C-Bet Frequency by Stake Level What 21 Million Hands Reveal
We analyzed 5.2 million continuation bet opportunities across 21 million real online cash game hands. The headline finding: c-bet frequency barely changes from micros to $5/$10. The real skill gap is on the turn.
C-bet rate by dollar stake
Every row represents the preflop raiser's flop betting frequency across all hands at that stake level. Double and triple barrel rates are conditional on the previous street's c-bet.
| Stake | C-Bet | Dbl Barrel | Trpl Barrel | HU | Multiway | Opportunities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.10/$0.25 | 68.9% | 54.5% | 60.5% | 71.7% | 59.6% | 1,501,302 |
| $0.25/$0.50 | 65.5% | 51.2% | 58.6% | 67% | 56.3% | 457,153 |
| $0.50/$1 | 66.8% | 47.3% | 55.2% | 68.8% | 54.9% | 488,891 |
| $1/$2 | 66.6% | 46.6% | 56.3% | 68.7% | 53.8% | 755,503 |
| $2/$4 | 66.2% | 46.2% | 55.5% | 68.7% | 52.6% | 990,779 |
| $3/$6 | 65.5% | 46.5% | 55.5% | 68% | 51.1% | 482,855 |
| $5/$10 | 65.7% | 45.4% | 54.7% | 68.1% | 49.4% | 566,319 |
| Overall | 66.9% | 49.2% | 57.5% | 69.2% | 55.6% | 5,242,802 |
Key findings
1. Flop c-bet barely changes across stakes
C-bet rate drops from 68.9% at $0.10/$0.25 to 65.7% at $5/$10. The conventional assumption is that higher-stakes players are fundamentally more selective about c-betting. They aren't. Nearly everyone c-bets the flop at roughly the same rate because it's the most ingrained habit in poker.
2. The double barrel gap is the biggest stake difference
Double barrel frequency drops from 54.5% at micros to 45.4% at $5/$10. That's nearly three times the flop c-bet gap. Higher-stakes players fire fewer turns after a c-bet. Lower-stakes players fire the turn more often, 54.5% against 45.4% at $5/$10.
3. Triple barrel falls less than the double barrel
Conditional on double-barreling, the river follow-through rate slips from 60.5% at $0.10/$0.25 to 54.7% at $5/$10. Once they barrel the turn, they're mostly committed. That gap is smaller than the turn's 9.1pp, so most of the filtering happens on the turn.
4. Heads-up vs multiway is the biggest factor
Heads-up c-bet frequency is 69.2%. Multiway is 55.6%. That gap is more than four times the stake-level gap. Whether you're against one opponent or two+ matters far more than whether you're playing $0.25/$0.50 or $5/$10.
5. Multiway c-bet drops hardest at high stakes
Multiway c-bet frequency at micros is 59.6%. At $5/$10 it's 49.4%, the steepest decline of any metric in the study. Higher-stakes players respect multiway pots. This is one of the last habits lower-stakes players fix.
What this means for your game
If you're playing $1/$2 through $5/$10, your opponents are c-betting the flop at roughly the same rate regardless of stake. You can't use flop c-bet frequency to differentiate skill levels at your table. What you can use is their turn behavior. A player who c-bets the flop 67% of the time and the turn 54% of the time is playing like a micro-stakes population. A player who c-bets the flop 66% but the turn only 45% is playing a tighter, more selective game. C-bet frequency is one of the most common leaks, and this data shows exactly where it shows up.
The multiway gap is even more actionable. If an opponent c-bets into three players at the same rate they c-bet heads-up, they're making a population-level mistake. The data shows higher-stakes players have largely corrected it. Exploitative adjustment: against players who c-bet multiway as often as heads-up, call and raise more of your strong hands and draws, but be careful with pure bluff check-raises, since a third player is still behind you. Knowing which opponent type you're facing tells you whether they'll adjust or keep making the same error.
Want to test a specific c-bet decision against real equity? Use the Spot Calculator to see whether your c-bet has the right equity and fold equity to be profitable at your stake level. Then take it to the realistic poker practice arena and drill c-bet decisions against the opponent types.
Methodology
The study covers 21 million online No-Limit Hold'em cash-game hands. A continuation bet is defined as a bet by the preflop raiser on the flop when they were the last aggressor preflop. Double barrel and triple barrel rates are conditional on the previous street's c-bet. Heads-up and multiway splits reflect pot type at the time of the flop c-bet decision. All seven stake levels contain at least 450,000 c-bet opportunities.
Frequently asked questions
What is a c-bet in poker? +
A continuation bet (c-bet) is a bet made by the preflop raiser on the flop, continuing the aggression they showed before the flop. It's one of the most common and important plays in poker. The data shows the average player c-bets about 67% of the time across all stakes.
How many hands were analyzed in this study? +
This study analyzed 5.2 million c-bet opportunities across 21 million online cash-game hands. The data spans seven stake levels from $0.10/$0.25 to $5/$10.
Why doesn't c-bet frequency change much across stakes? +
Flop c-betting is the most ingrained habit in poker. Nearly every training resource teaches it, so players at all levels do it at similar rates (65-69%). The real skill gap shows up on the turn: double barrel rates drop from 54.5% at micros to 45.4% at $5/$10. Higher-stakes players are more selective about which barrels to fire, not whether to fire the first one.
What's the difference between heads-up and multiway c-bet frequency? +
Heads-up c-bet frequency (69.2%) is 13.6 percentage points higher than multiway c-bet frequency (55.6%) across the population. In this data it is a much bigger factor than stake level. The study did not split by board texture, which also moves c-bet frequency a lot. More opponents means more chances someone connected with the board, so players bet less often.
What is a good c-bet percentage? +
Across 5.2 million opportunities, the population average is 66.9%. A healthy c-bet range is 55-70% overall, but the right frequency depends on board texture, position, and whether the pot is heads-up or multiway. Heads-up pots average 69.2% while multiway pots average 55.6%. If your c-bet is above 75%, you're likely betting too many weak boards. Below 50%, you're giving up pots a single bet would win.
Are Poker Shark's opponents built from this data? +
This study is separate research. The opponent types are written by hand and then measured. The research page explains how we build them.
Can I cite this research? +
Yes. Link back to this page when referencing the data. Citation: Poker Shark, "C-Bet Frequency by Stake Level: What 21 Million Hands Reveal," pokrshark.com/research/c-bet-frequency-by-stake.