Hold'em table

Pocket aces on the button in a 3-handed game; a standard open to 2.5bb builds the pot with the best possible starting hand while keeping both blinds in range to continue.

63 offsuit is too weak to defend against a button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more chips with poor equity realization out of position.

Getting attractive pot odds of 150 chips to win a total pot of 550, Jh Ts is a standard defense against a button open in 3-handed play.

I check out of position with my gutshot straight draw and two overcards to the preflop raiser.

Holding AA on a wet 6h9c7c board after BB checks to me; betting for value and protection against straight and flush draws is standard. Sizing around two-thirds pot to charge draws.

Facing a 68% pot continuation bet out of position on a wet 9-7-6 board, our unsuited Jack-Ten only holds a gutshot straight draw with dirty overcards, lacking sufficient equity and implied odds to call.

Seven-three offsuit is too weak to profitably open from the button without evidence that the blinds overfold. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity and playability.

84s is too weak to complete or raise from the small blind out of position against the big blind.

T3o is too weak to open from the button even in 3-handed play. Folding is clearly standard.

Button folded, so it's SB vs BB heads-up; J8o is comfortably in a raising range from the small blind against a single opponent with 100bb effective stacks.

Facing a small-blind open, Q6 offsuit has enough equity against a typical wide range to defend at 2-to-1 pot odds. Position postflop supports calling, while the hand is too weak for a value raise.

Dry Q-high board favors my preflop raising range; a small 1/3-pot c-bet with backdoor straight draws and overcard folds out many BB hands cheaply.

Top pair is a clear call against a one-third-pot continuation bet in a blind-versus-blind pot. With a weak kicker on this dry board, calling keeps bluffs in and avoids inflating the pot against stronger queens.

Jack-high with no real draw, but the turned Ace is a strong card for my preflop-raising range and a poor card for BB's flop-calling range (Qx, 7x, small pairs). A ~65% pot barrel only needs to fold out about 40% to be profitable, and it sets up credible river pressure.

Second pair remains a reasonable bluff-catcher in this blind-versus-blind pot, where the ace is a natural card for the small blind to barrel. Calling needs about 28% equity and preserves their bluffs without inflating the pot with a raise.

Jack-high has zero showdown value after triple-barreling; a ~70% pot bet needs ~41% folds and should fold out Qx, 7x, and underpairs that called the turn, while checking wins nothing.

Q6 is only a bluff-catcher against this triple barrel, and the ace on the turn favors the preflop raiser's value range. Calling requires about 29% equity, which is unlikely without evidence that this opponent bluffs aggressively.

AQo on the button in a 3-handed game is a clear value raise; open to 2.5bb to build the pot in position.

76 offsuit is too weak to continue against a 2.5bb button raise from the small blind. Poor equity realization out of position and the big blind still to act make folding preferable.

Getting attractive pot odds of 2.7 to 1 in the big blind against a button open, Q7s is a standard defend with solid playability and equity.

I flopped second pair with a strong kicker; checking out of position to the preflop raiser is standard to keep their bluffing range wide and control pot size.

Standard small c-bet on a dry 8-2-7 board with two overcards and the preflop initiative; cheap pressure folds out many of BB's weak hands while retaining equity when called.

I flopped middle pair with a queen kicker and a backdoor flush draw; getting over 4:1 pot odds against a small continuation bet makes calling standard.

The Ace on the turn favors the in-position preflop aggressor's range, so checking our third pair is standard.

Turned top pair with a strong kicker on a board where villain called a flop c-bet, likely holding 8x, 7x, or a straight draw; bet for value and protection against draws like 65/96/T9 and to get called by worse pairs.

Third pair with a queen kicker is too weak to continue against a double barrel on an ace turn.

63 offsuit is too weak to open profitably on the button without evidence that the blinds overfold. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity and playability.

In blind versus blind after the button folds, T9o is comfortably ahead of a random hand and plays well as an open raise to 3bb.

Facing a 3x open from the small blind in a blind-vs-blind spot, I'm getting 2:1 with position and T3 suited plays reasonably well; defending by calling is fine here against a wide SB opening range.

C-betting one-third pot on an Ace-King high board where our preflop raising range has a massive range and nut advantage.

T3 suited missed the AK8 board completely with no draw; facing a continuation bet on a board that heavily favors the preflop raiser, folding is clearly correct.

53s is slightly too weak to open profitably from the button even in 3-handed play, making a fold the cleanest play.

9-4 offsuit is a weak hand out of position against the big blind; folding the small blind is the standard play here.