly reckless continuation betting approach wins money in modest stakes no-limit games. In most cases, your opponents will not make the necessary adjustments to exploit you. They will struggle to deal with your aggression. And it’s not a big thing if you go a little too far and place a questionable wager now and then.
Your little over-aggressive technique will make you more money on excellent hands, and this gain alone may be enough to compensate for your bad bets. Overall, continuation betting is far superior to betting infrequently.
Principle 2: Don’t Use A Sledgehammer When A Slightly Smaller Sledgehammer Will Suffice
Overall, the strategy is straightforward: gamble on the flop and push your opponents to defend themselves. You can, however, be more covert about the size of your bets. There is no need to fire the pot every time it is your turn to bet. A lower stake is often equally effective.
Your opponents will typically consider the flip in binary terms: either they hit it or they didn’t. If they believe they did not hit the flip, they may be prepared to fold with a small bet. In contrast, if players believe they have hit the flip, they are more likely to place a pot-sized bet, as even pot-sized flop bets are often small.
Because of this proclivity for binary thinking on the flip, half pot plays are frequently nearly as successful at winning the pot as larger bets.
Certain scenarios in particular promote dichotomous thinking. If the flop is K22 rainbow, for example, your opponents will have either a strong hand or “nothing.” Only medium pocket pairs, such as 77, can fit in the unclear middle.
As a result, there is no reason to risk the entire pot on a dry flop like this one, even if you happen to flip a solid hand. Limiting your c-bets to half the pot on dry flops like this one will result in nearly as many wins as a full pot bet, while losing only half as much when things go wrong. Smaller stakes may also be effective.
Binary thinking is also common in pots that were 3-bet preflop. In these large pots, your opponents will usually categorize their hands as either terrific enough to stack off with or not good enough. Because the pots are larger than the remaining stacks, there is little room for maneuvering, pursuing a weak draw, or employing wait-and-see strategies like floating.
When c-betting, you can capitalize on this binary “to commit or not commit” thinking by betting a small sum. Sure, putting a pot-sized $50 bet into a 3-bet pot will generally induce your opponents to leave their subpar hands. However, firing $25 or $30 is usually just as effective. These stakes are little in proportion to the pot, but substantial in reference to the stack sizes, thus your opponents will normally take a fit-or-fold attitude.
When the pot is small in proportion to the initial stacks and the board is slightly coordinated (also known as a “wet” board), binary thinking begins to fail. The bets are small, and many hands can benefit from a weak element on the flop—gutshots, bottom pairs, overcards, backdoor flush draws, and so on.
So, in these situations, you should place somewhat higher continuation bets with the objective of following up with a likely second barrel, forcing opponents to abandon all of their inferior flop calling hands.
Example 3
A 20/17 player can open from the button for $7. You make a 3-bet to $24 in the big blind using 3♣ 3♠. Your opponent makes a call. You are aware that this player prefers to 4-bet with his premium hands rather than trapping them. You’re also aware that he follows a fit-or-fold approach postflop after calling a 3-bet.
The flop shows 9♠ 7♦ 2♦. You can bet around $25 into this $49 pot. That wager size should be sufficient to get your opponent off of his errant overcard hands like KQ. And if your opponent hits a lucky set or large flush draw on you, you’ll be able to get out of the position without losing more than a quarter of your stack.
Principle 3: Back Off Against Strong Players
Occasionally, you will encounter a player who will attempt to exploit your proclivity for continuation betting. Look out for these signs:
- A generally aggressive player begins to play a trapping game against you with hands such as top pair or overpair. For example, you 3-bet preflop, half-pot bet the flop, turn, and river, and the player calls with pocket aces. If this is a player who normally acts quickly with pocket aces, he may be responding to your aggression by trapping more frequently.
- A player who repeatedly checkraises the flip against you. Most modest stakes no-limit players rarely use the flop checkraise. If one player appears to be checkraising you more frequently than usual, it’s likely that he’s trying to take advantage of your weak continuation bets.
- A player that frequently floats their flop bets or raises with position on the flop or later streets. As with the preceding sign, good players can include more floating into their games when facing a player who makes too many c-bets.
If someone appears to be using one of the aforementioned defenses against your continuation betting, you should bet fewer hands. Consider the following guidelines:
Check more often when out of position than when in position
When your opponents have position on you, they will find it much easier to take advantage of your careless continuation betting. If you 3-bet from the blinds and a tough opponent calls (someone who is likely to try to trap you or steal the pot), you should check the flop frequently, with both bad and good hands. Checking terrible hands saves money, whereas checking good hands reverses your opponents’ trapping strategy if they try to grab the pot after your display of weakness.
Against a strong player, you can check more than half of your out-of-position cards on the flop. When in position, you should still wager more than half of your hands. Also, when you c-bet from out of position and are called, use your created hands to check the turn even more closely. This punishes floaters.
