Hold'em table

Raise the button with ace-high to leverage position and initiative against the blinds.

T3 offsuit is too weak to continue against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act behind me.

8-5 offsuit is a weak hand facing a 2.5x raise from an early position raiser. With only 150 chips to call and a 2.5bb raise size, this is not a favorable spot profitably; folding is the correct play to preserve equity long-term.

With AKs on the button, I raise for value and to take the initiative preflop.

As-3d is a weak hand with poor playability. Facing a 3x raise from the button and needing to call 250 more chips with only ace-high and a weak kicker, folding is the correct decision to preserve chips against a likely stronger range.

7-2 offsuit is far too weak to defend against a button 3x raise out of position.

T7o is a weak hand with poor equity against likely defensive ranges. Folding costs only 100 chips while calling risks additional losses with a marginal holding from the button.

Complete from the small blind with K-high against the big blind after the button folds; the price is excellent and the hand has reasonable playability.

With 5h3c in the big blind and no call required, checking is best to see a flop cheaply rather than bloating the pot with a weak hand.

Betting as a heads-up stab on this dry flop can fold out many missed hands while retaining some overcard equity when called.

I have bottom pair on a dry board and the small blind's flop bet is small into a limped pot, so calling with decent pot odds keeps his bluffs and weaker draws in.

With only king-high and no meaningful draw after the flop bet was called, checking preserves equity and avoids bluffing into a likely made hand.

I have bottom pair with a weak kicker, and the small blind's turn check could be a trap or a missed draw. Checking behind controls the pot and avoids getting raised by better hands.

My king-high has little showdown value, but the ace river is much more likely to improve or strengthen the caller's range than to generate folds. Checking avoids bluffing into a board where a flop caller often has a queen or ace.

I have only a marginal pair of fives on a coordinated board. Checking behind avoids risking chips when worse hands likely fold and better hands call or raise.

Open-raise the button with a pocket pair to leverage position and deny blind equity.

With pocket eights in the small blind facing a button raise, I'll 3-bet to isolate and take initiative, as 88 has strong equity against a wide button opening range.

9-4 offsuit is a weak hand with poor equity against a 3-bet and 4-bet. With only 600 chips to call in a 1050-chip pot facing aggressive preflop action from both opponents, folding preserves my stack for stronger positions.

Call in position with pocket twos; the effective stack depth provides adequate implied odds to continue versus the small blind's 3-bet.

With 88 on an A-Q-6 flop and out of position, checking controls the pot and avoids bloating it against a range that likely contains many aces and queens.

With bottom set on a dry ace-high board after the preflop 3-bet pot, checking back retains the opponent's bluffs and weaker value hands while protecting our checking range.

With a medium pair on an ace-high board and the button's preflop calling range containing many stronger hands, checking controls the pot and avoids getting raised off my showdown value.

With bottom pair on this coordinated board after the preflop 3-bettor checks twice, checking preserves our modest showdown value and avoids being check-raised off our equity.

My 88 has showdown value against missed draws, but betting risks isolating against Ax/Qx that will call. Checking controls the pot and realizes equity.

After three checks, a substantial river bet can pressure pocket pairs and unpaired broadways that beat our deuces but cannot comfortably bluff-catch on this dry ace-high board.

Button with 89o in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb applies pressure on the blinds and leverages position.

Ace-Ten of hearts is a strong premium hand. Seat 2's raise to 250 is aggressive; I'll 3-bet to build the pot and apply pressure while maintaining positional advantage as the small blind in a 3-handed game.

J3 offsuit is far too weak to continue facing an open and a large 3-bet out of position.

Facing a large 3-bet from the small blind with 8s9h, a weak offsuit connector, I have poor equity against their value-heavy range and should fold rather than call 550 more out of position.

3-2 offsuit is the weakest hand in poker. With 100 chips to call from a 10000 chip stack, folding this trash hand maximizes long-term expected value by preserving chips for better spots.

Pocket nines are a strong heads-up blind-versus-blind holding. I raise for value and to deny the big blind a cheap flop.

Q3o is too weak to defend against a 4bb raise from the small blind, especially out of position. Folding is the disciplined play.