Blocker bet?

[ATM]

What is a blocker or block bet? How much is a block bet and when do i use one?

[unseen]

As far as I understood it: A blocking bet is a bet you make to keep the betting small, if you think your opponent might likely call your bet instead of betting out larger himself. This could be a thing to do if you got some kind of draw or maybe ant to showdown the hand more cheap.

Example:

You site MP2 or something and raise say AJs get one caller OTB and the flop comes A79 two of your suite. Now (beside many other things) you figure the button likely has an ace too or maybe a PP.

You want to keep the betting smaller to see further streets cheap and make your flush. You also know villain would bet out here if you check most of the time like 3/4 of the pot nearly all of the time, but also just call any of your bets with either TP or a draw himself.

So instead of checking and being confronted with big bet you make a small bet to block you opponents betting.

I am not the best in constructing examples, but thats more or less how I understood blocking bets. Maybe someone could verify or correct me.

Edit: I just forgot to say the amount depends IMO so heavy on the situation I cannot say like this or that fraction of the pot, but will naturally be smaller than "normal" conti bets for example. Maybe this is something more experienced people can comment on.

[teecee90]

I may be wrong, but I thought a block bet was a bet made OOP with a marginal hand to avoid your opponent being able to bluff you off your hand on the cheap.

[PantsOnFire]

A blocking bet is a small bet designed to not to get your opponent to fold nor to get money into the pot for value. It is designed to keep the pot small and avoid having to put in a large amount. So you have a medium hand or a good draw and want to keep playing the hand on the cheap. A blocking bet is smaller than a normal bet and can be in the range of 1/4 to 1/3 of the pot.

It is done when you are OOP since if you have position your desired play is to check behind. Actually that helps explain the rationale for a blocking bet. If you have position and had a hand you weren't sure was best but you had a draw or otherwise wished to see another card cheap or free or wished to showdown on the river, then you check behind. However, when you are OOP, you can check but you invite villain to bet into you and sometimes it will be an amount where you can't continue in the hand but you really want to see another card.

This play can be exploited however. To avoid this, you need to make these blocking size bets when you do have a hand so that other blocking size bets don't always mean you are looking for a card cheap or have a medium hand.

Blocking bets are usually associated with river play OOP. You think you might have the best hand with a something like A5 on an A high rag board. You might bet out hoping that villain will just call and not raise. If you check the river, yoiu might face a 2/3 pot be and have a tough decision.