Check more often when the board connects well with your opponent’s hand range
When TAG players call your preflop raises, you can draw certain conclusions about their hand ranges. They most likely have a large card hand, a tiny or medium pocket pair, or a connected hand (typically suited). As a result, your continuation bets will be less successful on coordinated and large card flops, and you should be prepared to check more frequently. To balance your range, check some good hands on those flops just like you would while out of position.
Be more willing to rebluff
Assume you raise preflop and your 26/24 opponent calls out of the blind. The flip is K52 Rainbow. He checks, you bet little more than half the pot, and he checkraises half of it. Sometimes (but not usually), you should reraise as a bluff. Because the flop is dry and hits relatively few hands, your opponent may be testing you in this circumstance with nothing. By occasionally rebuffing, you can help protect yourself from being misused.
Also, while out of position, instead of betting on a dry or semi-coordinated board, you could occasionally check with the purpose of rising as a bluff. Deploying this play on occasion will prevent your opponent from making an automatic profit by employing a “bet when checked to” tactic.
Earlier, we discussed the importance of keeping bet sizes minimal when bluffing. However, aggressive opponents will occasionally target weak bets more than strong wagers. When this is the case, wager more when you don’t want your opponent to play back, and less when you do—at least until he figures out the pattern.
Again, while playing for $1-$2, you shouldn’t have to utilize these countermeasures very much. Most players at that level lack the sophistication to begin trapping you or bluffing and rebluffing you in response to your aggressive flop bets. However, if you believe you have encountered such a guy in your game, you now know what to do.
Ace-High Boards And Continuation Betting
In some respects, an ace is the most terrifying card. It is evident, and if you do not have one, it is really dangerous. If you raise preflop and an ace flops, your opponents may assume you have an ace. This fact might work for or against you.
Suppose you open preflop on the button with T♣ 9♣ and are called by an unknown big blind. The flop is A♦7♣5♠. Your opponent checks. You should definitely continue betting here against almost all opponents. The big blind does not require a tremendous hand to defend his blind against your button raising range, therefore a high percentage of his hands will lack an ace. If he holds a hand like Q ♦T ♠, he will be concerned that you have an ace and that he is drawing thin. If the flop was J♦7♣ 5♠, your opponent may choose to peel with their three-straight and overcard. But with the ace on board, he normally folds.
When your opponent starts the hand with a broad preflop range, he’s more likely to fold to a continuation bet on an ace-high flop, especially if it’s a ragged one.
When your opponent connects with the flop, he is less likely to fold to a flop bet. He’s also less likely to fold at the turn. If he has an ace, he’s unlikely to fold on the flop or the turn. Many players may frequently call two streets with any ace. Even those who generally fold weak aces to a second barrel may spike their kicker or look you up, especially if they believe you are aggressive.
If your opponent does not have an ace but has connected with the flip in another way, he is less likely to fold because he believes he has implied odds. You have a probable ace because you are the preflop raiser. Someone with a bottom or middle pair may frequently call the flop, hoping to spike two pairs or trips and win a large pot. Similarly, someone with a gutshot or other poor draw will frequently peel in order to outdraw you. These poor hands are likely to fold if you bet the turn and river.
However, double and triple barreling ace-high flops when called on the flop is not always profitable. First, you will frequently go up against an ace, and most players with an ace will be reluctant to fold. Second, opponents wanting to draw out on an ace prefer implied odds, which you provide by double and triple barreling. They believe that drawing is profitable because if they hit, they may entice you to wager on the turn and river. If you triple barrel them, they will get what they desire.
Triple barreling ace-high flips might result in a double whammy. You pay off your opponents with aces, and you occasionally pay off opponents searching for implied odds. This impact makes huge bluffs on ace-high flops unprofitable. So, if the flop comes ace-high and you’ve raised preflop, you should normally bet the continuation because your opponents are unlikely to call unless they’ve made a good connection with it. However, if your opponent calls the flip and your hand remains bad on the turn, you should normally fold.
When you’ve raised preflop, ace-high flops are prime candidates for a continuation bet. But if your flop bet is called and you still have garbage on the turn, continuing the bluff will usually be unprofitable.
Giving up on the turn with the majority of your rubbish hands allows for a potential exploit. Your opponent can call the flop with any pair, even king-high, fold if you bet the turn, and win the free showdown if you fold. To balance your turn checks with rubbish, you should occasionally check the turn with proper hands. Weak aces and pocket pairs just below the ace are good hands to check back. If you check back a good hand and your opponent checks the river, you should consider value betting. Your opponent may see your turn check as giving up on a bluff and look you up lightly. Finally, to balance these value bets against intelligent players, bluff occasionally with the rubbish cards you checked back.
To summarize, when called on an ace-high board, normally check the turn and river with nothing. To penalize opponents who attempt to get cheap showdowns against you, play your aces with a bet-check-bet pattern, extracting bonus value on the river. Throw in the occasional bet-check-bet as a bluff when dealing with particularly astute opponents who will decode the bet-check-bet sequence as strength. Against most players, this final level of balance is unnecessary.
