I Made Another Final Table—This Time at the WSOP Ladies Event!

Hey Poker Fam! Back-to-back final tables. I just finished 8th in the WSOP Ladies Event. A record-breaking field. The competition keeps getting stronger. We're also diving deep into one of the most important technical skills in modern Poker: continuation betting. When to fire. When to check. How to balance your range. Let's go.

This Week in Poker

Strategy Corner

Continuation Betting: The Foundation of Modern Poker Strategy

Continuation betting—firing a bet post-flop after you raised pre-flop—is one of the most misunderstood tools in Poker. Most players either do it too much or too little.

The C-Bet Thought Process:

Before you c-bet, ask yourself five questions: What hand class do I have? Is my range balanced? Who has the range advantage? How many players are in the hand? What are my opponents' tendencies?

Hand Classes:

Your hand strength determines your default action. Class A hands are your value hands: top pair, sets, straights, full houses. These hands always c-bet. Class B hands are your good draws: straight draws, flush draws, gutshots with equity. These hands c-bet for value and fold equity. Class C hands are your medium-strength hands: good ace highs, bottom/mid-pair, some 6x combos. These hands mostly check to control pot size. Class D hands bricked the flop: hands with zero connection to the board. These hands check.

Balance Your C-Betting Range:

The mistake most players make is only c-betting with their strong hands. Good opponents notice immediately. You need to mix in enough bluffs with your value bets so your c-betting range is balanced. A balanced c-bet range creates a default strategy that's difficult to exploit: c-bet your Class A and Class B hands, check your Class C and Class D hands. This protects your image while maintaining fold equity.

Range Advantage Matters:

If you have the range advantage on the flop (you have more strong hands in your range than your opponent), c-bet wider. If you don't have the range advantage, c-bet tighter with your strongest hands and check hands where your opponent's range is strongest.

Position and Player Count:

In heads-up, you can c-bet much wider. In multiway pots, be more careful. The more players there are, the more likely someone hits the flop or has a hand that calls. In early position, c-bet with your strongest hands. On the button, c-bet wider because you'll win the pot post-flop with good play.

Read Your Opponents:

Your opponents' tendencies matter most. If they fold too much to c-bets, c-bet wider. If they call wide pre-flop but overfold to c-bets, exploit that. If they check-raise frequently, be cautious about c-betting weak hands.

The foundation: c-betting is about controlling the pot, maintaining fold equity, and extracting value.

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Clip of the Week

▶ WATCH NOW The WILDEST WSOP Day I've ever Played! New this week · Watch on YouTube →

I check J♠T♦ in the big blind and call a 5k bet on the flop of A♠-J❤-7♠, then face more pressure on the turn of 5❤—and when my opponent fires 22k on the river of K♦, see if I can call the bluff or do I end up folding the winner?

YouTube Channel → https://www.youtube.com/@LexyGavinPoker

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Source: Poker News Daily

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Source: Card Player

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Source: Poker.org