Hold'em table

Q3 suited is a reasonable button open in 3-handed play with only the blinds left to act, so I'm raising to 2.5bb to steal.

9h5h is a weak suited hand out of the small blind facing a 2.5x button open with the big blind still to act; it plays poorly out of position and folding is the standard play.

Holding 5s-Jd out of position against a button raise to 250, this weak offsuit hand is not worth calling 150 more heads-up against a likely wider range.

Q5 suited on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb takes initiative with position against both blinds.

Ace-nine offsuit is a playable hand for a small-blind call against a button raise, getting a reasonable price to see the flop with 200 to call into a 400 pot.

ATo in the big blind facing a button open and a small-blind call: we need 150 to win 750, which is excellent pot odds. A squeeze risks getting called by stronger hands, so calling to realize equity is best.

I have ace-high with a weak three-heart flush draw on a low board and no bet to call, so checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the turn for free.

Ace-high with only backdoor draws, three-way, with the preflop raiser still to act behind me. Checking to the raiser keeps the pot controlled and keeps my range protected.

Flush draw plus gutshot (3 for a straight) on a dry low board after both opponents checked to the preflop raiser; a c-bet of ~2/3 pot takes it down often and builds the pot with strong equity when called.

Ace-high with only a weak backdoor flush draw facing a 500 bet from the preflop aggressor in a three-way pot gives too little equity to justify calling.

Ten-high flush draw plus an ace overcard gets a decent price (500 to win 1750) with implied odds. Calling in position-agnostic fashion keeps the pot manageable.

The turn gave me four to a ten-high flush plus an ace overcard, but I'm out of position against the preflop raiser. I'll check and plan to call a reasonable bet with my draw.

Turned the queen-high flush on 4h2h7c9h; opponent checked to us after calling the flop, so bet about two-thirds pot for value against sets, two pair, overpairs and lone-heart draws while building the pot.

With a ten-high flush draw plus a possible ace overcard, I have roughly 9 to 12 outs. With deep stacks the implied odds make a call worth it; I need about 29% equity, and future winnings should cover the gap. Check-raising risks getting blown off the draw, so calling is better.

Top pair with an ace kicker has good showdown value, but the flush got there on the turn and villain has barreled twice. Checking lets villain keep bluffing and avoids getting raised by flushes; I'll decide against a river bet based on its size.

Queen-high flush on a three-heart board beats everything except Ah/Kh flushes; opponent called flop and turn passively, so a large value bet targets smaller flushes, sets, two pair and straights.

I hold a ten-high flush plus top pair, and calling 3000 to win 10150 needs only about 30% equity. Villain's three-barrel range includes plenty of worse flushes, sets, two pairs and bluffs, but raising mostly gets called by the higher flushes, so calling is better.

K9 offsuit is a reasonable button hand in a 3-handed game, and calling the 100-chip completion keeps the cost low while I see the flop in position.

Getting 5:1 to complete in a limped pot with Q8o. Calling is cheap, though I'll be out of position against two players.

9-6 offsuit in the big blind facing a limp and a complete; checking takes a free flop with a weak but playable hand rather than bloating the pot out of position.

Q8 high with a gutshot (needs a J for QJT98... actually only overcard plus backdoors) is weak out of position in a 3-way limped pot, so checking keeps the pot small. I can decide on later action based on what the others do.

9-high with no pair or draw on a 2-3-T board in a limped 3-way pot; checking keeps the pot small and avoids bluffing into two opponents with little fold equity.

I hold 9s-Kc on a 2c-3d-Th flop with no pair and no draw, so I'll take the free check rather than bet into two opponents who both checked.

Queen-high with only a gutshot to the nut straight (needs a J, since Q-J-T plus the A makes broadway), out of position against two opponents, and the turn Ace hits many limping ranges. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me realize my draw cheaply.

I have 9-high with no draw on a limped pot; checking keeps the pot small and avoids bluffing into two players who may have an ace or ten.

I have only king-high with no pair on a board showing an ace, and both opponents have checked, so checking takes a free card without risking chips into a likely stronger range.

