Your flop play
Cbet flop and fold to cbet flop.
Full read: about 13 min
The cbet, or continuation bet, is the bet you put on the flop when you were the preflop raiser. It's the most frequent postflop action in poker, and one of the worst played in micros. Not because players bet too much or too little, but because they bet without knowing why.
The real cbet leak isn't your frequency
We usually look at one thing: how often you cbet. In micros, the pool bets the flop around 60% of the time, climbing toward 69% as you move up in stakes. Winners bet a little more often, but above all, they bet better. And here's the detail that changes everything: on fold to cbet, how often you fold facing a cbet, winners and the pool are at almost exactly the same level. No gap. So the leak isn't in the overall number: it's which boards you bet, and why.
Think in ranges, not in hands
Preflop, you look at your two cards. Postflop, that's no longer enough: you have to think in ranges. From there flows the central flop idea, range advantage: on every board, one of the two players has more good hands than the other. On a board with an ace or a king on top, it's the raiser; on a low connected board, often the player who defended wide. Whoever owns the board has the right to apply pressure.
The only question that matters: why am I betting?
Before every bet, one question. Three good answers: for value (worse hands pay you), to make them fold (you cash in fold equity), or as a semi-bluff (a draw that can become very strong). And one bad answer: no reason, because "you raised before". If you can't name the reason, you check. Checking isn't weakness: it's the right call when the board belongs to the other player.
What's in the full course
The excerpt gave you the reasoning. The full course, free, gives you the numbered method and the tools to apply it:
- The exact bet sizes by board type, and why one size per texture keeps you unreadable.
- The full "who has the range advantage" table by board type, with examples.
- An interactive board explorer: you pick a spot, draw a flop, and the tool tells you who owns the board and what to do.
- How to adapt to each opponent profile (calling station, too-tight player, good reg) to cbet the right way.
- The check-raise, the raise and the donk bet: when to attack, and when absolutely not.
- The winning player's precise targets, and the concrete actions to apply from your next session.
The full course
Online reading, for logged-in members only.
Read the full course onlineFrequently asked questions
What is a cbet in poker?
A cbet, or continuation bet, is the bet made on the flop by the player who raised preflop. It's the continuation of their preflop aggression, hence the name.
Should you always cbet the flop?
No. Cbetting on autopilot because you raised before is the most common mistake. You bet when you have a clear reason (value, make them fold, or semi-bluff) and when the board belongs to your range. Otherwise, you check.
What cbet size should you use?
It depends on the board texture, not on your hand. On a board your whole range can bet, a small size (around 33%) is enough; on a dynamic, draw-heavy board, you bet bigger (66-75%) to protect your hands and make the draws pay. Keeping a consistent size per board type stops you from becoming readable.
Why am I losing with my cbets even though I bet at the right frequency?
Because the leak is almost never in the overall frequency, but in the boards. You bet on boards that belong to the opponent and you lose, even with a perfectly normal cbet frequency. The fix is to look at which boards you bet, not just how much.