The language of bets
C-bets, 3-bets, check-raises, donk bets.
- 01, open this step in the interactive version
Poker has a name for every kind of bet. Knowing them lets you read a hand history, and think about a spot in one word.
- 02, open this step in the interactive version
Before the flop, the first raise is the open. Just calling the big blind instead is a limp.
- 03, open this step in the interactive version
The cutoff opens to $6. You raise to $18. What is your raise called?
show answer
answerA 3-bet
whyThe big blind counts as the first bet and the open as the second, so the re-raise is the third. Raise again and it’s a 4-bet.
- 04, open this step in the interactive versionPot$39, their bet $25
After the flop, the player who raised last before it often bets again. That’s a continuation bet, or c-bet.
- 05, open this step in the interactive version
They check, you bet $25, and they raise. What is that?
show answer
answerA check-raise
whyThey checked first, then raised your bet. It usually means a strong hand or a strong draw, because they gave up the chance to bet first.
- 06, open this step in the interactive version
Betting into the player who had the initiative on the last street is a donk bet. It was long called a mistake; poker programs lead this way more often than people do.
- 07, open this step in the interactive versionPot$40, their bet $60
A bet bigger than the pot is an overbet. Going all-in means betting everything you have left.
- 08, open this step in the interactive version
Open, limp, 3-bet, 4-bet, c-bet, check-raise, donk bet, overbet. Most hands can be told in these eight words.