Queen-high on a paired-ace board has little showdown value, and a bluff into two players in a limped, checked-down pot is unlikely to work often enough. Checking is the cheap option.

My 9-high plays only the board aces and loses to almost any showdown; both opponents have shown no strength across three streets, so a 2/3-pot bet representing an ace needs only ~40% combined fold equity to be profitable.

I have only king-high on a board pairing the aces, and the river bet likely means a made ace or a strong bluff, so calling 200 to win a 700 pot needs more equity than I have.

Queen-high on a paired-ace board is a weak bluff-catcher. The big blind's betting range should be mostly pairs and better, and some of its bluffs (K-high, better Q-high) also beat me, so I don't get the 28.6% equity this call needs.

Q7o on the button 3-handed is a standard open since only the blinds are left to act; a 2.5bb raise steals often.

Q9 offsuit in the small blind facing a 2.5x button open with the big blind still to act is a marginal hand that plays poorly out of position; folding is the standard play.

I'm getting about 3.7-to-1 on a 150-chip call from the big blind against a button raise, which is enough to defend a wide range even with 6-4 offsuit.

I have 6-4 with no pair and no real draw on an 8-8-Q board, and checking is free, so I take the free showdown option rather than betting.

Top pair with a weak kicker on a paired board; a small c-bet gets value from worse queens, eights-free hands and club draws while denying equity, and keeps the pot manageable.

I have 6-4 with no pair and no real draw on an 8-8-Q board, so I can't justify calling 200 into a 750 pot. Folding is the disciplined play.

K8o on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising 2.5x puts pressure on the blinds and takes initiative with position.

Nine-five offsuit is a weak hand to call 200 out of position against a button raise in a three-way pot, so folding preserves chips.

We are getting good pot odds (150 to win 550) against a wide 3-handed button open, and Q2o has enough equity to defend from the big blind.

Second pair with a weak kicker on an ace-high board, out of position against the button raiser. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me bluff-catch some c-bets.

I raised preflop from the button and the BB checked to me on an A-high board; a half-pot c-bet with K8 (gutshot + backdoor) folds out many hands that missed and leverages my range advantage.

Second pair on an ace-high board facing a half-pot c-bet from a wide button range. At 25% pot odds, this hand has enough showdown value to call, but it is too weak to raise.

Middle pair with a weak kicker on an A-Q-T-7 board that hits the button's range hard, so check for pot control. I'll decide on a bluff-catch facing a bet.

King-high with only a gutshot to broadway; opponent check-called the flop on an A-high board and likely has a pair, so taking a free card to hit the J is better than bluffing into a likely caller.

Second pair with a weak kicker has showdown value but can't get called by worse often enough to bet. The opponent's turn check-back caps their range, so checking to showdown is best.

King-high has almost no showdown value; opponent checked turn and river showing weakness on an A-Q-T board, so a ~65% pot bet credibly represents Ax/two pair/straight and should fold out Qx, weak pairs, and missed draws.

Getting about 3.6:1, I only need around 28% equity. The turn check-back caps the button's range, so this small river bet includes enough missed draws and bluffs to bluff-catch with second pair.

On the button with Q7 suited, a 3-handed steal raise is profitable against the small and big blinds, and it denies them cheap realization of their equity.

92o in the small blind facing a button open to 3bb, with the big blind still to act, is a clear fold. Calling out of position with a hand this weak loses money.

Qs4s suited in the big blind facing a 3x button open with SB folded; pot odds are 200 to win 450 (~31%), and a suited queen plays well enough to defend, though it's not strong enough to 3-bet.

Q4s with no club on a monotone 7-2-6 flop is a whiff; check to the preflop raiser and fold to most bets, bluffing out of position on this board is poor.

I have top pair with a queen kicker on a board where the checked action suggests weakness, so a half-pot bet builds the pot and charges draws.

Q4s with no club on a monotone 7c2c6c flop; we have only queen-high with no flush draw and a gutshot at best, facing a half-pot c-bet. Folding is clearly correct.