Showdown Hold'em table

Pocket eights meet the optimal preflop standard of raising 4x with any pair 33 or higher.

Q4o falls well below the standard preflop 4x raising threshold of Q8o+ or Q6s+, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

With middle pair of fours on a Kd-4d-2s board, our hand is not strong enough to justify a 2x raise. Checking to see the remaining community cards for free preserves expected value.

We hold two pair (Kings and Fours with an Ace kicker). Since the board already pairs Kings, the dealer qualifies, and our two pair beats all unpaired holdings without an Ace, easily giving sufficient equity to raise 1x.

Offsuit 8-3 does not meet the preflop 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop for free is optimal.

Bottom pair of threes with a weak kicker on an Ace-King board has low equity against the dealer's qualifying range; checking to see the turn and river for free preserves value.

We hold bottom pair of threes, which beats all of the dealer's non-qualifying holdings (over 40% of dealer hands), giving a significantly higher expectation than folding.

97 offsuit is well below the optimal 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop for free is the standard play.

Holding bottom pair with an open-ended straight draw provides significant equity and strong redraws against the dealer's random range, making the 2x flop raise clearly plus-EV.

JTo meets the published optimal preflop 4x raising threshold (33+, any A, K5o+, Q8o+, JTo, J8s+).

King-nine offsuit exceeds the standard threshold of K5o+ for a preflop 4x raise.

6h 4h is well below the preflop 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

We have six-high with no pair and no immediate straight or flush draw, making a check clearly optimal.

The board has a pair of tens so the dealer always qualifies, and with only a six kicker we beat almost nothing in the dealer's range, making folding clearly higher EV than raising.

Optimal preflop strategy dictates raising 4x with any Ace, including A6o.

Standard preflop strategy dictates a 4x raise with any Ace, including A4o.

Holding 3-2 offsuit, which is well below any preflop raising threshold, checking to see the flop for free is the optimal play.

With an open-ended straight draw on 5d-7h-4d, standard strategy checks to see the turn and river for free rather than committing a 2x raise.

Our hole cards do not play, leaving us with only the board's pair of sevens with an eight kicker, meaning we cannot win and would almost certainly lose the additional play bet.

T5o does not meet the preflop 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

With only ten-high and no made pair or direct draw on a 4s-9d-7d board, checking to see the remaining cards for free is optimal.

With the board showing trip nines, the dealer automatically qualifies. Our ten-kicker only beats dealer holdings consisting solely of cards 8 or lower (excluding board pairs), yielding around 14.5% wins and 4.5% ties, which falls below the ~20% threshold required to profitably raise 1x.

Six-four suited does not meet the preflop 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

We flopped middle pair with our six on an Ace-high board, which meets the standard 2x play threshold on the flop.

82s is below the standard preflop raising threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

With eight-high and an open-ended straight draw, checking allows a free runout to potentially hit a straight before committing chips on the river.

With a rivered second pair of deuces giving two pair (sixes and deuces, ace kicker), we beat all of the dealer's unpaired hands where the board pair qualifies them. Since the dealer automatically qualifies, our win probability comfortably exceeds the threshold required to raise 1x.

Standard preflop strategy calls for a 4x raise with any suited or offsuit Ace.

Q7o does not meet the standard preflop 4x raising threshold (Q8o+ or Q6s+), so checking is optimal.

With no made hand beyond the board pair of fives and only queen-high, checking to see the remaining cards for free is optimal.

We hold two pair (sevens and fives) with a queen kicker on a paired board, easily beating the dealer's unimproved pair-of-fives holdings and comfortably exceeding the ~16.7% equity threshold needed to raise on the river.

J6o does not meet the standard preflop 4x raising threshold (which requires J8s+ or JTo for Jacks), so checking is optimal.

Top pair of Jacks on a 2s-Jh-5c board is a clear value raise for 2x on the flop against a random dealer holding.

Ten-nine offsuit does not meet the published optimal preflop 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

Holding ten-high with only backdoor straight possibilities and overcards on an 8-5-4 board, checking to see the turn for free is optimal.

