10 More Essential Hold’em Moves: The Blocking Bet

Using Blocking Bets the Right Way

Not everyone agrees on whether blocking bets are truly effective, but they’ll all tell you that if you’re doing it wrong, you’re burning money.

We’re here to tell you that at the right time, against the right opponent, a blocking bet can absolutely increase your winnings.

The important part of using blocking bets is understanding the line you’re taking in the hand, and the kind of opponent you’re up against.

Weaker, tighter players are your targets when you’re thinking about using a blocking bet, because an experienced, tough player will be able to exploit you by bluff-raising.

There are two main situations where you should consider a blocking bet.

Use Blocking Bet to See Cheap River Card

Imagine you’re playing a hand of $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em and a player in middle position raises to $6. The small blind calls and you decide to call with 9  10 .

The flop comes A  J  5  and you check-call a $12 continuation bet from the original raiser. The small blind folds and the 2  hits the turn.

If you know enough about this opponent to know he’ll fire a second bullet with a wide range of hands, you can make a bet of your own, and size it so that you’re getting a better price to draw to your flush.

With $42 in the pot you could bet $20, since your opponent’s likely to make a more standard-sized bet of $30-$35.

And in addition to seeing the river for less if your opponent just calls, you also pick up some fold equity for those times he completely missed the board and decides to just give up.

Example: You are in the big blind in a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em game, and a player in middle position raises to $6. The small blind calls, and you call with 9 10 . The flop comes A J 5 . You check-call a $12 continuation bet from the original raiser, and the small blind folds. The turn is 2 .

Related Reading:

• Everything You Need to Know About Fold Equity

Use Blocking Bet to See Cheap Showdown

The most common and arguably most effective way to use the blocking bet is when you’re moderately confident you have the best hand on the river, but you’re not comfortable calling a big bet to get to showdown.

Let’s go back to the $1/$2 cash game. Just like the first example a player raises, gets a call from the small blind and you call with 9  10  in the big blind.

This time the flop comes down 10  8  5  and you check-call a continuation bet from the original raiser after the small blind folds. You both check the 5  on the turn before the 2  hits the river.

At this point you’re reasonably confident that top pair is good but you’d rather not pay $35 to find out. By betting out for a smaller amount you’ll be able to see that showdown for a cheaper price, and you’ll also get some fold equity.

Example: In another $1/$2 game, you call a pre-flop raise from middle position while holding 9 10 in the big blind. The flop comes 10 8 5 . You check-call a continuation bet from the raiser, and both of you check the 5 on the turn before the 2 hits the river.

Related Reading:

• When to Make a Value Bet on the River

How to Balance Your Blocker-Bet Range

It’s important to understand that blocking bets are far more difficult to use against good players.

If you only bet small out of position with marginal hands, looking to get a cheap showdown, good players will simply raise and blow you off your hand. 

To combat this you must balance your blocker-bet range by doing exactly the same thing with your big hands too.

In the second example from above imagine you had pocket fives and flopped a set.

You checked the turn hoping to slow-play and instead of checking again on the river to induce a bluff, you bet small to represent a blocking bet and a marginal hand.

A good player will pick up on this and might try to bluff-raise you off the pot, getting more money into the middle when you’ve got the best of it.

Merging Ranges with Balanced Blocking Bets

Building a balanced blocking-bet range often involves merging what would otherwise be separate categories of hands. Instead of only making small bets with weak top pairs or draws, mix in your premium hands that appreciate a small raise from opponents who think you’re weak. For instance, if you have top set on a board that’s likely to have connected with an opponent’s range, consider betting a size you’d also use with a weaker holding. By doing so, you leave room for them to interpret it as a blocker bet and respond aggressively. This unified approach forces your opponent to think twice before raising, because your range is harder to read.

When done well, merging ranges prevents skilled opponents from automatically attacking small bets. They understand you could be trapping with a strong hand just as easily as you could be protecting a mediocre one. This psychological pressure helps you control the pot size on your own terms.

Adjusting Bet Sizing Against Tough Opponents

While blocking bets are often small, the exact sizing should vary depending on your opponent’s skill level and the texture of the board. A tough opponent who recognizes a typical blocker bet might exploit you by raising aggressively. In such situations, slightly increasing your bet size can make it less obvious that you’re blocking.

Knowing when to tweak your blocker-bet sizing comes with experience and study of advanced poker theory. If you’re facing opponents familiar with GTO concepts, try to keep your bet sizes consistent with the rest of your range so you don’t inadvertently broadcast your hand’s strength or weakness.