For example, suppose you are playing $1-$2 with $200 stacks. You open for $6 on the button with T♣ 9♣. An unknown big blind calls. The flop is A♦7♣5♠. Your opponent checks, you place a $8 wager, and he calls. (On ragged ace-high flips, your c-bets do not need to be enormous because your opponent may have few mediocre cards. Either he has something to call with, or he doesn’t and is concerned about drawing dead to an ace. The turn is 4♦. Your opponent checks, and you check. The river is Q♥. Your opponent bets $16; you fold.
Your opponent called your flop continuation bet, and you failed to improve on the turn. Furthermore, if your opponent had a little straight draw on the flop or a suited connector that flopped bottom or middle pair, the turn card boosted his hand. This is a simple position to give up in.
Assume you are playing the same game and open for $6 on the button with A♣ 3♠. The large blind calls and the flop shows A ♦7♣ 5♠. Your opponent checks, you place a $8 wager, and he calls. The turn is T♦. Your opponent checks. You can use this hand to balance your checks when you’re ready to give up. If your opponent checks again on the river, you can usually bet 1/3 to 2/3 of the pot for value, hoping to receive callers from unimproved pocket pairs, sevens, and fives. Because you checked back the turn, and you frequently check back junk on the turn, they’ll usually assume a bluff and look you up.
If your opponent bets on the river, you should call against some players while folding against others. It all depends on how often they bluff and how willing they are to bet less than an ace for value.
As previously stated, ace-high flips tend to be awful to double-barrel since you are delivering value to aces while giving implied odds to drawn hands. One might then wonder: wouldn’t this be true for every flop? By double barreling, we provide value to top pairs and implied odds to drawing hands, regardless of whether the top card is an ace or ten. It is correct, however ten-high flops have three elements that make extending a bluff more appealing:
Opponents are more likely to peel light on ten-high flips than ace-high flops. Someone holding queen-jack or ace-eight may call a flop bet on a ten-high flop, whereas queen-jack and king-high are less likely to peel an ace-high flop. On an ace-high flop, your opponents will fold a bigger percentage of their range, but their calling ranges will be stronger, making it less lucrative to continue bluffing. Players will call ten-high flips with a weaker range, making future bluffs more profitable.
Overcards are natural fear cards for the top pair. Overcards can come to a flopped pair of tens, but not to a flopped pair of aces. As a result, if you bluff a ten-high flop and are called by a ten, there is a good possibility you may draw a fear card later on and have another bluffing opportunity. This is unlikely to occur on an ace-high flop.
When called on a ten-high flop, your bluffing cards will typically have more equity than on an ace-high one. Assume you hold queen-nine and place a continuation bet on a ten-high flop. If a ten calls, you have overcard outs. If an ace calls you on an ace-high flop, you have almost no equity.
Aces On The Turn
You bet preflop with pocket deuces, and a blind calls. The flop is ten-high and ragged. Your opponent checks, you raise, and he calls. The turn is an ace. At first glance, this would appear to be the ideal bluffing card. It’s a good bluffing card, but not perfect. There are two major issues:
As previously indicated, people frequently call ten-high flops with ace-high cards. These hands have improved, but they will nevertheless likely check with you.
When someone calls out of position on a ten-high ragged flop, they usually flop a pair. Because many people frequently play ace-rag hands, the turn increased their chances of getting aces up. For example, on a T73 flop, you’ll frequently face A7, A3, 87, or 76. You’re unlikely to face 72 or 93.
Nonetheless, the ace will be intimidating to someone holding a smaller pair, and turn bluffs will be successful pretty frequently. If you do not want to c-bet the flop, you can bluff a turn ace instead. Your opponent will believe that you checked behind on the flop with ace-high and then spiked your ace on the turn.
However, if you do have an ace, especially with a weak kicker, it is generally wiser to check it back on the turn rather than wager it. The reasoning is straightforward. The ace is an effective bluffing card, thus your opponents will frequently suspect you have an ace and fold inferior pairings.
So, if you have an ace, they will not give you much action with inferior hands. On the other side, bigger aces, aces up, and better will generate a lot of action. Because the turn bet tends to attract activity from higher hands, and a pair of aces will usually hold up if ahead, checking it on the turn frequently is the optimal play.*
Checking the turn is less appealing when you have a large ace, like ace-king or ace-queen. Big aces can extract value from tough opponents with poor kickers. As a result, normally stake your large aces on the turn. However, against certain opponents, you should consider checking even large aces.
If you use this technique when an ace appears on the turn, your turn play will become considerably reversed. You’ll use your poor hands as bluffs and check back several of your aces. Your inverted method is highly vulnerable to opponents who understand this, as they can bluff-raise your bets and refuse to pay you off when you check. To protect oneself from thinking players, instead of betting the turn as a bluff, use a delayed bluff. Instead of betting on the turn with your weak hand, check.
If your opponent checks the river, you bluff. This sequence simulates how you would play a weak ace. If you play your weak aces and some bluffs in this manner, your opponent will have to either pay off your aces or allow your bluffs to prevail on occasion.
