Welcome! This newsletter contains

As a subscriber to the newsletter, you’ll have access to our Pre-flop Flash Cards that tests your knowledge of starting hand ranges! You can choose the position you want to study, work through a series of hands, and track your progress during the session.

So, if you’re trying to get more comfortable with which hands to play from each position, this is a great way to turn the concepts we discuss here into actual practice!

A continuation bet (c-bet) is a flop bet made by the player who was the preflop aggressor. But being the preflop raiser gives you the opportunity to c-bet … it does not mean you have to. The key question is not simply, “Did I hit the flop?” but “Who does this flop favor?” Think about how the flop interacts with both players' ranges.

On high, dry boards like A-7-2 rainbow, the preflop raiser often has a range advantage because their range contains more strong Aces and premium overpairs. This allows frequent, often small, c-bets—even with hands that completely missed. On low, connected boards like 9-8-7, the caller's range can connect much more strongly, so the preflop raiser should generally check more often. The simple rule is: high and dry → bet more; low and connected → check more.

Bet sizing should also reflect the board and range strategy, not simply the strength of your individual hand. A small bet of around one-third pot works well on many dry boards where you have a strong range advantage, while larger bets around two-thirds to three-quarters pot become more useful on coordinated boards and with more polarized ranges. When you miss the flop, look for hands with additional equity—such as A♥K♥ on Q♥7♣2♥, where you have two overcards and the nut flush draw—rather than automatically bluffing just because you raised preflop.

Finally, don't make your checking range entirely out of missed hands. Occasionally checking strong hands such as top pair, an overpair, or a set protects your checking range and prevents opponents from automatically attacking your checks. And when the pot becomes multiway, slow down: with more opposing ranges involved, someone is more likely to connect with the board, so your c-betting frequency should generally decrease. The overall framework is to ask: Who has the range advantage? Who has the nut advantage? How connected is the board? And is the pot heads-up or multiway?

Terminology to be familiar with:

Continuation Bet (or C-bet) — A bet made on the flop by the player who was the aggressor on the previous street.

Nut Advantage — When one player’s range contains more combinations of the absolute best possible hands (the “nuts”) on a specific board than their opponent’s range.

PRO TIP — Always betting big with strong hands and small with weak hands is a tell-tale sign of an OMC!