Hold'em table

T8o on the button 3-handed is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb puts pressure on both blinds.

Ac2h is worth defending from the small blind against a small button open, especially with the big blind still to act and favorable pot odds.

8-4 offsuit plays poorly out of position against a raise and a call. The price does not compensate for its weak postflop prospects.

This connected flop strongly favors the preflop raiser's range, while A-high has little immediate showdown value and no meaningful direct draw. Checking preserves equity and avoids bloating the pot.

Open-ended straight draw with an overcard and a backdoor club draw, in position after a check; a two-thirds-pot semi-bluff can win the pot now and has good equity when called.

Ace-high with no pair and no meaningful draw is too weak to continue versus a flop bet on this connected board.

T6 offsuit is too weak to open profitably on the button in this structure.

A2 offsuit is strong enough to open from the button three-handed. A 2.5 BB raise applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

K6o from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act, is a clear fold. It plays poorly out of position and will often be dominated.

3♠5♣ offsuit is too weak to defend against a button open at this sizing.

Q4 suited on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard steal; raising to 2.5bb applies fold equity against both blinds.

Q5 offsuit is too weak to defend profitably from the small blind against a button open with the big blind still behind.

Nine-six suited is playable against a button raise at this price. Calling keeps the pot manageable while defending the big blind.

On this dry paired flop, I prefer to check to the preflop raiser with nine-high and a backdoor flush draw rather than lead into a stronger range.

Bottom pair with a queen kicker on a paired dry board; a small c-bet gets value from worse hands and protects against overcards, and we have range advantage in position.

Nine-high has no immediate draw on this paired flop. Out of position, it is unlikely to realize enough equity to justify calling.

Open-raise the button with premium offsuit broadways, building value while retaining positional advantage.

Nine-seven offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

AQo is well ahead of a 3-handed button opening range, so 3-betting for value from the big blind works well and denies equity. Sizing to 900 keeps the pot manageable out of position.

AK offsuit is far too strong to fold and plays well in position. Calling preserves weaker hands in the big blind's range while avoiding unnecessarily inflating the pot preflop.

In a 3-bet pot I hold the range advantage, and AQ has two overcards plus some backdoor equity. A small c-bet of about a third of the pot pressures the button's weaker pairs and air while keeping the cost low on this coordinated board.

In position, AK retains overcard equity against much of the 3-bet range and can evaluate turns. The small continuation bet offers a favorable price, while raising would overrepresent a made hand on this coordinated board.

The ace gives me top pair, but it also completes the heart flush draws that are heavy in the button's flop-calling range. Checking controls the pot size, and I can bluff-catch against weaker hands.

I have top pair with a strong kicker and the ace of hearts blocker. A moderate turn bet extracts value from weaker aces and pocket pairs while charging heart draws.

Top pair with the top kicker is too strong to fold against a small turn bet with good pot odds, but raising on this three-heart board mostly gets called only by flushes and better hands, so calling controls the pot.

With no heart on a four-heart board, top pair with a queen kicker plays as a bluff-catcher: only better hands would call a bet. Checking keeps the pot controlled.

With one pair and no heart on a four-heart board, betting would mostly be called by stronger hands while worse hands fold. Checking realizes showdown value against the opponent's missed or weaker holdings.

Q2 suited is strong enough to open on the button three-handed. A 2.5 big blind raise applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

T4o from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still left to act, is a clear fold; it plays poorly out of position.

4-high offsuit is far too weak to defend profitably against the button raise from the big blind.