Hold'em table

87o is a reasonable button open in 3-handed play, so I'm raising to 2.5bb to steal the blinds with a playable hand.

5To is too weak to continue out of position against a raise, so I fold and preserve chips.

Pocket threes are a profitable heads-up big-blind defense against a button min-raise-plus sizing, with strong implied odds when we flop a set.

Check to the preflop raiser with a marginal underpair on an ace-high flop, preserving pot control and allowing a response to their c-bet.

The ace-high board favors my button opening range, and a small c-bet lets 87o, which has only a backdoor straight draw, take the pot down cheaply against the big blind's check. Betting about a third of the 550 pot makes the bluff profitable if they fold even a modest share of the time.

Call the small continuation bet with pocket threes; the price is favorable and the hand retains some showdown value against a wide c-betting range.

With a weak pair on a coordinated overcard board after the flop bet was called, checking preserves showdown value and avoids getting raised off our equity.

With 8-high and no draw, I have almost no equity. The Kh completes flushes and hits much of the BB's flop-calling range, so a turn bluff is unlikely to fold out Ax. Checking back keeps the option to bluff the river.

Our pair of threes has very little showdown value against the button's flop continuation range. The turn check makes a moderate river bluff credible and can fold out many missed draws and marginal one-pair hands.

I have only 8-high with no pair and no straight, so I can't beat anything at showdown. A bluff-raise against a player who called the flop and then led the river is unlikely to get a fold often enough to justify the risk.

Closing the action from the small blind, 9-6 offsuit can profitably realize equity heads-up for the minimal additional cost.

K5o is well ahead of a small blind limping range, so a raise from the big blind for value and initiative is good. Checking is also fine, but a raise to 4bb pressures their capped range.

9-6 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 4bb raise, especially out of position.

5-6 offsuit is too weak to open from the button under this strategy, especially with no suitedness or high-card value.

A7o is a strong hand blind-vs-blind once the button folds. Raising to 3bb takes the initiative and denies the big blind a cheap flop.

We get 2:1 pot odds from the big blind, and K2o has enough equity against a late-position open to defend cheaply. Three-betting this weak hand out of position would be too ambitious.

As the preflop raiser out of position on a low, dry-ish board, I'll take a small c-bet with ace-high, which has backdoor straight equity with the 7 and some fold equity. The flop is 5d Jd 4c and I hold 7s Ah. A third-pot bet risks little and denies equity.

I have a King-high flush draw plus an overcard, and I'm getting good pot odds on this small bet, so calling is the best way to continue cheaply.

Ace-high with no draw on a paired board after being called on the flop; the caller's range is strong enough that a barrel won't generate many folds, so I'll check and keep some showdown value against missed draws.

With King-high and no made hand, checking behind on the turn is the safest way to see a free river and potentially win with King-high if opponent also has nothing. Betting would risk chips against a range that could easily have a pair or better.

With what is effectively ace-high, I have some showdown value against missed draws. A bluff on a board where the flush just completed is unlikely to fold out the Jx and small pairs that called the flop, so I'll check.

Opponent checked both turn and river after a flop bet, showing weakness. I'll bluff with a moderate bet to take down the pot.

Ace-high rarely beats a flop-calling range that bets the river after the flush and several straights completed. Even getting better than 4:1, a small bet is mostly thin value from pairs, so my hand has too little showdown value to call.

Q8s on the button 3-handed is a clear open-raise; 2.5x steals the blinds often and plays well postflop in position.

J9s is a playable suited hand and the price to see a flop is only 200 into a pot of 400. Calling keeps the pot small while retaining good equity, especially with position relative to the big blind yet to act.

T2 offsuit is a very weak big-blind defense against a button raise and small-blind call, especially multiway.

I have a flush draw on this flop, so checking keeps the pot manageable while I see the turn out of position.

On an A-K-3 board that favors the preflop raiser, a small c-bet with a gutshot plus backdoor spades makes sense against the small blind's check. It can take the pot down now and keeps equity if called.

I missed this flop completely with J9 and have no draw to continue against the preflop raiser's c-bet. Folding saves chips for a better spot.

On the button with position and a playable hand in 3-handed play, I raise to try to take the pot preflop and put pressure on the blinds.

Qs7h is a weak, dominated-prone hand facing an open raise from the small blind with the big blind still to act.

The button min-raised and I'm getting 4.5:1 (100 to call into a 450 pot), so 95o is an easy defend from the big blind against a wide button range.

I have a gutshot to the nine (needing a J for QJ... actually J makes 9-T-J-Q? no, 9 with Q-J) plus a backdoor straight draw, but no pair. Checking to the preflop raiser keeps the pot small, and I can decide against a c-bet.

C-bet the flop to take down the pot with an overcard and backdoor flush draw; the opponent checked, so they likely missed this board.

We have only 9-high with no pair and no real draw (just backdoor straight potential) facing a c-bet on a board that favors the button's range, so folding is correct despite the decent price.

Button K5 suited is strong enough to open in a three-handed game. A 2.5bb raise applies pressure while retaining positional advantage.

Q8s plays poorly as a flat out of position with the big blind still to act. Three-handed the button opens very wide, so I'm using it as a 3-bet to take the initiative and fold out better hands.

Facing a raise and reraise with A3s out of position, I am likely dominated or behind most of the reraiser's range. Calling 900 more is not profitable, so I fold.

K5 suited is not strong enough to continue profitably versus the small blind's 10bb 3-bet.