While this delayed bluff balances your play against smart opponents, avoid applying it against unthinking players. An unthinking player will not conclude that you may wager weak hands on the turn ace, but instead check behind your aces. When you bet the turn ace, they will say, “I guess he has the ace,” and fold. But if you check it again on the turn, they’ll think, “Oh, he doesn’t have an ace. Maybe my pair is okay.” If you try to bluff the river, these players will typically call you with the majority of their pairs.
To conclude, after raising preflop and being called on the flop, a turn ace provides a good bluffing opportunity. It’s only acceptable because, while it’s simple for you to represent the ace, the card will frequently strengthen your opponent’s hand as well. If you have an ace in your hand, especially with a weak kicker, checking it is often the ideal strategy against both good and bad players. Because an ace is your most obvious holding, you’ll tend to get folds from weaker hands and action from better ones.
If you are checked again on the river, you may bet your ace for value. This sequence will improve your chance of getting action from weaker hands and sometimes allow you to get away against better ones (if your opponent makes a big river bet that is not likely to be a bluff).
If you do not have an ace, you can just wager the turn as a bluff, representing the ace, against unsuspecting players. Unconcerned players will not realize that you would frequently check it back if you genuinely had an ace. Thinking players, on the other hand, will recognize that your turn bet is suspicious and can utilize this knowledge to their advantage. So against thinking players, you can employ a delayed bluff by checking the turn and bluffing the river. This action mimics how you’d play a real ace and is therefore a more credible bluff.
Barreling Examples
64s On The Button: Firing A Second Barrel
You’re playing a 6-handed $1-$2 game with $200 effective stacks. The first three players fold to you at the button. You gaze down at 6♦4♦. Both players in the blinds are cautious and reserved. Your odds of snatching the blinds are high, so you raise to $5. The small blind folds, and the large blind calls. He is 19/6.
The big blind behaves reliably preflop with big hands. He would most likely have raised with a large pocket pair and an ace-king. Because he didn’t, you estimate his range to include medium and small pocket pairs, large cards, and possibly some suited connectors. You believe he frequently folds suited connectors out of position, but you’re not sure, so you add it in his possible range.
The flop shows 5♦5♠ 3♣, indicating an open-ended straight draw.
The large blind checks, and you bet $6 on the $11 pot. He calls.
The turn is K♥, and your opponent checks again. What should you do?
You should bet large. Players frequently check behind here because they believe taking the free card is the appropriate move. But it isn’t. What’s the reason? Fold equity.
Consider your opponent’s range when checking a flop bet. He most likely has a medium or small pocket pair. He could have a good hand like a five or threes full, or a weak hand like an ace-high.
The king is an excellent gamble because your opponent is unlikely to have one. He would have bet preflop with ace-king, and being a tight player, he would have folded king-high on the flop. The king is a terrifying card for all of his medium and weak hands.
Perhaps you’re wondering, “What about my draw?” “I don’t want my hand blown off!”
The value of your draw is significantly less important than your fold equity. Your implied odds are low because your opponent is unlikely to have much of a hand. And if he has a powerful hand, you might be drawing dead. Folding to a checkraise now could cost you less in the long term than making your draw.
This is an excellent position to fire a second barrel. Bet the entire pot or close to it.
Barreling In And Out Of Position
The hero opens for $7 from under the pistol with 5♠ 5♥. Both the cutoff and the button initiate a call. The cutoff is new to the game, and the button is a respectable, but little weak-tight 15/10 player. Effective stacks are $260, or 130 billion.
The pot is $24, or 12 billion. The flop is 7♦6♥ 3♣, indicating a gut shot for pocket fives. The hero bets $18. The cutoff folds and button calls.
The turn is K♣. What should the hero do right now?
This is an ideal situation to fire a second barrel. Several things are going your way:
- The button has a modest rating of 15/10, making it unlikely that he will have
- The turn is a large overcard that could easily have awarded you top.
- If you’re behind, you have a gutshot draw, and a five is likely to win as well.
- If you’re raised, you can fold knowing you’re probably losing and have minimal equity.
When an overcard appears on the turn, it’s usually a good moment to fire another barrel, especially if you bet preflop. Many of your opponent’s flop callers will be with marginal pairs, and the overcard may be enough to persuade them that they don’t want to risk losing their dwindling pair in an expensive showdown.
Marginal pair/marginal draw hands are also good for making turn semibluffs. When you play these hands hard, you can expect a number of positive outcomes:
- You might win the pot without a
- A drawing hand could call you, the river could go check-check, and you could win the showdown.
- A moderately made hand could call you, hit your draw, and win even more on the river.
- A monster may raise you from your hands, sparing you a significant loss.
The final point is the most subtle. When you hold a marginal pair/marginal draw hand, such as a small pair and a gutshot draw, your hand has good equity against larger pairs, but it can struggle against two pairs, a set, or a superior draw.
If you’re up against a set of sixes or sevens, for example, instead of having six outs to a good winner, you have four outs to win but two outs to a big losing hand. Your draw loses much of its value versus strong hands, and these strong hands are more likely to raise you on the turn. So if you get raised on the turn, it’s usually just a warning that your hand had little value to begin with, and folding isn’t a big problem.
