Showdown Hold'em table

J6 offsuit is not on the optimal preflop 4x list (offsuit jacks need JTo or better), so I check and look at the flop.

Jack-high with only backdoor straight and flush draws and no pair falls well short of the flop 2x threshold of two pair, a hidden pair, or a strong four-flush. Checking keeps the river fold option open.

We only play the board's pair of nines with a jack kicker, and the dealer always qualifies. We beat about 13% of dealer holdings, far below the roughly 20% needed for a 1x call to lose less than folding.

AKs is well inside the published optimal preflop 4x raising range (any ace), so the maximum raise has the highest expected value.

J4 suited is not on the optimal 4x preflop table (which needs J8s+ for jack-high suited hands), so checking and re-evaluating on the flop is correct.

With unpaired J-high and only a gutshot (any ten) plus backdoor clubs, my hand is well below the standard flop 2x raising threshold of a hidden pair or better. Checking keeps the option to bet 1x or fold on the river.

Since the dealer always qualifies on this paired board, enumerating dealer holdings gives about 188 wins, 57 ties and 745 losses for us. That makes calling worth roughly -18.8 chips, versus -20 for folding, so calling 1x is marginally better.

Any ace is in the published optimal preflop 4x raising table, so A5 offsuit gets the maximum raise.

76 offsuit is outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, K5o+, Q8o+, JTo), so checking to see the flop is correct.

Top pair of sixes using a hole card, plus a 7 kicker and some straight potential, is ahead of most dealer hands. Standard optimal flop strategy raises 2x with any hidden pair except pocket deuces.

J2 offsuit is far below the optimal preflop 4x threshold (JTo+ for jack-high offsuit), so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

J-high with no pair and only backdoor straight draws doesn't meet the flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the option to play or fold on the river.

With only J-high on an ace-high board, raising wins about 128 of 990 dealer holdings and ties 33. That gain is outweighed by the extra unit lost against the 613 holdings where the dealer qualifies, so folding loses less on average.

7-3 offsuit is far outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

I've paired my 7 with the board, which is a hidden pair. Standard flop strategy for this game is to raise 2x with a hidden pair other than pocket deuces, so raising here should beat checking in expected value.

76 suited is not on the published 4x raising table (33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, etc.), so checking and re-evaluating on the flop is optimal.

Pairing the board 7 with a hole card makes a hidden pair. Standard optimal flop strategy raises 2x with any hidden pair except pocket deuces, and the gutshot outs add a little more equity.

The published optimal strategy table says to raise 4x preflop with any ace, and A5o falls in that range. Raising 4x maximizes expected value here.

K7 offsuit is inside the published optimal 4x preflop range (K5o+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

65 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop raise range (33+, any ace, strong kings/queens/jacks), so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

With no pair, an open-ended straight draw plus a backdoor flush draw is not strong enough to make a 2x raise worth it; standard flop strategy is to check and decide on the river.

I hold an ace-high heart flush (Ah Qh 7h 6h 5h), which loses only to a dealer holding a higher heart and otherwise wins with a 3:2 blind bonus. Raising is far better than folding.

J8 offsuit is below the optimal 4x preflop threshold (offsuit jacks need JTo+), so checking keeps the flop and river options open at no extra cost.

J-high with no pair and no meaningful draw on a K-3-2 board is too weak for a 2x raise. Checking keeps the option to see the river for free and then raise 1x or fold.

With only ace-high (A-K-J-8-4), the dealer beats us whenever they qualify, which is about 71% of the time, since any pair or a 5 completes a hand. Raising has an expected value of about -21.9 chips, versus -20 for folding.

K9 suited is inside the published optimal 4x raising range (K2s+), so raising 4x preflop maximizes expected value.

87s is outside the optimal 4x preflop table (it calls for 33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+ and similar), so checking and reassessing on the flop is the higher-EV line.

87 with no pair and only a gutshot on T-J-2 is far too weak for a 2x flop raise. Standard flop strategy raises only with a hidden pair or better, or a strong four-flush, so checking and deciding on the river is better.

I hold only ace-high (A-J-T-8-7) and win just 120 of 990 possible dealer hands. Raising works out to about -22 chips on average, versus a sure -20 for folding, so folding loses less.

The reference optimal preflop strategy says to raise 4x with any ace, and A4o is an ace. Raising maximizes expected value over checking.

