This week’s word is continuation bet or, more simply, c-bet.

When you raise preflop and then follow up with a bet on the flop—whether you hit the flop or not—you are making a c-bet. The purpose of a c-bet is to maintain the initiative and aggression you took when you raised preflop.

The underlying idea behind such a move is that by raising preflop, you are indicating that you like your hand and are amenable to playing for a larger pot. When you c-bet after the flop, you are saying that you still like your hand. Because most poker hands miss the flop most of the time, c-bets are very effective because they will force opponents who made a weak call preflop—and who missed the flop—to fold.

While experts recommend utilizing the c-bet technique a high proportion of the time, just remember, however, while c-bets can be very effective, you shouldn’t use any technique 100% of the time.