So when should you be making continuation bets? Quite a lot of the time actually, but betting flops that are likely to have helped your hand is a good starting point. As a rule of thumb you should c-bet pretty much every time an Ace appears on the flop, as so many of the hands you’re claiming to have when you raise include an Ace. A-K, A-Q, A-J, A-T and any suited Ace are all credible raising hands depending on your position and the game dynamic, and all have connected with an Ace-high flop. And of course if there’s one Ace on the board it’s less likely there’s an Ace in your opponent’s hand – there are only three left in the deck after all.
Bet-sizing
A continuation bet can typically be anywhere between half the pot to the whole pot. Remember that a c-bet should be the same size whether you’re bluffing or making a value bet. If you start betting the pot when you’re bluffing and half when you’re not you’ll soon get found out. You can, however, mix up your bet sizes based on the texture of the flop. Many players c-bet a smaller amount on dry boards, such as 3s-6d-Jc, and more on wetter boards like Kd-7d-9s (the argument being that on a dry board your opponent usually has either a big hand or nothing, so is just as likely to fold to a small bet as to a big one). That’s up to you. If in doubt stick to a two-thirds of pot bet every time you make a continuation bet. It will save you a lot of headaches in the long run.
Player type
Is your opponent aggressive or passive? If your opponent is aggressive you should start polarising your c-bets a little more between complete bluffs to take the pot away before they get a chance to steal on the turn and big value bets, as aggressive players will check-raise without the goods a lot more often. Against passive players you can c-bet a far wider range of hands, as if you meet resistance you can slow down or speed up according to whether or not you want to get more chips into the middle, as they’ll be following your betting lead. Continuation-betting against players who play their cards face up is a must. If they had a big pair they would have reraised you preflop, right?