Here’s an example of firing a second barrel on the turn using a marginal pair and draw. Both players in the hand start with $200.
Everyone folds to the 22/9 small blind, who calls. The 25/23 big blind holds T♣ 8♦, making it $8 to go. This is a regular position-related raise. Frequently, it will win the pot immediately. If the small blind calls, the big blind will be OK to play a decent hand in position.
The small blind calls, and the flip shows J♦8♥ 6♦, giving the large blind middle pair. The small blind checks, while the big blind bets $12. The small blind calls.
The turn is the 7♦, resulting in a three-straight and three-flush on the board. The smaller blind checks. The big blind now has two pairs, a one-card gutshot, and a poor one-card flush draw. This combination of marginal draws and a marginal pair gives him a compelling reason to bet the turn. If called, he has several outs against the top pair. And if he is checkraised, he typically draws virtually dead, so he may not lose much if he must fold.
Ace-Jack Offsuit In The Small Blind
Stacks cost $200. You win $8 with A♠ J♥ after everyone folds in the small blind. The 29/8 large blind calls. He is a passive player with a relatively loose style. Keeping in mind that this is a blind versus blind conflict, and that he perceives you to be very aggressive, you expect him to have a wide variety of options here. That indicates pretty much anything is playable, but he would probably have reraised with a better hand.
The flop: Q♠ 8♣ 5♦. You placed a c-bet of $12 on the $16 pot. He calls. The turn is K ♦. Should you check and give up, or should you shoot again?
This is an ideal location for a second barrel, and you should surely bet again. Your opponent’s range is insufficient. He flat-called a possible blind steal preflop and then called your flop bet on a somewhat dry board. His most likely hand is a single weak pair or a gutshot. The overcard king is unfavorable for the majority of hands in his range. You have good fold equity, and a massive turn bet will win the pot a large proportion of the time.
Players may see the king on the turn and think, “Oh, I got a gutshot. And, because it’s a fright card, if I check, he’ll most likely check and let me draw straight for free.” This is a classic case of overestimating implied odds while underestimating fold equity.
It is true that if you check the turn, he will frequently check behind. So, what? That merely reinforces what you already suspected: his hand is weak. Even if you make one of your four gutshot outs on the river, you won’t make much money. Furthermore, checking your turn makes it more difficult to take the pot on the river if you miss.
A checked turn creates a smaller pot on the river, making it simpler for him to call your bluff. Furthermore, by checking the turn, you give him a free card to improve, giving him an additional reason to call your river bet.
When your opponents’ ranges are limited, consider stealing first, followed by constructing the best hand possible. Even if you have some showdown equity, do not overlook your folding equity.
Ace-King Out Of Position: Turn Semibluff
Stacks cost $200. Everyone folds to the 27/25 button, which raises to $6. The small blind folds, leaving you in the large blind with A♥K♠. The button is a strong, aggressive player who can open with a broad range and respond to 3-bets, 4-bet bluffs, floating flops, and so on. You reraise to $21, intending to go all-in preflop if your opponent comes back over the top. Instead, your opponent telephones. His range remains wide.
The flop is 9♥ 5♥ 2♦. Here, you should check and bet on occasion. This time, you stake $35 on the $43 pot. Your opponent considers for a few seconds before calling.
The turn is the 4♥. What should you do?
Your opponent’s range remains broad. He could have a large hand, such as a set or flush. He might potentially have called the flop with a weak hand, such as pocket sevens, any nine, or nothing. When it comes to conceivable combinations, weak hands and air outnumber strong ones by far.
If the turn came up blank, you’d most likely have to check and give up the pot. But now you’ve got two overcards and a nut flush draw. The pot is $113, and you have $144 remaining.
Put it in.
In his range, your opponent will fold the majority of hands. He is a good player, and your line is too strong for him to call with a poor hand. He typically folds 8♦8♣ or even T♠ 9♠. You could have a larger pair and a heart draw, and his equity with weak hands is ineffective versus your range. You have the best bluff hand in your range, so make the most of it.
If you get called, you have outs regardless of what your opponent possesses. If he overpairs, you could have up to 15 outs. Even if he has a flush, you have seven outs.
Pushing all-in is the ideal strategy when you have good fold equity and a tiny pot.
A Commitment Bluff
A bluff is an excellent strategy for forcing an opponent to make a stack choice. (See the sidebar below for further information on the commitment threshold.) In truth, a bluff might be beneficial because your opponent believes you’re serious. Here’s an example.
Stacks cost $200. A weak 21/6 player limps beneath the gun. The next two players fold, and you make it $9 on the button with Q♣ T♣. The little blind folds, the 18/15 large blind calls, and the limper folds. The big blind is a fairly solid player, if a tad tight and not particularly tough.
The flop is 6♣ 2♦ 2♠. The large blind checks, and you bet $21 into the $21 pot. You generally c-bet roughly two-thirds of the pot, but this time you bet the entire pot to prevent your tight opponent from calling with hands like ace-king or pocket threes. A large bet also deters a checkraise bluff on this dry low board. He considers for a few seconds before calling.
