At a glance
- On the HUD
- Flop CBSz·Turn CBSz·River CBSz
- Formula
average c-bet as a percent of the pot before it- Typical range
Not colored on the HUD: it has no typical range, because a good number depends on the game. See “Too low, about right, too high” below.
- Where it shows
- Badge: the player with the lead, before they act.
- Trust it after
- 12 chances. Below that the number is faded; reads need 12 chances and a number at least one standard error outside the typical range.
What it measures
C-bet size is the average of a player’s continuation bets, each measured as a percent of the pot before the bet. On the flop that’s the preflop raiser’s bet; on the turn it’s their second barrel after c-betting the flop and keeping the lead; on the river it’s the third barrel.
It only counts bets the c-bettor makes as the first bet of the street. If someone donk-bets into them first, whatever they do next isn’t a c-bet and adds nothing here.
It’s the c-bet slice of bet size, which averages every bet the player makes, including donk bets, probes and stabs. Comparing the two is useful: a player who c-bets 33% but bets 75% when they aren’t the aggressor sizes by role, often betting big only when they’ve actually hit. It also pairs with c-bet frequency. A player who c-bets often and small plays a range-bet style; one who c-bets rarely but big has a narrower, stronger c-betting range.
How it’s calculated
Each c-bet adds one sample: the chips they put in with the c-bet, divided by everything in the middle before it, times 100. The stat is the average of those samples, kept per street.
- Flop: the bet of the player who made the last preflop raise, when nobody has bet in front of them.
- Turn: the same player again, if they c-bet the flop and were still the last aggressor. Calling someone’s raise on the flop loses the lead, and with it the turn c-bet.
- River: the third barrel, under the same rule.
- Checks, raises and bets made after a donk bet add no samples.
- Earlier streets and dead money, such as a folded small blind, are part of the pot.
- One average per street, with no position or pot-type versions.
Example: Ines opens to 3 big blinds and the big blind calls, so 6.5 big blinds are in the pot (3 + 3 + 0.5). She c-bets 2, which is 2 ÷ 6.5 = 31%. On the turn the pot is 10.5 and she bets 7, about 67%. Over a session her flop c-bets average 35% and her turn barrels 70%: the small-then-big pattern of a player who range-bets the flop and polarizes the turn.
Why it matters
C-bets are probably the bets you face most often, so their size is the sizing habit that matters most. Small c-bets need few folds (24.8% at 33%) and let the bettor bet a wide range; big ones need more (39.8% at 66%, 50% at pot) and usually come from a narrower range. Your continuing range should follow the price.
The badge shows c-bet size on the player with the lead before they act, so you know their usual size before they pick one. When the actual bet differs from it, that’s information. In home games especially, a player who usually c-bets a third and suddenly bets pot is rarely balancing; they want protection or value.
The later barrels matter more in chips. A pot that started at 6.5 big blinds and saw a 66% flop c-bet called holds about 15 big blinds on the turn (6.5 × 2.32), so a 66% turn barrel is about 10 big blinds. Each street’s decision is bigger than the last.
Too low, about right, too high
The HUD shows c-bet size with no typical range and no color, since good sizes change with the board. These bands are ours, matched to the HUD’s bet-size buckets: under 40% is small, 40–80% medium, 80% and up large.
Small: under 40%
What it says
They c-bet small, probably with most of their range: the third-pot range bet on dry flops, often paired with a high c-bet frequency. That’s a sound flop strategy on boards that favor the raiser, but it leaves their c-betting range wide and weak on average. On the turn and river an average this low is less usual and often marks a player who barrels small to keep the pot manageable with medium hands.
How to exploit it
- Defend wide. Against 33% you need 19.9% equity: continue with any pair, gutshots and backdoor flush draws with an overcard.
- Raise small c-bets. Check-raise out of position with good draws and two pair or better, and raise in position with strong draws; a wide range can’t continue often against a raise.
- Float in position and take the pot when they check the turn. Their turn c-bet rate shows how often they give up.
- Treat small turn and river barrels as medium hands: raise them with strong hands and some bluffs.
Medium: 40–80%
What it says
Half-pot to three-quarter-pot c-bets: the classic size. A player here may use one size for everything or switch between small and big depending on the board; their small-bet share and overbet share help tell which. Medium c-bets ask you for 25–30% equity to call and need 33–43% folds to profit as bluffs. The size itself rarely gives much away here; how often they c-bet and how the size changes on later streets tell you more.
How to exploit it
- Look at frequency, not size. A 60% c-bet at 75% frequency includes a lot of air; at 40% frequency it’s mostly value. Set your defense by the frequency.
- Compare streets. If the turn barrel is much bigger than the flop c-bet, the turn range is polarized: call with bluff-catchers if they barrel often, fold if they barrel rarely.
- Note out-of-pattern bets. A player who c-bets 55% every time and then bets 30% or 100% has changed something; give the odd size extra weight.
