Question to the Coach
When we put my poker improvement plan together, you said this: “C-betting when it’s obviously good”. I tend to C-bet 100% of the time if my preflop bet went unraised, which at low levels it’s almost never reraised.
Coach’s Answer
Yep — this is a really common micro-stakes leak, and you’ve already done the hardest part: noticing it.
When I said “C-bet when it’s obviously good,” I very deliberately did not mean “c-bet whenever you were the preflop aggressor.” At 5NL/10NL, automatic c-betting ≠ disciplined c-betting.
Let’s tighten this up.
The core problem with 100% c-betting
At low stakes:
- You rarely get reraised preflop, so you’re the aggressor a lot
- Villains call too wide preflop
- And then they call flops way too honestly (pairs, draws, stubborn A-high)
So when you c-bet every flop:
- You torch money on boards that smash their range
- You build pots with hands that want pot control
- You give away information (“I always bet”)
In short: you’re betting because you can, not because you should.
Replace “always c-bet” with this question
Before you bet the flop, ask one question:
“What worse hands call me here?”
If you can’t name several, checking is usually correct.
When c-betting
is
“obviously good”
These are the spots I want you betting almost automatically:
1. Heads-up pots
Multiway c-bets at microstakes are lighting money on fire unless you smashed the board.
Default:
- Heads-up → consider c-bet
- 3+ players → check a lot
2. Dry, disconnected boards you smash as the aggressor
Examples:
- A♣-7♦-2♠
- K♠-8♦-3♣
- Q♦-9♠-2♥ (less so, but still okay)
Why:
- You have range advantage
- Villain has a ton of whiffs
- You fold out hands that actually beat you later
👉 These are small c-bet boards (⅓ pot is fine).
3. You have real equity
or
real value
C-bet when you have:
- Top pair+
- Overpairs
- Good draws (not trash backdoors)
- Strong combo equity (two overs + draw)
You’re betting either:
- For value, or
- With a plan if called
When you should
not
auto c-bet
These are the leaks I want gone.
1. Low, wet, connected boards
Examples:
- 9♠-8♠-6♦
- 7♦-6♣-5♥
- T♣-9♦-8♠
These boards:
- Smash calling ranges
- Miss your high-card hands
- Turn your c-bet into a donation
Default: check. A lot.
2. Multiway flops you didn’t smash
If two people called you preflop and you whiffed:
- Someone probably connected
- Someone probably won’t fold
C-betting here is hopeful, not profitable.
3. Marginal hands that hate getting called
Example:
- You raise AQ
- Flop comes J-7-4 rainbow
If you bet and get called:
- What’s your turn plan?
- Are you barreling?
- Or are you just inflating a pot to give up later?
Often the correct move is check → realize equity → reevaluate.
A better default strategy (simple + strong)
Replace your current rule with this:
“I c-bet by default heads-up on dry boards, and I check by default multiway or on wet boards.”
That one sentence alone will save you money.
One last mindset shift (important)
At microstakes:
- Checking is not weakness
- Pot control is a skill
- Winning comes from fewer, better bets — not more bets
Your goal isn’t to “represent strength.”
Your goal is to get paid when ahead and lose less when behin