J9 offsuit is below the optimal 4x threshold (JTo, J8s), so checking preflop and deciding on the flop is the better EV play.

Jack-high with no pair, no flush draw and only backdoor straight potential falls well short of the standard flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the river decision open.

Jack-high with no pair. I beat the dealer in only about 64 of 990 possible holdings, and the dealer qualifies in about 717 of them. Raising therefore loses more than the guaranteed 20 chips from folding.

6-3 offsuit is far below the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

I've made a pair of threes using one of my hole cards. Standard optimal flop strategy says to raise 2x with any hidden pair other than pocket deuces, so this beats checking.

94 offsuit is well outside the optimal 4x raising range (33+, any ace, K5o+, Q8o+, JTo), so checking is correct. That lets me see the flop for free.

9-high on a J-5-3 board gives no pair and only backdoor straight draws. The usual flop strategy raises 2x only with a hidden pair or better or a strong flush draw, so check and see the river.

We only play the board's pair of threes with 9-5 kickers, and the dealer always qualifies on this paired board. They beat us with any pair, any ten or higher, or a straight, so we win only about 7% of the time. Calling needs roughly 20% to beat folding's loss of 20 chips.

J6 offsuit is below the optimal preflop raise threshold (JTo or J8s+), so checking and seeing the flop is correct.

With jack-high, no pair, no flush draw and only backdoor straight chances, this hand is far below the flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the river decision open.

Dealer always qualifies on this double-paired board. By my count I win about 226 of 990 dealer holdings and tie about 69, so calling is worth roughly -16.5 chips versus -20 for folding.

Pocket aces are the strongest preflop hand and fall squarely in the optimal 4x raise range, so I put the maximum play bet in.

T8s is outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, JTo), so checking is correct and keeps the flop and river decisions open.

A hidden pair of eights plus a flush draw (with the ten of spades) meets the standard flop 2x raise criteria. The flush draw also adds blind-bet upside.

Offsuit 4-3 is well outside the optimal preflop 4x range (33+, any ace, strong kings, queens and jacks). Checking keeps the option to raise or fold on later streets at no extra cost.

3-4 offsize on a Q-7-Q board gives me only the board pair, with no real draw beyond a gutshot-like backdoor. That is far below the 2x flop raising threshold, so I check and keep the river decision open.

My hole cards don't play, so I play the board (QQ-A-J-7) and can at best tie. A tie is only about 13% likely, so raising has an EV of about -26 chips, worse than the -20 for folding.

KJ offsuit is in the optimal 4x preflop raising range (K5o+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

AQo contains an ace, and the optimal preflop strategy raises 4x with any ace. Raising maximizes expected value here.

JTo is on the published optimal preflop 4x raising chart (J8s+ or JTo), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

KQ offsuit falls within the published optimal preflop 4x raising range (K5o+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

T6 offsuit falls outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (it needs JTo or better among offsuit non-ace, non-king hands), so the best play is to check and see the flop.

T-6 offsuit on A-Q-7 is unpaired with no real draw (only a runner-runner straight), so it is well behind most dealer holdings and a 2x raise would lose money. Checking keeps the option to see the river for free and fold if the hand doesn't improve.

The board's pair of sevens plays, so the dealer always qualifies and I can only tie (about 51%) or lose. Raising costs about -14.8 chips on average, which beats losing 20 for sure by folding.

5-4 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

With 4-5 on A-7-8 I have no pair, only a gutshot and a backdoor flush draw. Basic flop strategy says raise only with a hidden pair or better or a strong flush draw, so I check and decide on the river.

The board already has a pair of sevens, so the dealer always qualifies. My pair of sevens with a 5 kicker beats only about 12 of the 990 possible dealer holdings. Calling would lose about 29 chips on average, versus 20 for folding.

Any ace is in the published optimal preflop 4x raising table, so A4o should be raised 4x to maximize expected value.

J5 suited is not in the optimal preflop 4x range (which needs J8s+), so checking preserves the option to raise later on the flop or river.

J5 offsuit-to-board with no pair, no flush draw (only one heart), and no real straight draw is far too weak to raise 2x on a Q-2-7 rainbow flop. Checking keeps the river decision open.

The board plays as QQ77, so my jack kicker beats about 475 of the 990 dealer holdings, ties 96 and loses 419. That puts raising at roughly -3 chips in expectation versus -20 for folding.