Large: over 80%
What it says
They c-bet pot or close to it. Theory saves big c-bets for boards where the raiser has the strongest hands, used with a narrower range. In home games a high average often means a player who bets pot with made hands to “protect” them and checks when they miss, which makes their c-bets stronger than a typical range. If their c-bet frequency is also high, they’re betting big with plenty of air instead.
How to exploit it
- If their c-bet frequency is low or normal, fold weak pairs and weak draws: a pot-sized c-bet asks for 33.3% equity and their range is strong.
- If it’s high, they bluff big: call with any pair and good draws, and check-raise strong draws, since a pot-sized bluff needs 50% folds and you won’t give it.
- When they check, attack. A big c-bettor who checks often has nothing: bet or probe the next street.
- Don’t check-raise light into a player who only bets big with value.
On the flop, turn and river
Flop: c-bet size
The flop c-bet size is the one you’ll see most and the most strategic. Small sizes go with range bets on dry, high-card boards; bigger sizes go with wet, connected boards where the raiser wants to charge draws. A player whose flop size never changes with the board isn’t adjusting, which you can spot by watching their bets across a few different textures.
Home-game c-bets often come in big blind amounts rather than pot fractions. A player who always bets 4 big blinds c-bets 62% into a 6.5 big blind single-raised pot (4 ÷ 6.5) and 20% into a 20 big blind 3-bet pot (4 ÷ 20), so their average depends on which pots they play.
Flop exploit: against a small flop average with a high c-bet frequency, check-raise flush draws and open-enders. Their wide range has to fold too much or call with weak hands.
Turn: c-bet size
The turn c-bet is the double barrel, and its size says a lot. Most players who keep betting on the turn have narrowed to strong hands and draws, so turn sizes tend to grow. A turn average well above the flop average shows a player who range-bets the flop small and polarizes the turn; a turn average at or below the flop average often means they barrel small with medium hands they want to protect.
Bigger turn barrels also set up the river: a called 75% turn bet leaves a pot 2.5 times the turn pot (1 + 2 × 0.75), often enough for a pot-sized shove on the river.
Turn exploit: if a player’s turn barrels are small (under 40%) while their flop c-bets were bigger, raise their turn bet with strong hands and with draws that have good equity. The shrinking size usually marks a hand that can’t take pressure.
River: c-bet size
The river c-bet is the triple barrel: the third bet in a row from the same player. By now the range is strong hands plus the bluffs they chose to follow through with. Size here is the most honest of the three streets: many players go big with the nuts and small with thin value, and few balance it.
A caller needs 25% equity against half pot, 33.3% against pot and 40% against twice the pot. A triple-barrel average over 80% means you pay a high price for every bluff-catch, so the question is whether they ever bluff: check river bluff (shown).
River exploit: against a player whose river barrels average under 40%, call with second pair or better and raise your strong hands; small triple barrels are usually thin value or a blocker bet.
When it’s your own number
Observant opponents see your c-bet size on your badge when you hold the lead, before you act. If it’s always small, they’ll raise and float you more; if it’s always big, they’ll fold their weak hands and check-raise their strong ones.
The bigger leak is sizing by hand strength: big with top pair, small with air. Anyone who sees a few showdowns can read your hand from the size. Choose a size per board type, small on dry high-card boards and bigger on wet ones, and use it with every hand you c-bet there. Check your turn and river averages too; players who size well on the flop often slip on later streets.
Using it on the HUD
C-bet size shows on the badge of the player with the lead, before they act: on the flop the preflop raiser, on later streets whoever c-bet and kept the lead. It has no typical range and no color, and it’s faded with fewer than 12 c-bets behind it. Each street keeps one average, and all three are on the player database page.
Flop c-bets come often, so the flop number is usable within a few sessions; turn and river barrels take much longer, and a single pot-sized barrel moves a short river average a lot. Read it next to the c-bet frequency for the same street, and next to bet size for their other bets. On the other side of the table, fold to c-bet shows how the players facing those c-bets respond.
Questions
What is a good c-bet size?
It depends on the board. Small c-bets around a third of the pot work with most of a range on dry, high-card flops; bigger c-bets of two-thirds to pot fit wet boards and narrower ranges. The HUD gives c-bet size no typical range for that reason. Against an opponent, what matters is how their size lines up with their c-bet frequency.
What does a small c-bet mean?
Usually a wide range. A 33% c-bet only needs 24.8% folds to profit, so players can bet it with almost everything on boards that favor them. In home games a small c-bet can also mean a weak made hand looking for a cheap turn. Either way, defend wider and raise more against small c-bets.
Is c-bet size the same as bet size?
No. C-bet size counts only continuation bets: the preflop raiser’s flop bet and their turn and river barrels while they keep the lead. Bet size counts every bet the player makes, including donk bets, probes and stabs. A gap between the two shows a player who sizes differently when they are the aggressor.
Why is a player’s turn c-bet bigger than their flop c-bet?
Because their range is narrower and more polarized by the turn. Many players range-bet the flop small, then barrel the turn bigger with strong hands and draws and check the rest. That’s normal. The unusual pattern is a turn barrel smaller than the flop c-bet, which often means a medium hand they want to protect cheaply.