The turn is A♥. Your opponent checks, putting the action on you. The pot is $63, and you have $170 remaining.
This is an excellent spot to continue bluffing. Your opponent’s range is primarily medium pocket pairs, and the ace is an excellent fright card. He isn’t good enough to recognize that many of your bets on turned aces are bluffs. Also, any significant stake here forces him to make a stack decision.
He can clearly tell that you have $170 remaining. If you bet $60 on the turn, he’ll probably assume you hit the ace and are all in. After all, why would you stake $60 with only $110 left if you don’t want to risk your entire stack?
A $60 turn bet has huge fold equity. Your opponent will almost probably fold all except the strongest hands. If he checkraises, you’re probably drawing dead.
If you had risked $15 on the flop and $32 on the turn, your opponent would be considerably more likely to stand and call your turn bet with a six or JJ-77. However, by raising the pot and forcing him to make a commitment decision, you improve the likelihood that your bluff will succeed.
Do not consistently stake a substantial percentage of your stack on a bluff. However, when used correctly against the proper opponent, these enormous bluffs can be an effective weapon.
Commitment And The Commitment Threshold
Commitment is a simple yet strong notion. The premise is that the higher the pot is in comparison to the remaining stacks, the more dedicated you should be to seeing a showdown. Assume there is $20 in the pot and you and your opponent each have $400 remaining. If your opponent does something to convince you that he probably has you beat, you should fold rather than risk.
It costs $400 to win the $20 pot. However, if there is $600 in the pot and you and your opponent both have $400 left, you will frequently be committed for the remainder of your stack, even if you believe you will be defeated. Since you’ll be investing $400 to earn $1,000,
$600 pot + your opponent’s $400 stack), you can win only 30% of the time while still being correct to put the money in.
You should base your play on commitment. Before you make the moves that will increase the $600 pot, consider whether you want to put all of your money in. This manner, you can avoid some unpleasant surprises. As the hand moves forward and you receive more knowledge, reconsider your committed decision.
The executive’s bullet points are:
- Avoid betting a significant portion of your stack and then folding.
- Unless you are bluffing.
- Or you believed you’d have the finest of everything in a big pot, but new facts made you reconsider.
Conceding a third of your stack is disastrous. Of course, certain calamities are unavoidable. For example, suppose you flop two pairs on a board with a flush draw. About one-third of the stacks go in, leaving one large wager remaining. The flush comes on the turn. Your opponent pushes. If you believe he has the flush, fold. You tolerate a minor calamity to avoid a larger one.
However, because sacrificing a third of your stack is so costly, we avoid it wherever possible. This necessitates making one large bet upfront. The rule of thumb is that once 10% of the smaller stack is in, you should seriously consider committing. Will going all in be profitable? If so, what is the most profitable betting line, and what cards or opponent betting actions would influence your decision? If not, how would you react if faced with a large bet?
The commitment level is reached when approximately 10% of the smaller stack is added. Nothing magical happens at this stage, except that the next huge bet puts about a third of your stack in, and two big bets puts you all-in or close to it. So it’s time to consider whether playing a large pot is a wise option. Create a commitment plan.
Commitment plans are fluid. If you are committed but something changes your mind—for example, that flush draw—that is alright. The point is to think about large pots before you make them. If you don’t want a big pot, don’t place big bets. Check or place a little stake instead.
Bluffing is the primary exception to these suggestions. Bluffs are significantly more successful when they require opponents to make multiple decisions. Once 10% of the smaller stack is bet, you are only two big bets away from going all-in (or nearly all-in). If you make a big bet bluff on the flop or turn, an astute opponent may notice that you may go all-in on the next betting round. A massive bet near the commitment barrier threatens your opponent with an all-in, forcing him to make a stack decision. But don’t go overboard, or he’ll catch on.
A Suited Connector Out Of Position
Suited connections typically rely on fold equity to be lucrative. They are far more valuable in place, and you should frequently fold them out of position. However, you can experiment from time to time.
Say stacks cost $200. The player beneath the gun limps, as does the button, while everyone else folds. You gaze down at 9♥8♥ in the large blind. You’ve just sat down and don’t have any statistics on anyone yet. But it occurs to you that limping is uncommon at these stakes. As a result, your opponents are most likely passive and holding weak hands, unless the player under the gun intends to limp-reraise.
You regularly check in this location, but this time you opt to raise. You have a good chance of winning the pot outright. And if you call, you expect to have good control over your passive opponents, and you’ll frequently steal the pot postflop. Furthermore, your raise balances your range, so you don’t always have a large pair when you raise from the blinds. You raise $12, and both opponents call. Their ranges are primarily for medium and small pairs, although they may also include suited connectors, suited aces, and some large card hands.
The flop shows K ♥ 7♦ 2♦. You have nine-high and decide that this is a decent flop to c-bet on because your opponents will frequently fold. You put $28 into a $37 pot. The player under the rifle folds, and the button activates. The turn is a 6♥. What should you do?
