Hold'em table

Pocket aces should raise for value and build the pot while giving weaker hands an opportunity to continue.

86o from the small blind facing a 3x button open with the big blind still to act is a clear fold; calling out of position with a weak offsuit hand loses money.

Q2 offsuit is too weak to defend the big blind against a 3x button raise, even with the small blind's chips in the pot.

Q6o on the button in 3-handed play is a standard open, so I'm stealing with a 2.5bb raise.

8-7 offsuit plays poorly out of position against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Defend the big blind versus a small button raise with KTs, which plays well heads-up and has good equity.

Checking keeps the pot controlled while retaining a strong open-ended straight draw and allows the preflop raiser to continue with weaker hands.

Top pair with a weak kicker in position on a connected board. A small value/protection bet around a third of the pot gets called by worse Jx, 7x and draws while keeping the pot controlled.

Call with an open-ended straight draw and two overcard-related showdown potential versus this small continuation bet.

Check to realize the value of the open-ended straight draw and avoid bloating the pot with king-high against a flop betting range that was willing to continue.

Top pair on a draw-heavy board. A small bet gets value from Jx, 7x and draws and denies equity, while keeping the pot manageable with a weak kicker.

I have an open-ended straight draw with eight clean primary outs and favorable direct pot odds. Calling preserves implied odds against this modest turn continuation bet.

My king-high has no showdown value, but the paired queen river is a strong scare card after I called two streets. A substantial lead can fold out many one-pair jacks and missed draws.

Trip queens with a weak kicker is a bluff-catcher against a river lead that could be a flush or a better queen. Still, getting about 3.5:1 (1200 to win 3050) makes the call worthwhile against bluffs, thin value, and worse queens.

K7 offsuit is playable on the button three-handed; a modest raise applies pressure while preserving position.

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

QTo in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open is getting good odds (150 to win 400), so it is a clear defend. Calling is better than 3-betting because the hand plays well postflop but is dominated by the hands that continue.

With queen-high on a paired low board I have no pair and no draw, and the button's opening range connects well here, so I check to the preflop raiser. I'll decide against a c-bet based on sizing.

K-high has some showdown value, and this low paired board connects well with the big blind's calling range. Checking back keeps the pot small and lets me see a turn.

After the button checked back the flop, its range is capped and full of unpaired overcards. A small turn probe can fold out better high-card hands like AK and AJ and take down the pot.

King-high has little chance to improve against a value bet, and calling 300 into 850 is unlikely to be profitable.

Open-raising QTo on the button applies pressure to the blinds and leverages position while retaining a playable range.

Q9o from the small blind against a button open, with the big blind still to act, plays poorly as an out-of-position call. It is only a marginal 3-bet, so I'm folding and avoiding a dominated spot.

9♣3♣ is too weak to defend out of position against a 2.5bb button raise.

On the button 3-handed, 54o is a reasonable steal candidate against two blinds, and it plays better as a raise than as a limp. A 2.5bb open keeps the risk small.

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

AQ offsuit is a strong heads-up blind-versus-button holding and benefits from applying pressure preflop. A 3-bet to 900 targets the button's wide opening range.

54o facing a 3-bet to 9bb from the big blind is too weak to continue profitably; calling 650 into 1850 with a weak offsuit hand and a 3-bet range against us is -EV.

Ace-three offsuit is a profitable button open three-handed. A 2.5-big-blind raise applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

9-4 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Closing the action in the big blind, I only need about 27% equity to call 150 into 400. T7o has enough equity against a wide 3-handed button range, so a defend-call is profitable.

T7 has no pair and little equity on a paired Q board, and the button raiser has a range advantage and will c-bet often. Checking lets me see his action; I can fold to a bet or consider a check-raise bluff later.

A small continuation bet pressures the big blind’s unpaired hands on this dry, paired flop while keeping the risk modest.

The button's small c-bet on a dry paired board gives good pot odds, needing about 25% equity. Ten-high with backdoor potential still has enough equity against a wide range of air to continue, so I'll call.

T7 is just ten-high on a double-paired board with little showdown value, and leading out of position into the preflop raiser is not profitable. I'll check and give up to any sizable bet.

Ace-high has showdown value on this double-paired board, but a bet is unlikely to get called by worse hands or fold out many better ones.

On QQ224 we effectively play Queens and Twos with a ten kicker, which has some showdown value against the button's weak turn check-back range. Bluffing would mostly fold out worse hands while better Ax and Kx hands would likely call.

Ace-high has showdown value on this double-paired board, but worse hands are unlikely to call a river bet. Checking avoids paying off a pocket pair or a 4.