Once you’ve mastered the basics of poker, the learning shouldn’t stop. There are always new strategies to pick up if you want to keep improving in live or online poker tournaments and cash games. As you develop more advanced skills, the result will be a clearer understanding of the game and, hopefully, a better win rate.

Floating is one such strategy that has a big impact on how you play. While it can be difficult to pull off, it’s extremely effective. This technique is essentially a bluffing move, a form of poker bluff strategy, and it’s particularly strong against opponents who fire a lot of continuation bets. Get ready to learn all about the art of the float.

What is Floating in Poker?

In poker slang, floating is when you call at least once with nothing, preparing to fire a bluff on a later street. The goal of this advanced technique, also known as a float play, is to tell the story that you have some sort of hand. You’ll sow enough seeds of doubt with your opponents that you’ll be in a position to steal the pot by the turn or river.

This strategy uses two stages:

1. Call an opponent’s bet on the flop.
2. After your opponent checks the turn, you bet and force them to fold.

Poker float strategy can involve any two cards, so it’s highly effective in many different situations. Unlike most other casino games, poker strategy involves reading your opponents. As such, you can effectively target certain types of players with this tactic, similar to bluffing in poker. It also works well when you have backdoor draw opportunities. 

What is the difference between floating and bluffing? The poker float is a form of bluffing, while the latter is a larger category of opportunities to confuse your opponent and represent a hand other than what you are holding. Floating is, essentially, a subsection of bluffing.

What Makes a Float Effective?

This play is incredibly useful because advanced players often make continuation bets on the flop, even if they didn’t connect. They usually expect their aggression to cause opponents to fold, but you can flip this around on them by using higher levels of thinking in poker than they might expect.

So, how do you float against aggressive players? When you call their c-bet (continuation bet), they’re likely to think you’re slow-playing a strong hand. If your opponent doesn’t have a good hand, they’ll often check the turn. This allows you to make a good-sized bet and cause them to fold. 

When to Float in Poker

While it’s possible to use the floating poker play with any two cards, it’s definitely better deployed in specific situations. You’ll primarily deploy this type of exploitative poker strategy defensively against a frequent continuation bettor. But it’s a fairly universal tactic that works just as well in an online poker tournament as in a live cash game.

When should you float in poker? There are a few things that affect your timing and how successful the play could be. You should consider a float as a part of your post-flop poker strategy if:

• You’re facing a bet in position against an opponent who isn’t overly aggressive.
• You’re heads-up with your opponent.
• You can play the hand as if you have a draw. 
• You have opportunities for a backdoor draw.

To go into more detail, these are the situations in which you can ask the question: Is floating a good poker strategy here?

Position

This is yet another of many situations in which the importance of position in poker comes into play. While it’s possible to successfully float out of position, it’s much harder. You have a better chance of spotting weakness when you’re in position and playing after your opponent has acted.

If you’re in position and your opponent bets strongly again on the turn, it’s easy to fold without any issues. If they check, you can use the float play against them. 

One on One

Bluffing is always harder to pull off against multiple opponents, and floating is no exception. With more players in the pot, there’s just a higher chance that someone will have a strong enough hand to call your bluff. 

As such, try to consider your float plan in conjunction with a solid multiway pots strategy. In many cases, however, this means it’s better to float more often in heads-up games or when you’ve isolated a single opponent at your table.

Backdoor Possibilities

This isn’t an option for beginner players who are still learning how the flop, turn, and river cards affect their strategy. You should be familiar with draws and higher-level strategies. If this is the case and you have opportunities to work with a backdoor draw, you’re more likely to get away with a float. Not only does it mean your hand is stronger since you have additional equity, but if your opponents are able to accurately assess the game, they’ll be aware of this possibility and factor it into their own decisions. 

Representing Draws

Similar to knowing when to semi-bluff in poker, if you play the hand as if you have a draw, your bluff is far more likely to work. However, if your opponent is too aggressive, there’s a good chance they’ll call you or raise your bet. Bear this in mind, and ensure you have a solid read on all the players at your table. 

Successful Float Play Example

Here’s an example of a successful float play to help illustrate the concept.

You’re holding the ace-queen, and a player makes a $5 bet from middle position. You call, and the two blinds fold, leaving you heads up going into the flop. 

The flop comes the seven of spades, the king of hearts, and the four of diamonds. This doesn’t connect with your hand at all, and the opponent now bets $10 into a $13 pot. 

Normally, this is about as obvious a fold as you’ll ever see. However, you’ve noticed this opponent often making continuation bets with nothing. This represents a good chance to float and pick up a healthy pot, so you call.

When the turn reveals the three of clubs, and the villain checks, it reveals weakness. At this point, you elect to fire $25 into the $33 pot, prompting your opponent to fold. They naturally believe that you have a stronger hand than you really do. 

This example could have also found the villain check-calling the turn bet, then going to the river and checking again. As with any good river bluffing strategy, you should bet into the pot with confidence, as your opponent will likely fold. However, if they bet big on the river, reconsider the float based on your history with this player and their patterns.

When to Avoid Floats

Although there are many situations in which a float works out, there are as many instances where things go wrong. It’s an advanced technique, and knowing when to stay away from it is crucial, as with so many common poker mistakes to avoid.

Before floating in poker, you first need to look at the board. Some are just completely unsuitable for floating due to your opponent’s range. For instance, a flop of ace-king-ten connects far too well with a preflop raising range to risk a float. 

Consider the range of other players in the pot, and make sure you’re not floating recklessly against strong ranges. If your opponent continues their aggression on the turn, it’s also best advised to fold. The float play is unsuitable here, even if you suspect a forthcoming triple-barrel bluff. 

Play Online Poker Legally at BetMGM

Floating is an advanced technique that’s typically used only by stronger players in higher-stakes games. However, if you play poker online frequently, you’ll definitely encounter players deploying this tactic at lower stakes, too.

Before floating, be sure you understand the float poker meaning and how to pull it off effectively. Put the contents of this guide into practice when you register at BetMGM, where you can play poker with real money at a range of stakes with a variety of different players. And if you’re using a good bankroll management strategy, you’ll use the online poker welcome bonus when signing up for a new account.