On almost any other turn card, you would check and fold your bluff. However, the 6♥ was the most suitable card for you. You now have two types of draws: open-ended straight draws and flush draws. Your bad hand on the flop has transformed into a good draw on the turn. Nonetheless, with only one card remaining, you are at best a 2-to-1 underdog versus a made hand.
If you check and your opponent bets, you might not have enough implied odds to call. He could overbet the pot. Even if he bets a decent amount, you may find yourself in a tricky situation on the river. You’ll have to act first, and if you miss your draw, a bluff may be useless. If you hit your draw, you may not get compensated, or you may find that your opponent had a superior hand, such as a larger flush.
Betting is the best option here. Your opponent’s range is likely to be weak. He limped to the button and flat-called a flush draw flop. He may occasionally trap with two-pair or a set, but he is more likely to be holding a king with a weak kicker, a middle pocket pair, or a flush draw. He will rarely be able to call a large bet.
The pot is $93, and you have $160 remaining. An all-in is an overbet of almost two times the pot, yet it optimizes fold equity against your opponent’s weak hands while simultaneously leaving you with no decision on the river. If you bet less and he has a powerful hand, he’ll raise all-in, forcing you to call. If he has a worse hand, the huge bet will make him fold hands like K♠ 8♠ or J♦T♦. You should risk it all unless you believe going all-in will appear weak, in which case you may wager less.
Delayed Bluff
After the first two players fold, you raise to $7 in the cutoff with Q♠ 9♠. The button and both blinds are weakly secured. If the button were a strong player or the blinds were aggressive, folding might be a preferable option.
The button folds, and both blinds call. The 16/11 small blind has $194, while the 13/9 big blind has $128. You cover both with $945. (It has been a good day.)
The flop is 8♥ 4♦ 2♠. Both players check. Low dry flops like these are good to bet in the $1-$2 range since they are unlikely to hit your opponents, and weaker opponents are less likely to attempt a resteal. In addition, you have some pot equity with your overcards and backdoor flush draw.
You put $13 in the $21 pot. Small blind folds. The large blind considers for a few seconds before calling. His range is mostly for one-pair hands, including pocket pairs. He would have probably reraised preflop with a strong hand, and he would usually fold overcards to your bet. His checkcall indicates a set, a tiny pair, or a gut shot.
The turn is A♣. He checks again. This is usually a great location for a second barrel. The ace is a scare card, and a wager will frequently chase out his average one-pair hands.
However, you do have another alternative. You can postpone your bluff until the river. The upside is that you can change up your strategy and gather one more street’s worth of information. If he happens to have a set or is skeptical of your turn bet, you can take advantage of the fact that he must act first on the river.
You look behind you as you make a turn. The river is 4♥, and your opponent checks one more. The river card and check benefit you since they make a set less likely for him. The third check, in particular, offers this an excellent location to bluff.
Your opponent most likely possesses a single tiny pair. The pot is $47 and he has $108 remaining. Bet it all. He’s not the type of player to make a hero decision, so put the most pressure on him.
If you believe he’ll fold nearly the same number of hands to a pot-sized bet as he will to an all-in, consider betting $40 or $50. This manner, you can save money in case he has a monster. However, if he is unlikely to undertake a clever river trap, you may as well push. Sometimes players will fold to an all-in but talk themselves into a call for less, even if they’re putting in three-quarters of their stack.
A Three Barrel Bluff
The 31/13 opponent in this hand has a low stack of $140 and plays straight after the flop. As he limps, you raise to $8 on the button with 4♦4♥. Only the limper calls. The pot is $19.
The flip shows 9♥ 8♥ 3♥, resulting in a tiny pair and a weak one-card flush draw. The limper checks. You bet $12, which is slightly less than two-thirds of the whole amount. The limper calls.
The turn is J♣. The limper checks, and you fire a $32 second barrel, which is approximately two-thirds of the $43 pot. The limper calls. Following the call, the pot is $107, and the limper has $88 left.
The river is Q♦. The limper checks, and you go all in for $88. The limper folds.
Preflop, making an isolation raise with position and a little pocket pair was common. You will most likely have every edge in the hand, including a stronger hand, better position, and increased postflop expertise.
This flop is suitable for a continuation bet. If the limper lacks a heart, he will have difficulty moving far in the hand. Also, since this player is simple after the flop, he is unlikely to attempt a rebluff checkraise.
The call could indicate a wide range of hands. It might be anything from a made flush, a set, or two pair to a single pair, a straight draw, or a huge heart like the naked A♥, K♥, or Q♥.
J♣ is a nice card to use a second barrel on. Because it’s an offsuit overcard, it may deter a flopped nine, eight, or three if he doesn’t have a 10 or a huge heart to accompany it. The $32 turn bet may persuade the limper to fold the naked K♥ or Q♥.
