When considering how frequently we should fire a flop c-bet, board texture is a hugely critical variable.
Reading a board’s texture can reveal how well an opponent hit their poker range, whether they’re on a draw or have whiffed completely.
- A wet board denotes possible flush and/or straight draws.
- A dry board might signal the all-clear for a c-bet.
Board texture is second in importance only to the position and action, but in extreme cases, it can even become the most significant variable.
Board Textures – The Beginner’s Guide
The logical starting point is with the following two oversimplifications -
- Boards with high cards are good for the last preflop aggressor
- Boards with a mid-range connection are ideal for the preflop defender.
These simplifiers are not universally true in every spot. In most poker games, they heavily depend on the range each player enters the pot with. However, the premise is helpful.
The aggressor probably holds high cards; the defender usually has mid-range ones.
The rationale is simply that the defender would have re-raised preflop if they held bigger cards.
BTN vs BB Examples
Example – BTN Opens, BB Cold Calls
Board Texture K73 rainbow – BTN c-bets 76.5% of the time.
The king high card is on the flop, which is good for the BTN raiser. It’s a relatively dry texture (also good for the raiser). This texture translates to a high c-bet frequency.
Board Texture KK5 rainbow – BTN c-bets 96% of the time.
As we play/study, we’ll pick up additional heuristics. For example, paired boards often c-bet more aggressively than unpaired boards.
The combination of the paired board and the high cards make this one of the textures with the highest c-bet frequency in this scenario.
Board Texture Th 9h 6d – BTN c-bets 42.7% of the time.
The combination of the two-tone texture and mid-range interactivity make this board less attractive for the BTN aggressor to execute a poker bluff.
Although we still c-bet somewhat aggressively, we mostly check.
Board Texture A93 monotone – BTN c-bets 26.6% of the time
At first glance, the presence of the ace on the board is good for the button’s poker hand.
Despite this, monotone textures are c-bet less aggressively in general.
Ironically, the ace ends up being bad for us because it reduces the number of flush draws and flushes we hold.
Lower monotone textures are c-bet more aggressively for this reason.
Textural Impact on Bet Sizing
The texture also significantly affects recommended c-bet sizings.
The c-bet frequency does not reveal the whole picture, as the following examples demonstrate -
Board Texture Ah-Qh-9d – BTN vs BB cold caller
BTN Strategy
- Check -> 50.9%
- Bet 33% pot -> 1%
- Bet 50% pot -> 1.2%
- Bet 75% pot -> 5.1%
- Bet 125% pot -> 41.8%
A simple heuristic is that double-broadway boards tend to overbet the pot in this formation.
Board Texture K83 rainbow – BTN vs BB cold caller
- Check -> 9.5%
- Bet 33% pot -> 82.9%
- Bet 50% pot -> 6.1%
- Bet 75% pot -> 1%
- Bet 125% pot -> 0.5%
Dry boards with a single broadway mostly use smaller bet sizings.
We could easily assume that the single broadway board is ‘better’ because theory has a ~90% c-bet frequency.
Although theory ‘only’ c-bets the double broadway texture around 49% of the time, the bet sizing is mostly 125% pot.
If we think of this as a total investment in big blinds, theory invests more chips on the double broadway texture, despite the overall c-bet frequency being more middling.
So, although frequency is essential, it doesn’t tell us everything about how aggressively to invest in specific flops across different types of poker games.
With board texture theory in the books, let's examine how c-betting is critical for pot growth and building a pot.
