The goal of postflop strategy is to maximize the EV of our hands. Depending on a multitude of factors, we will want to take certain actions to win as many chips as possible. This page covers the general principles of postflop play and provides the base concepts for building a deeper understanding of postflop strategy.
C-betting
A continuation bet, or c-bet, is a bet made by the last player to take an aggressive action on the previous street. In the case of flop c-betting, it is the pre-flop aggressor (PFA) betting on the flop after being called preflop.
Flop c-betting is particularly relevant because the PFA generally has a stronger range going to the flop. Depending on board texture, SPR, and ranges, optimal c-bet sizes and frequencies can vary widely.
In general, c-betting is a result of the PFA having a range advantage or nut advantage over the player who called preflop.
Donking
A donk bet is a bet made by the player who did not take the last aggressive action on the previous street. Most players will check to the PFA on the flop, but certain boards can favour the caller's range enough to make donk betting the best option.
Defending against c-bets
Since the PFA has a range advantage on many flops, the preflop caller often checks their entire range OOP on the flop. After a c-bet, the caller can choose to fold, call, or raise.
In general, the caller should call decent hands and raise strong hands and bluffs. Exact frequencies and sizes depend on a variety of factors. Full understanding comes from becoming familiar with GTO solutions and the underlying principles, and requires studying the solutions yourself.
Showdown value
Showdown value refers to your hands that want to reach showdown for a cheap price. Hands like middle pair are often strong enough to win at showdown if the pot remains small, but they are not necessarily strong enough to bet for value.
These hands generally want to take passive actions and avoid bloating the pot.
Barreling turns
Barreling means betting again on a later street after betting the previous street. Turn barreling is usually more selective than flop c-betting because the defender has already folded the junk portion of their range.
After a flop c-bet and call, the PFA often has a polarized range while the caller has a linear range. Certain turn cards can favor one player's range or change the degree of polarization for either player, affecting turn betting frequencies and sizes.
Turn barrels should also consider SPR, as our nutted hands often want to play for stacks by the river.
Turn probes
A turn probe is a bet made by the preflop caller after the PFA checks back the flop. In general, after checking back the flop, the PFA has a range with less nuts and more marginal hands. The caller can use a probe to put pressure on this range.
Small probes are common when the caller wants to bet a wide range. They can deny equity, get thin value, and pressure hands that checked back the flop with weak showdown value.
Large overbet probes are useful when the caller wants to polarize their range. By betting huge, the caller can put pressure on the PFA's capped range and build the pot with their strongest hands. Overbet probes are often used in high SPR situations so that the caller has a reasonable path to get stacks in by the river.
Betting rivers
River betting is mostly about value thresholds, bluffs, and pot odds. There are no future cards, so protection and equity denial no longer matter. Bluffing is also a key part of river strategy. If we want to get called when we have value, we need to have some bluffs in our range.
Sizes and frequencies should be picked according to range on range dynamics, SPR, and player-specific tendencies. We may want to check some strong hands out of position as traps, but when we are in position we should be betting our strong hands for value since checking back is just a missed opportunity to get paid off.
When in position, we rarely want to bet smaller than 50% of the pot because betting small gives our opponent an easy opportunity to check-raise, which is unfavourable for us.
Bluff catching
A bluff-catcher is a hand that beats the opponent's bluffs but loses to most of their value bets. These hands rarely want to raise, so the decision is usually between calling and folding.
Good bluff-catching starts with the opponent's range. If their line contains enough missed draws and natural bluffs, calling becomes more attractive. If their line is value-heavy, folding becomes better even with hands that would normally be considered strong.
Blockers matter most in close river spots. A good bluff-catcher often blocks some value hands and unblocks bluffs. For example, holding a card that removes the opponent's strongest value combos can make a call better, while holding cards that block missed draws can make a call worse.
Common postflop mistakes
Beginners often:
- think only about their own hand.
- donk without considering range dynamics.
- bet too often with showdown value.
- bet too large with non-polarized ranges.
- bet too small with polarized ranges.
- don't protect their checking range.
- rely on generic rules instead of adjusting to opponents.
Key takeaways
In general, postflop play is about how ranges interact and maximizing EV by using the right sizing and frequencies with the right hands.
While GTO solutions reflect the exact principles required for optimal play, they are not a substitute for common sense. GTO provides the baseline, but it is up to you to build an intuition for the underlying principles and exploit your opponents when you catch them making mistakes.