Continuation betting when you are the blind stealer...

skilled · #1 12-12-2006, 05:27 AM

Scenario:
You are a blind stealer (you steal 40% of the time). You get called by the BB or SB but not both.

Is continuation betting 100% of the time here a recipe for disaster, or standard?

If you continuation bet almost 100% of the time, in what cases do you check behind?

MrBig30 · #2 12-12-2006, 08:23 AM

If called by one blind I continuation bet 100%. I think that is standard, certainly no recipe for disaster.

If called by two close to 100% - maybe pass if the flop comes very bad for me and I have been running bad so that the blinds could take shots at me.

Guruman · #3 12-12-2006, 06:49 PM

I've been experimenting more with checkbehinds in places where I have a robust hand in a supersmall pot. I'll tend to induce more bluffs than weak calldowns in those situations.

skilled · #4 12-13-2006, 12:03 AM

See I figured the 100% continuation bet was standard too, but lately I've been second guessing myself. I guess it just seems like people are calling the continuation bet on the flop a lot more than they used to (is this even true?). Would this change how often you continuation bet on the flop, or would you just adjust how you play on the turn?

And if you adjust your play on the turn, what adjustments do you make? I'd imagine since they call more loosely on the flop, more of their turn raises (assuming you continuation bet the turn) would be air meaning you should call turn raises more often. Anything else yall can think of?

Surf · #5 12-13-2006, 12:09 AM

Skilled,

I haven't noticed the trend you are describing, but if players are calling your cont-bets more it behooves you to figure out what they are calling you with.

If they are just peeling any time they think they have a 6 outer then we can start firing a 2nd barrel on the turn, esp when scare cards hit, pretty much regardless of our hand. If they are peeling any pair and any A-hi, then we should be checking behind everything worse than A-hi to try and improve and value-betting them otherwise, etc.

If they are calling the flop a very high %age of the time and this is problematic, you may need to tighten up a bit preflop so that you have more of a hand on average when you get to the turn....stuff like T6s doesn't help us if they're peeling the flop 100%, ya know? We'd much rather have A2 or K7 where we have some showdown value.

Surf

skilled · #6 12-13-2006, 12:19 AM

good analysis... sounds perfect to me.

I think ppl might be calling me more because I moved up to 30/60+ for a while. perhaps they also notice that my stealing % is a bit over the top and therefore call my continuation bets with lighter fluff. Either way, seems to me like you are absolutely correct. all the more reason for me to stop this 2 year old habit of bstealing more than im supposed to. Thanks a ton surf!