The river is another effective bluffing card. It places an overcard and a four-straight on the board. If the limper was calling with a single pair, he’d probably fold to an all-in push. Also, the stack sizes are ideal for a bluff, as an all-in bet is somewhat less than the size of the pot. This makes the bluff profitable if it results in a fold from a better hand around half of the time.
In reality, the player will probably fold more frequently than that. Following the turn call, the most likely hands are two pairs, one pair, or some type of draw. If the limper had a stronger hand, like as a made flush or a set, he might have checkraised by now, or at the very least bet the river, especially with a made flush.
When you’re summoned, the limper has usually made a straight with a ten, such as JT, T9, T8, or possibly AT with the ace of hearts. These straight hands were relatively uncommon in the ranges where we used the limper for the flop and turn.
occasionally the limper will call with two pairs, and occasionally he will fold them. If he has weaker hands than that, he will most likely fold. The turn and river cards are both good for bluffing, which is why this three barrel bluff is worth attempting.
Don’t get too upset if a three-barrel bluff fails. While it’s difficult to lose your stack bluffing, each bluff makes sense, and the overall line is profitable, allowing you to get paid off when you flop a huge hand and fire all in.
Lessons for this hand:
- Non-ace overcards are frequently good cards for extending bluffs on the turn and river.
- River bluffs are often effective when the hands that can call the river are not the same as the hands that called on the flop.
- River bluffs are more effective when they are all-in, so you’re in a great bluffing position if the remaining stacks are roughly pot-sized.
Three Barrel Bluff Against An Ace
Effective stacks cost $200. The 16/13 under the gun player opens for $7 with K ♦Q ♥, but only the TAG large blind calls. The large blind is playing a 21/17 game preflop and has not yet witnessed a showdown at the table.
The flop is A♠8♠4♣. The big blind checks, the under the gun player wagers $11, and the big blind calls.
The turn is a 9♦. The huge blind checks, and the under the gun player shoots a second barrel worth $28. The huge blind calls.
The river is 7♣. The large blind checks, and the under the gun player wagers $92. The huge blind asks for time and folds after about 30 seconds.
In a 6-max game, opening with king-queen is a common strategy. Given that he’ll have to play the hand out of position versus a raise from up front, his calling range won’t be that broad.
The ace-high flop is an excellent target for a continuation bet, so the under the gun player wagers around three-quarters of the pot. The huge blind calls. He may be calling with an ace, a flush draw, a pocket pair, or even a gutshot. He may also have a set or an ace-up. It is also conceivable to have hands like 98s or 87s.
The turn is an offsuit nine, which is a somewhat neutral card for the player holding king-queen. If the large blind has a flush draw or a pocket pair other than nines, the nine does not better him, but it does create two pairs for ace-nine and nine-eight, both of which are in the big blind’s range. Given that the big blind is tight and unlikely to have improved on the turn, under the gun decides to fire another barrel—$28 into the $37 pot.
After the big blind calls the larger bet, we can move him to a stronger hand. Most likely, he holds an ace with a lesser kicker than a queen, given he has been 3-betting regularly preflop and would have done so with ace-king or ace-queen. He may also have a flush draw or a stronger hand, such as aces up or a set.
The river is 7♣. This card is appropriate for under the gun because it does not complete the large blind’s possible flush draw. It also adds a possible straight to the board, which may startle the huge blind.
When the big blind checks again, we can exclude sets and two pairs from his options. With such good hands, the majority of players would have bet or raised by now. They aren’t impossible, but they’re doubtful right now. The most likely hands for the big blind are an ace with a non-premium kicker and a failed flush draw.
Because the huge blind is tight and rarely sees a showdown, the under the gun player uses a pot-sized third barrel to drive his opponent off a weak ace. Since the large blind requested time before folding, he most likely had a non-premium ace.
Attempting to push someone off top pair with a large river bet is not advisable against all opponents. Some opponents are simply overly loose. When you place the bet, they may think, “I must be beaten again,” but they will finally call because they “have to see it.” Against these players, consider building a little river bluff like
Contribute $20 or $30 to the $93 pot. It may be enough to force your opponent off a hand with a little pair and a flush draw that did not improve. Bluffing is not a simple “to bluff or not bluff” option. There are three types of bluffs: large, medium, and tiny, each of which folds out a distinct range of hands. One bluff size may be unprofitable, while another is profitable. Before action, consider all possible outcomes.
A full-bore 3-barrel bluff, like the one used in this hand, can effectively drive tight players off top pair. If you put your opponent on a likely top pair because to the action, and you believe they will not stack off with simply top pair, try throwing a large river bluff.
This section contains numerous examples of firing multiple barrels. Before we proceed, we must first establish the authenticity of these plays. We do not propose using two or three barrels for every “good” barreling opportunity. If you bluff too often, opponents will notice and begin checking huge hands to you and calling down with weak hands. However, if you rarely fire the second or third barrel, your game has a major issue. Multiple barrel bluffs are required in current online 6-max $1-$2. Use them cautiously, but don’t be hesitant to fire away when the circumstance calls for it. Also, expect to lose a few extra large pots. That is only part of the game.
