The text below is based on the video above.

Most poker players misplay monotone flops (a flop with three cards of the same suit).

This is likely because they are under-researched. When poker players study, they generally start with the most common flop types (as they should).

The mistake players make is treating monotone flops just like the "normal" flop types they're more familiar with.

The best poker players know that monotone flops are quite different from "normal" flops. They're a bit weird, and the strategy you should use needs to account for that.

You're about to learn a better approach for monotone flops, and a lot of the advice in this article will help you improve on other board types as well.

So, let's dive in!

How Things Change on Monotone Flops

Alex starts the video by comparing the average bet frequency and sizing for all flops versus monotone flops (calculated using a private solver). This table sums up the comparison:

As you can see, the bet frequency has lowered from 62% to 51% and the bet sizes skew smaller. To quote Alex:

So, for some reason we've decided that we are going to put a lot less money in on monotone flops, when we're c-betting, than on other flops. Not only are we c-betting less often, but we're also c-betting smaller sizes on average.

And [the reason for this] is not immediately intuitive. Both players have got some flushes [in their range]. Both players have got a bunch of flush draws [in their range]. If you're just thinking about how the equities of each range match up against each other, you might think there's not a huge amount of difference between a monotone flop and a non-monotone flop.

Yet we're really reluctant to put in as much money as we normally are. Let's have a think about why that is.

Before getting into Alex's specific advice for c-betting on monotone flops, it's important to understand bet sizing fundamentals.

Bet Sizing Fundamentals

When your range has far more very strong hands than your opponent's range, you're generally going to want to bet big with those strong hands (and the appropriate number of bluffs for balance). On the other hand...

When your range contains far fewer very strong hands than your opponent's range, you're generally going to be limited to betting small.

There are other factors to consider, of course, but the rules of thumb above are a great starting point.

Let's take a look at a couple example flops featuring one of the best cash game players of all time, OtB_RedBaron.

3-handed $200/$400 on PokerStars. Effective stacks of $42,919.

OtB_RedBaron raises to $870 on the button. Alex folds. Phil Ivey calls from the big blind.

Flop ($1,940) A♣ K♦ 9♣
Ivey checks. OtB_RedBaron bets $2,651. Ivey folds.

Why do you think OtB_RedBaron chose to bet so big (1.4 times the pot) on this flop? Click "Show Answer" below when you're ready.