Hold'em table

87o on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; a raise to 2.5bb steals the blinds often and plays well in position.

T5 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind versus a button open with the big blind still behind.

Pocket threes are worth calling 1.5bb more to try to flop a set, and we have decent equity heads-up against a wide button raise.

I have a small pair with no strong draw on an ace-high board, so checking keeps the pot small and lets the preflop raiser define the action.

The Ace-high board favors my button opening range. A small c-bet with 87o, which has backdoor straight potential, should get a lot of big blind folds cheaply.

JTs is a strong, highly playable button opening hand in three-handed play. Raising builds the pot with initiative and can win the blinds outright.

6-9 offsuit is too weak to continue against a button raise, even with decent pot odds. Folding saves my stack for a better spot.

Getting 150 to win 400 in the big blind against a button open, K5o has enough equity and playability to defend by calling rather than 3-betting or folding.

K5 with a backdoor diamond draw on QJJ two-tone out of position against the preflop raiser has little equity and a board that favors the raiser, so I check and can fold to a sizable bet.

I have trip jacks with a ten kicker and should value-bet against queens, pocket pairs, and diamond draws while building the pot.

King-high with only backdoor draws, out of position, facing a roughly two-thirds-pot c-bet on a board that favors the preflop raiser. I'd realize my equity poorly, so I'm folding.

Calling 1bb with 56o in position is cheap and lets me see a flop with a playable hand. Folding is too tight here, and raising with this weak offsuit hand risks unnecessary chips.

A7o is well ahead of a button limper's range, so an isolation raise from the small blind can take the pot now or build one with the ace; completing out of position is weaker.

K-high with a deuce is far too weak to continue versus a small-blind raise, especially with another player behind.

Facing a raise to 450 with 5-6 offsuit and only a small blind already invested, calling 350 more is not profitable against the raiser's likely range. I fold and preserve my stack.

Q8s on the button in 3-handed play is a clear opening hand; a standard 2.5bb raise to steal the blinds.

J9 suited is a playable blind-defense hand versus a button open, with good implied odds and postflop potential.

T2o is too weak to continue against a raise and a cold call, and I am often dominated. Folding saves chips despite the pot odds.

This flop strongly favors the preflop raiser's range, while J-high has limited immediate showdown value. Checking preserves equity and avoids inflating the pot.

On the A-K-3 board I have the range advantage as the preflop raiser on the button, and my Q8 with a backdoor spade draw and a gutshot to Broadway makes a good small c-bet. A third-pot bet should fold out a lot of the small blind's weak holdings.

J-high has no made hand or meaningful immediate draw on this A-K-3 board. Folding avoids continuing with very weak equity versus the button's flop bet.

Q7 offsuit is a reasonable button opening hand three-handed, with positional advantage against the blinds. I will use a modest open size to pressure their wide defending ranges.

Getting 150 to win 400 (27% equity needed) versus a wide button open; 95o is a standard BB defend in 3-handed play.

We have a gutshot to the nut-ish straight (Q or J... actually J gives 9-J straight) plus a backdoor, out of position against the preflop raiser on a board that favors them, so checking is standard. We can continue versus a small c-bet.

Betting small in position applies pressure to missed overcards and weaker pairs while retaining equity with a gutshot to the jack.

Nine-high with only backdoor straight draws, out of position on a K-T-8 two-tone board. Even at the small price, my equity would be hard to realize, so I'm folding.

K5s is playable in position, and calling keeps the pot small while letting me see a flop. No need to inflate the pot with a marginal hand.

Q8 suited in the small blind facing a limp: completing for 50 into a pot of 250 is a good price, and the hand plays well multiway. Raising out of position against a limper and the big blind has less value.

A suited ace benefits from taking the initiative against two limpers and can often win the pot preflop or heads-up. I use a larger isolation size from the big blind.

Q8s out of position against a big-blind raise over two limpers doesn't realize enough equity for a call of 400 into 1100, so I'll fold.