Hold'em table

Button open with suited connectors 54s in a 3-handed game; a standard 2.5x raise applies pressure on the blinds and plays well postflop with position.

Q5 offsuit is too weak to call a button raise out of position in the small blind; folding preserves stack.

Tc6s has decent equity against a button open and we are getting 2.67:1 pot odds. Folding would be too tight and raising risks too much out of position.

I missed the flop with Tc6c on an ace-high board and have no draws; checking to see if opponent bets, planning to fold to aggression.

I raised preflop on the button with 54s and BB checked to me on a dry A-K-9 board; a small continuation bet as the preflop aggressor on an ace-high board wins the pot frequently versus a capped checking range, and I have a cheap bluff with little showdown value.

I have ten-high with no draw on an ace-high board against a preflop raiser, so folding preserves my stack.

On the button in a 3-handed game, T7o is within a wide opening range and raising applies pressure to the blinds better than limping or folding.

A8s is a decent hand to defend from the small blind against a button open in a 3-handed game; calling keeps the pot manageable while seeing a flop with suited ace potential.

K6 suited in the big blind facing a min-ish raise and a call: pot is 600 and it costs 150, giving great odds to see a flop with a suited king in position-closing action.

With middle pair and top kicker out of position, checking keeps the pot small and lets me see how the preflop aggressor and big blind act.

K6 offsuit missed the J-8-3 rainbow flop entirely; with only king-high in a 3-way pot and the preflop raiser still to act behind me, checking is the clear play and I'll fold to significant aggression.

Three-way on J-8-3, both callers can easily have pairs that won't fold to one bet. I have only a gutshot, so taking the free card in position preserves equity without risking a call or check-raise.

I have two pair (eights and jacks) but the board paired jacks, so any jack beats me. Checking controls the pot and lets me see how opponents react on this dangerous board.

K-high with no draw on a paired board after everyone checked the flop; betting into two players with a weak hand risks getting raised, so I take the free card and see the river.

Three-way checked pot with only a gutshot to the straight; bluffing into two players has low fold equity, so take the free river card in position.

Board is paired with a possible flush. Everyone checked through, so hands are weak. My two pair with ace kicker has good showdown value, but betting risks getting called only by better and might invite a check-raise bluff. Taking the pot at showdown is fine.

King-high on a paired board with a flush possible; everyone has checked down, so betting as a bluff risks running into a checked jack or flush while showdown value is minimal. Check and see if K-high wins.

Everyone checked all streets, capping their ranges at weak showdown hands. A river bet can fold out better ace/king/queen kickers and marginal pairs while my ten kicker still has little showdown value three-way.

My two pair of Jacks and Eights is weak on this double-paired, three-spade board. The bettor could easily have trips or a flush, and I am only beating complete air.

King-high can't beat any pair or even ace-high bluffs on a paired board; the river bet after two checks represents enough value that calling 500 into 1250 with no showdown value is unprofitable.

Jh6h is a playable suited hand on the button; raising to 2.5x to pressure the blinds and take control of the pot.

K2o in the small blind facing a button open is a clear fold; it plays poorly out of position and is dominated by most opening ranges.

47 offsuit is near the bottom of my range facing a button raise; out of position its equity realization is too poor to justify calling even with closing action.

Qc6c suited on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb applies pressure on the blinds and keeps initiative with position.

A9 suited is strong against a wide button open 3-handed; 3-betting from the small blind isolates, denies the big blind, and uses a larger out-of-position sizing.

Q7o is a very weak hand, especially out of position against a 3-bet from the small blind. Calling 800 more with poor implied odds and no initiative is -EV.

Q6 suited is a marginal button open that plays poorly against a 3-bet to 9bb out of position opponent; folding loses only 2.5bb and avoids a dominated, low-equity spot.

J7 suited on the button in 3-handed play is well within opening range; raising applies pressure to the blinds and builds a pot in position.

T9s is a playable suited connector in a 3-handed game. Calling the button's raise keeps the pot small and allows us to see a flop, even though we'll be out of position. Folding is too tight, and 3-betting would bloat the pot OOP with a marginal hand.

Q8o in the big blind facing a min-ish raise with a caller: pot is 600 and it costs 150 to call, giving 4:1 odds, so defending passively is reasonable; raising would be out of line with a weak offsuit hand.

We have middle pair with a gutshot straight draw on a dry board, out of position against two players; checking avoids inflating the pot and lets us gather info from later actions.

Middle pair with a queen kicker on a dry-ish board in a 3-way pot; checking to the preflop raiser keeps the pot controlled and lets me evaluate a continuation bet rather than bloating the pot with a marginal hand.

Multiway on a caller-favorable 9-8-4 board, I have only a gutshot plus backdoor hearts and a Jack overcard. Checking in position takes a free card and avoids building a pot against pairs and stronger draws that will rarely fold.

Turned two pair, need to protect against straight and flush draws while getting value from worse hands like top pair or draws.

Middle pair with a gutshot on a very coordinated board facing a strong donk-lead into two players, with the preflop raiser still behind; equity is marginal and reverse-implied odds are poor, so folding is best.

I have a Jack-high straight on the turn, second only to QJ, beating lower straights, sets and two pair. Raising for value against seat_3's turn lead while sizing to keep worse hands calling.

I have top two pair with four outs to a full house, getting nearly 3:1 pot odds. He claims to have a draw, so I can call and re‑evaluate the river.

We have top two pair on a draw-heavy board that bricked. Checking induces bluffs or thin value bets from seat_2, and we can either just call or raise, but likely calling to maximize value while controlling the pot against sets.

I have a jack-high straight with J7, only QJ beats me, and opponent checked the river after calling my turn raise, likely holding two pair or a set that can call a value bet sized to look like a bluff.

We have top two pair on a board where flush draws missed, and opponent's inconsistent chat about a non-existent heart draw suggests a bluff. Getting 2.5:1 odds, we beat many two-pair combos and bluffs, so calling is profitable.

Holding 8c 4s offsuit is very weak, even with position. Folding is optimal to avoid losing chips with a marginal hand.

Button folded, so it's SB vs BB heads-up; K8o is a solid raising hand blind-vs-blind with 100bb stacks. Raising to 3bb takes initiative and avoids playing out of position passively.

67 suited is a strong speculative hand heads-up in position as big blind, getting good pot odds against a 3bb small blind open.

Open-ended straight draw (A or 9) plus overcard on a coordinated board; semi-bluff c-bet as the preflop raiser to take it down now or build pot with good equity.

With 6c7c on Qd-Jh-Ts I have no pair and only backdoor club and two-card straight draws, far below the equity needed to call 350.