A continuation bet is a bet by the preflop aggressor on a later street, usually the flop. “I raised preflop, so I must bet” is not a strategy.
Range advantage
Some boards favour the preflop raiser’s range because that player holds more strong overpairs or high-card combinations. Other boards connect strongly with the caller’s range.
Board texture
Dry, disconnected flops often require fewer protection concerns than coordinated boards with many straight and flush possibilities. See board texture.
Multiway pots
As more players see the flop, the chance someone connected meaningfully rises. Bluffing into several ranges therefore needs stronger justification than heads-up betting.
Hand classes
- Strong value hands often want calls from worse.
- Medium showdown hands may prefer pot control.
- Draws can bet as semi-bluffs when folds plus future improvement create value.
- Air requires enough fold equity and a credible range story.
Sizing follows purpose
Small bets can efficiently pressure weak ranges on some boards; larger bets can build value or apply pressure when ranges are polarized. Do not choose size independently of what you want worse hands to do.