Floating

In today's poker world, the continuation bet, or C-bet, is incredibly common. The continuation bet is when a player raises before the flop and then continues to bet after the flop is dealt. We talked about having a balanced range is the previous post, and this is an essential part of that balance. Statistically speaking, a player will only connect with the flop about one out of three times. However, if you were to look at your opponents' stats, you would notice that they are betting post-flop much more than 1/3 of the time. They're basically betting on the fact that you didn't connect with the flop in any way, and that you will fold to another bet. So how do we counter this move? How do we defend ourselves against a player who is c-betting 70% of their hands? We can utilize a technique called the "float".

The float is a more advanced play which helps to counter the continuation bet by calling your opponent with nothing. If your opponent is c-betting a vast majority of the time then they obviously can't always have a hand. If your opponent c-bets and you call behind them, this is going to get their attention. If they don't have anything, they may very well shut down the betting on the turn and we can bet here and take down the pot. It's basically announcing to your opponent that you have some piece of the board and that they should continue with caution. Floating is a play best used when you have position on your opponent and the pot is heads-up between the two of you. Let's look at a couple of examples:

Let's say that you're playing a six-max $1/$2 cash game and you have JhTh on the button (last position) and the player in front of you raises to $6. You call and both of the blinds fold. The flop comes 8d5hKd. Now this doesn't help our hand whatsoever, but this is also a  pretty dry board meaning there isn't a lot in the way of straight draws. There is a flush draw with two diamonds out. Your opponent continuation bets $10 into a pot of $15 and you call. There are some cards that could potentially help you on the turn such as a queen or nine, which would give you a straight draw, and any heart will give you a flush draw. This is considered to be "backdoor equity" meaning that if one of these cards comes then you may have a chance of making the best hand by the river and won't have to bluff anymore. However, there are other cards that could potentially help us as well. Another diamond puts a flush on the board and may be a scare card for your opponent, so we could use a diamond as a "bluff out". Now the turn comes the 6d and your opponent shuts down the betting and checks. This is a good opportunity for us to lead at the pot and try to take it away. In order to do so, you should bet like you would with any made hand, so since the pot is $35, you should be betting somewhere around $22-$28. If your opponent folds then you've just taken a pot without making any kind of hand. The float is an effective way to bluff in position and take down pots that you would have otherwise had no chance of winning.

As mentioned before, this is a play best used in position against your opponent. However, it's also important to have a read on your opponent and be sure that they can be c-betting with nothing some of the time. It's equally as important to pick your spots with this play and not overuse it or your opponents will pick up on it and you may find yourself in some sticky spots later in the game. If overused, you may find your opponents checking on the turn so you can bet and then they can raise. Any type of bluff is essential to the game, but should never be overused. Otherwise you will find that you have become an easy target for the other players at the table.

As always, questions and comments are welcome.