Hold'em table

A5s is a premium suited ace on the button in 3-handed play; raising to 2.5bb is standard open sizing.

Nine-deuce suited is too weak to continue out of position against a button open, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids paying 200 chips with a dominated, low-equity hand.

Getting about 2.7:1 in the big blind against a wide button open, 73s has enough playability to defend by calling.

With 73o I have no pair and no real draw on a TQ8 two-tone board, which hits the button's raising range hard. Checking to the raiser is the best play; I'll give up if he bets.

The flop is highly coordinated and connects strongly with the big blind's calling range, while Ac5c has no significant equity or backdoors. Checking behind controls the pot in position.

Seven-three has no pair and no draw on a K-Q-T-8 board. That board connects strongly with the preflop raiser's range, so a probe bet is unlikely to get enough folds. I'll check and give up if he bets.

I have a gutshot straight draw to the nuts with the Ace blocker, and the opponent has checked twice. Betting turn applies pressure to weak pairs and missed draws while building the pot if I hit.

Holding 7-3 with no pair and no draw on a broadway-heavy board, facing a turn bet, I have essentially zero equity. A bluff-raise isn't credible since my flop and turn checks make my range look weak, so folding is best.

A3o is playable as a button open in three-handed poker; a 2.5bb raise steals the blinds and defines the pot.

T5o 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.

Defending the big blind with ATo getting attractive pot odds against a standard button open.

Check out of position to the preflop aggressor with Ace-high on a dry King-high board.

Ace-high missed this dry K-6-4 flop, but as the preflop raiser I can take a small continuation bet after the check and fold out many weaker hands.

I hold Ace-ten offsuit on a dry King-high board where I have very little equity or playability out of position against the button's continuation bet.

A4o is a clear opening hand on the button in 3-handed play, so I'm raising to 2.5bb to steal the blinds.

T6o is too weak to defend out of position against a button open with the big blind left to act.

KTo has enough equity and playability versus a button open to continue, but it is too dominated and out of position to 3-bet. Calling 150 keeps the pot small and sees a flop.

King-ten has two overcards but no pair or draw on a paired board, and I am out of position against the preflop raiser, so checking is the disciplined line.

A dry paired board heavily favors the preflop raiser in position, and ace-high has some showdown value and backdoor equity. A small c-bet of about a third of the pot should take this down often.

KTo completely missed the paired flop with no draw, and continuing out of position against the preflop raiser's c-bet is unprofitable.

K6o is slightly below the standard opening range threshold on the button in 3-handed play, making a disciplined fold the cleanest play.

Button folded, so I am heads-up with a pocket pair and can take the initiative with a small raise rather than just complete.

In a blind-vs-blind spot facing a 3x small blind open, A3o is well ahead of the SB's wide range. Calling 200 into a 400 pot is clearly profitable, and keeping their weaker hands in is better than 3-betting.

I have a full house on a paired board and want a value bet against the preflop caller; half-pot-plus builds the pot while keeping worse hands in.

Ace-high plays as a decent bluff-catcher on a trip-fours board, where SB c-bets wide with unpaired hands. Calling 400 to win 1000 needs only about 29% equity.

I have fours full of threes, but the turn Ace gives any ace a better full house and any higher pocket pair also beats me. With no bet facing me, checking controls the pot rather than betting into a range that mostly continues when ahead.

We hold fours full of aces, which beats every pocket pair and only loses to quads, and an ace in their hand just splits the pot. After their turn check, a value bet of about 65% pot gets called by worse hands.

I have a full house on a paired board, so folding is out. A raise mostly gets called by better full houses and quads, while calling keeps Ax and bluffs in and is clearly profitable.

I have fours full of threes, but the Ace-King river means any Ace or King and most pairs beat me. Seat 3's turn raise looks strong, so I check and take the free showdown rather than bet into a range that continues mainly with better hands.

We hold 444AA, which beats every Kx, pocket pair and underpair and only chops with Ax or loses to the last 4. A half-pot value bet should get calls from the Kx and pairs in a range that check-called the turn and then checked the river.

I have fours full of threes on a triple-four board, which beats all trips and most bluffs. A value raise targets ace-x and king-x that bet the river while keeping the price reasonable against stronger boats.

I have fours full of aces, which loses only to the one remaining four (quads) and chops with any other ace. The call is 3200 into a 12800 pot, so I need only 25% equity. Shoving gains little because they would call mainly with ace-x for a chop or with quads.

65o is too weak to open even from the button in a three-handed game; folding avoids playing a dominated, low-playability hand out of position postflop if called.

A4o is well ahead of a random big-blind range when we're heads-up in the small blind after the button folds. A 3x raise takes the initiative and folds out weaker hands.

T2o is far too weak to defend against a 3bb open from the small blind.

93o is too weak to open from the button in a 3-handed game with 100bb stacks against two blinds; folding is standard.

K3o is too weak to complete or raise from the small blind out of position against the big blind.