Some basics about 2nd barrels and sizing c-bets

[Nick Royale]

Alright, my poker account is locked so I'll make a theoretical post about something I think many put too little thought into, esp while multitabling; how to vary your c-bet size depending on your future plan for the hand. I'm going to use two examples.



Hand 1 - 200nl

Preflop: One limper, you raise A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] to $10 in CO, Button calls (32/10/1), limper folds.

Flop (pot: $25): J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
You?

So obviously we c-bet this dry flop, but what's our plan for future streets? Well in this case it's pretty simple, we'll 2nd as a bluff about never because the cards that are good to 2nd barrel are the same cards that improves our hand. With that in mind I like betting a bit more than the standard 17ish bet. When I know I'm giving up on any turn I would immediately like to make my opponent less inclined to float around with crappy pairs or gut-shots, investing a few more dollars in the c-flop may well be worth it. As a meta game benefit we're also not giving away our hand betting big with a hand like 77 on this flop.


Hand 2 - 200nl

Preflop: All folds, you raise J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] to $8 in CO, BB (18/11/2) calls.

Flop (pot: $16): K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
You?

Let's say you have some history with this player and you suspect he'll c/c this flop with a PP, but he's very likely to fold a PP on the turn if you make a decent bet again. In this situation there's no reason at all betting big on the flop, since you're planning on following up on the turn anyway. In general, when you're planning to follow up with a 2nd barrel you don't mind your opponent calling the flop bet with a wide range. The marginal hands he calls on flop will he fold on the turn anyway. If you bet $9-10 on this flop he'll probably call plenty of PPs and that's great because when you fire 2/3-pot on the turn those extra hands he'll call the flop with is donating money to you.



Ok, so these were just two examples. I'm not saying that if you're planning to 2nd barrel you should always c-bet smaller. Sometimes you need to make a big c-bet to be able to follow up big on the turn and get a weak player to fold a weak TP, or sometimes even setting up for a 3 barrel push when you think you're opponent isn't likely to have a strong enough hand to look you up often.

My point is that when you make a bet on the flop you should always consider what your plan for the coming streets is. What's villain's range? What hands are you trying to get to fold? What do you need to do to accomplish this? By sizing your flop bet in line with your turn plan you're less likely to end up in marginal spots on the turn where you don't know whether or not a 2nd barrel is profitable.


Comments appreciated.