After covering c-betting on high-card boards with a full 100bb stack, we will analyze strategy for c-betting on connected high-card flops with shorter stacks.

Today, we will look into 40bb and 20bb situations to see how to play them in and out of position.

C-Betting On High-Card Boards In Position – Kh7c6c

Here are the assumptions we will be using:

• The hand is played 40 bb deep with 12.5% ante
• We are opening from the button to 2.3bb
• Big blind calls and checks to us on the flop

Let’s start with an example of a Kh7c6c.

While not as favorable as dry boards where we c-bet all the time, connected high-card flops are still good to our poker range. We will bet around 67% in this situation and check 33% of our hands.

The biggest difference comes with varying bet sizing. This is how we can break it down:

• 25% pot size bet with around 31% of our hands
• 67% pot size bet with 23% of our hands
• 100% pot size bet with 14% of our holdings

While small sizing is preferred as a standard, we still mix bigger bets throughout almost our entire range. The only exception is some strong ace-high hands, which prefer small bet sizing in almost all situations.

As for 20bb stacks, we do have to c-bet less often and will only fire 57% of the time on this flop.

As for bet sizing, we now use only two sizes and bet either 60% or 25% of the pot. The bigger sizing is preferred and used with 35% of the hands, and we stick to smaller bets around 21% of the time.

Key takeaways

• C-bet 67% of the time with 40bb 
• Mix between different bet sizes with your entire range with 40bb
• Bet less often when stacks get shorter and stick to a bigger sizing as a default

C-Betting on High-Card Boards OOP – Kh7c6c

Now let’s see how our poker strategy changes when we are out of position using:

• We are playing 40bb deep with 12.5% ante
• We are opening from the CO 
• BTN calls, and both of the blinds fold

Let’s look at the same example of Kh7c6c.

We will bet less often when OOP, but even in this situation, we will fire a bet around 39% of the time. The good news is that our bets are distributed evenly throughout our entire range. 

In this spot, game theory optimal strategy stick to one bet sizing of 25% of the pot in all situations, making our strategy fairly straightforward.

The only difference with a shorter stack of 20bb is that we start betting less often.

We still stick to small bet sizing of 25% of the pot in all cases, but now bet just 26% of the time.

Key takeaways:

• Bet around 39% of the time when OOP with a 40bb stack size
• Stick exclusively to 25% pot size bets with 40bb 
• C-bet a bit less often with 20bb and bet only 26% of the time, but still stick to small sizing