I want to explore the continuation betting more in PLO would like some discussion and input from players how they Cbet (or not) and why.

State the level you play and the reasons (conditions) for Cbeting (or not to cbet)

I would also like to clarify what I mean when I say Continuation bet. By Continuation bet I mean a hand that I bet after I have raised preflop and not hit anything at the flop, I am either emty or hold a weak draw not worth calling or raising for value.

So please fire away and I will start questioning everything you say..... well maby not everything but some of it.

Hi

levels played 1/2 & 0.5/1 & 2/4 (if interesting game) 6 max

I tend to raise systematically if i have solid hands pre-flop (pot sized raise to 3/4 of pot if the table is loose, limp with a lot of the rest (VPIP +- 50%))

Cbet more or less 60% of the hands (1/2 pot to pot size), but it depends A LOT on the situation.

>> OOP 1/2 pot as a probing bet with more or less decent draws/2 pair/ small sets, air practically never c-betted (if there is a HU with a nit and an obscure flop, i might bet)

in position nearly always, esp on "dangerous" boards and if only to know if there is massive heat coming from the villains (in form of a re-raise)

i cbet also as a re-raise if the situation is correct (ie with a missed board), but i would not like to generalize that situation

it allows to win a lot of smallish pots, but you really have to know to let it go if (re-)raised by solid players

against maniacs or super nits (which i can put in view of the situation on AA/KK) i might repot after my cbet if reraised (if i cover largely) with nothing but middle pair an some overcards

I determine my Cbets by:

# of opponents
How likely they are to play back at me
How likely the flop is to have hit their range
How likely the flop is to have hit my range
How likely they are to call 1 street and fold the second

I play PLO .5/1 and 1/2.

In position I bet 100% of hands I'm not afraid of being checkraised with. Air, strong made hands, strong draws. The only exception is when I'm up against a very passive opponent or someone who never checkraises, in which case I bet 100%.

If the pot is <10bb I bet near pot. The only exception is on monotone boards or a board like AAK. On drawless boards pot odds wont influence the villains' decisions, so I don't think it's necessary to bet as big.

OOP it depends a lot more on the opponent (and number of opponents) and the board. Against straightforward opponents I'll bet strong made hands and strong draws that I'm willing to commit with, and mediocre draws that I fold to a raise. I generally bet air on dry boards, or if the opponent has a high fold to CBet stat. On wet boards against aggressive opponents I usually check/fold air, and will check/call mediocre draws (such as bare nut flush with a weak gutshot, or a wrap on a two tone board). I try to throw in some flop (and turn) checkraises with strong made hands and strong draws against the aggressive opponents, but I don't think I do this enough.

I used to CBet way too much, and after toning it down my results have improved. However, I think my Cbetting strategy is far from optimal. When I check OOP I'm almost always check/folding, so it's profitable to bet almost hand against me. If I check/call it's safe to barrell off unless an obvious draw hits. When I check in position I always have a mediocre hand that cannot call the turn and river unless it improves. Even at the .5/1 level I think some of the better players have noticed and are taking advantage of it.

I think this is a good topic and I hope more people offer some guidelines.

There is no general rule for c-betting any more than there is a general rule that says Dow= 8600 is good, bad, indifferent. C-betting is not just when hero misses the flop, it is also about how much or what manner hero follows through when OP has a hand. The information you need to determine how you should c-bet is in the pokertracker data and your knowledge of how ppl play vs you.

Fair enough, but could you elaborate on this part?

What specific adjustments do you make based on opponent tendencies and how people are playing against you?

Combine mpkeezy's and chucky's posts, and you have a good recipe for a c-betting 'philosophy.'

Isnt a cbet when you bet flop after raising pre, regardless of how well you have hit the flop?
All the stat-programs use this definition.

Play mostly 10 20 and 5 10.
cbet in general > 85% vs weak opponents. Around 65% vs stations and competent aggresive regulars and even less vs those who rr cbets superlight.
Thats on average. The specific situations ofc depends on a lot of reasons including those listed by mpkeezy.

cbetting aggro tards and getting it in with TPTK is probably a third of my profits nowadays...

i like to c-bet for ~2/3 psb... regardless of position

yes

I dont actually play enough cash games to make purchase of pokertracker or other software worthwhile. That said, postflop aggression factor, check raise %, and recent hand history are all things that you should have on hand. If I was playing aggressive in position and felt that my opponents might be willing to c/r me more widely than I might turn down by c-bet% for air abit and use position to my advantage. Having this information on hand will also help other ppl help you.

I really doubt this. PTO pays for itself pretty much instantly.

Let me be more clear. I don't play cash games for more than a few hours a year because I am in graduate school and am not currently interested in playing the necessary hours to make cash games worth while. I play maybe 15 hours total of poker a month.

All of that said, if someone is going to commit themselves to playing cash games on a regular basis they should invest in these programs.

This is also the things I keep in mind when I decide to Cbet but I find myself cbet a lot less in PLO then in NLT. Im not sure that is the correct strategy.

But I cbet less against calling stations and I find that there are a lot of them in my limits (PLO50). I also avoid cbeting into the lagtards that CR just about anything and nothing. And those two playertypes seem to be the bulk of the villains in the sites and levels I play.

So I accually ends up cbeting completely empty very rare. I ofcource bet when I think Im ahead and all my strong draws but the totally missed boards I usually ends up check-folding. I believe that might be a small leak of mine.

You describe most regulars up to 1/2 in my opinion. Well put.