The board has a pair of 4s, ensuring the dealer always qualifies. With only pair of 4s and a ten kicker, our hand beats very few holdings (only unpaired low cards below a Jack with no straight or two pair), giving well below the 20% equity needed to justify a river call.

Any Ace is an optimal 4x raise preflop according to the reference strategy.

Standard preflop strategy in Ultimate Texas Hold'em prescribes a 4x raise with any holding containing an Ace.

Standard preflop strategy calls for a 4x raise with any Ace.

K2o does not meet the preflop 4x raise threshold (which requires K5o+ or K2s+), so checking is optimal.

With King-high and an open-ended straight draw, checking is standard optimal play to see the remaining cards without committing additional chips.

The board is paired with eights so the dealer always qualifies. My King kicker beats all unpaired dealer holdings without an Ace, giving me well over the ~21% win probability required to value-raise 1x.

9c 4c falls well below the standard preflop 4x raise threshold (which requires at least J8s+, Q6s+, K2s+, any ace, or 33+), so checking to see the flop is optimal.

With only nine-high and no pair or significant draw on a monotone board, checking is clearly optimal.

Holding a pair of nines gives enough equity against dealer's unqualified hands and weaker holdings to justify the 1x raise over folding.

93s is well below the threshold for a preflop 4x raise, so checking to see the flop is standard.

Bottom pair with a weak 9 kicker does not meet the threshold for a 2x flop raise; checking to see the full board for free is standard.

We hold two pair (sixes and threes) on a board with paired sixes, which beats all dealer hands that fail to make two pair or better, making raise_1x clearly profitable over folding.

Q5s falls just below the standard 4x preflop raising threshold of Q6s+, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

We hold a Queen-high four-flush draw with two suited hole cards, providing substantial equity to justify a 2x flop raise.

Holding 6h-5d offsuit does not meet the optimal 4x preflop raising criteria, so checking to see the flop is standard.

Bottom pair with a weak six kicker has insufficient equity to justify a 2x raise on an Ace-Queen high flop, so checking to see the remaining cards for free is optimal.

I hold a pair of fives, which beats all non-qualifying dealer hands and any pair of deuces, making a 1x raise clearly higher EV than folding.

4-3 offsuit is well below the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop is the correct play.

Holding middle pair of threes with a weak kicker and a gutshot straight draw, checking to see the turn and river for free is higher expected value than committing a 2x raise.

We hold a pair of threes on a board of T-9-6-3-2. Having a made pair beats all dealer non-qualifying holdings and a pair of deuces, making a 1x raise clearly higher EV than folding.

9h 4c is well below the standard 4x preflop raising threshold, so checking to see a free flop is the optimal play.

With only a gutshot straight draw and no pair or flush draw, checking to see the remaining cards for free is optimal.

We hold a pair of nines, which beats all dealer non-qualifying holdings as well as pairs of sevens, sixes, or lower pocket pairs, easily exceeding the -2 unit EV threshold of folding.

Pocket twos do not meet the standard 4x preflop raising threshold (33+), so checking to see a free flop is the optimal play.

Pocket deuces are an underpair to the coordinated T-9-8 flop, offering little showdown value or draw potential to justify committing a 2x raise. Checking preserves equity to see the river for free.

We have a pair of deuces, which beats any non-qualifying dealer hand. The dealer fails to qualify more than 27% of the time, exceeding the 25% threshold needed to profitably raise 1x.

T5o does not meet the standard preflop 4x raising threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

We have ten-high with no made pair or strong draw on a Qd-9s-3s board, so checking to see the remaining cards for free is optimal.

The board pairs threes so the dealer always qualifies, and with only a ten kicker the player's win rate is well below the ~17% threshold needed to justify a 1x raise.

75o is well below the preflop 4x raise threshold, so checking to see the flop is optimal.

An open-ended straight draw does not have enough equity to justify a 2x raise on the flop, preferring to check and retain the option to raise 1x on the river when hitting or fold when missing.

I made an eight-high straight with 4-5-6-7-8, which easily warrants a 1x raise on the river.