Hold'em table

J8 offsuit on the button in 3-handed play is a marginal but playable hand. Calling 100 to win a 250 pot gives good odds and keeps the risk low, and I have position after the flop.

Completing costs 50 chips into a 250-chip pot. Q2 offsuit is weak, but the price is good enough to see a flop against a limp.

Holding premium AK offsuit in the big blind facing two limpers, raising for value and isolation is standard.

J8 offsuit is weak against a big blind raise to 500 with a possible squeeze from the small blind behind. Calling 400 to win 700 would leave me out of position postflop against a range that is likely stronger, so I fold.

Q2 offsuit is too weak to defend out of position against a raise to 500.

A-K offsuit is a strong button hand three-handed, so I raise for value and to take initiative.

75o is an unsuited, weak connector out of position against a button open raise; folding is the standard play.

QJo in the big blind getting 450 into 200 (about 2.25 to 1) against a button open, which is a wide range. Calling is reasonable, and a 3-bet bluff is not needed.

I have an open-ended straight draw plus an overcard (queen) on a K-8-6 flop, heads-up and out of position against the button's open. A small bet of about half the pot gets value from worse hands, can fold out hands like ace-high, and I have equity if called.

Top pair with top kicker is strong against a small flop lead. Raising gets value from weaker kings and draws while charging spade draws.

Queen-high with a gutshot (Q-J on K-8-6) and no pair, facing a button 3-bet on the flop: 850 to call into 2200 needs about 28% equity. With only about 4 outs to the straight plus overcards against a strong range, equity falls short, and the raise-back line is too costly.

95s is slightly too weak to open profitably from the button even in 3-handed play.

2c8c is a weak hand. Against the big blind's random range it is marginal, but calling out of position is only a small edge and folding is safe. Still, only 50 more is needed to call into a pot of 150, which is decent odds, but the hand plays poorly postflop.

5-4 offsuit is a weak hand on the button facing the big blind, and it plays poorly against two opponents who still have to act behind or ahead of me postflop. Folding costs nothing, and calling 100 for a marginal hand out of position later isn't worth it.

Calling 50 with 4-3 offsuit gets a good price against the big blind's unrestricted range, while keeping the pot small out of position.

Seat 2 completed from the small blind and I hold K2o in the big blind, which plays best as a free check in position.

I have no pair or meaningful draw on this flop, so I’ll check and avoid building the pot out of position.

I have bottom pair with a good kicker in position, making a check back optimal for pot control and showdown value.

I have no made hand or meaningful draw, and this board connects with many of the big blind's possible hands. Checking avoids investing more in a low-equity spot.

I have bottom pair and an open-ended straight draw. Checking behind realizes my equity for free.

My hand has almost no showdown value, but this river connects with too much of the big blind's range for a bluff to be profitable.

We hold two pair on a four-to-a-straight board; betting rarely gets called by worse, so checking back preserves showdown value.

K7 offsuit is strong enough to open on the button three-handed, where position helps offset its marginal strength.

Holding 9h 6s out of position against a button open is an easy fold.

A3o in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open with a fold from the small blind. The pot odds are good (150 to win 400) and Ax plays well heads-up, so calling is better than folding or bloating the pot with a 3-bet.

Top pair with the nut kicker (Ah with Ad on a 3s Ad 5d board) plus a wheel draw-ish two pair with 3c: actually two pair, aces and threes. Board is draw-heavy, so bet about 3/4 pot for value and protection out of position against the button's range.

King-high with no diamond or meaningful draw has too little equity to continue against this flop bet.

A8o is well within the standard 3-handed button opening range; raising to 2.5bb for value and position.

K3s is weak out of position against a button open, with the big blind still to act behind me. Calling 200 more for a dominated, hard-to-play hand is not worth it.

K7 offsuit is strong enough to defend the big blind against a 2.5x button open, given the price and the button's likely wide range.

Trips with a king kicker are strong on this paired flop. Checking lets the preflop raiser bet with weaker hands or bluffs.

Checking back with Ace-high and backdoors to control the pot size and realize equity in position.

Trips with a king kicker is strong enough to bet for value. The turn ace may have improved the preflop raiser, and a 400-chip bet also charges club draws.

I turned top pair with an eight kicker on a paired board after checking the flop. Calling the turn bet in position keeps bluffs and weaker holdings in while controlling the pot.

Trips with a king kicker are strong here. A bet of 850 into 1350 can get value from aces and tens that called the turn.

Top pair on a paired board with all draws missing; getting over 2.5-to-1 pot odds against missed straight and backdoor draws.