Hold'em table

K2 offsuit is a weak hand out of position against two blinds in a 3-handed game. Calling 100 is marginal and the hand plays poorly postflop, so I fold.

Completing costs 50 chips into a 150-chip pot. Although 5-3 offsuit is weak and out of position, the price is good enough to see a flop.

Checking our option with T5s in position to see a free flop.

With a weak hand and no immediate draw, I’ll check rather than build the pot out of position.

I have ten-high with no showdown value or draw, but checking behind is free and lets me see a turn card.

After the big blind checked back the flop, a small turn bet can fold out many unpaired hands that beat my five-high. The paired board also gives me a plausible value-betting range.

I have ten-high with no draw on a paired board and cannot justify continuing against a turn bet.

T6 suited is a reasonable button open three-handed, with position and some postflop playability.

Folding J8s from the small blind against a 2.5x button open to avoid playing a marginal hand out of position.

Pocket sevens in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open, getting good pot odds (150 to win 400) and set-mining value; a call is solid and keeps the button's wide range in.

I have a set of sevens on a dry 7-2-5 flop and I'm first to act heads-up out of position. A bet of about 64% of the pot builds the pot and charges draws and overcards, while the button's wide raising range should pay off.

T6 suited has no pair, immediate straight draw, or possible flush draw on this flop. Folding to the big blind's bet preserves chips.

J4s is too weak to profitably open on the button in 3-handed 100bb play, so folding is the best play.

8-4 offsuit is one of the weakest hands. Even heads-up against the big blind it plays poorly out of position, and completing costs 50 with only a small pot to win, so folding is the safer choice.

T9 offsuit on the button in a 3-handed game is a playable hand, and calling 100 to win a 250 pot gives a good price with position, so I take a cheap flop rather than fold or bloat the pot.

A-K offsuit is strong against a button limp. Raising to 550 builds the pot and discourages the big blind from seeing a cheap flop.

Holding 85o facing a 5.5bb raise from the small blind with a limper behind is an easy fold.

T9 suited-ish offsuit connector is marginal; getting 1200 to 450 (about 2.7:1) with position against a small blind raiser in a 3-handed game makes a call reasonable. Folding is close, but calling keeps position and playability.

This dry paired flop favors my preflop raising range. A small bet can win the pot now while keeping the risk modest with ace-king high.

Holding T-9 high on a 3-7-3 board, I have only ten-high with two overcards to the 7 and some backdoor potential. The call costs 400 to win 1600, so I need about 20% equity. The bettor could be betting a wide range after the preflop raise, so I'll call and see the turn rather than fold or bluff-raise.

AK has strong kickers on the three-of-a-kind board, but a turn bet is unlikely to get called by many worse hands. Checking controls the pot and leaves room to catch a bluff on the river.

The board 3-7-3-3 is very dry, and seat_2 checked the turn after betting the flop, which suggests weakness. With T-9 high I have some showdown value but a bet can fold out hands like a pair of 4s to 6s or overcards. It also builds a pot on a board where trips are unlikely for either of us. Sizing is about 35% of the pot to limit the risk.

My ace-king gives me trip threes with strong kickers. The bet is small enough to call against possible bluffs or weaker unpaired hands, while raising would mostly get action from better hands.

Ace-king has showdown value, but a 7, a 4, or any pocket pair beats it on this board. Checking avoids a thin value bet against a range that can contain many better hands.

Our hand plays as trips with T-9 kickers, which beats some missed draws but loses to any pair or ace kicker that called two streets. A bet would mostly get called by better hands, so checking to showdown is best.

Q7 offsuit is playable as a button open three-handed. Raising gives me a chance to win the blinds and keeps the initiative in position.

J5s is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button open with the big blind left to act.

AQs is a strong hand in a 3-handed pot against a button open to 2.5bb. A 3-bet to 8.5bb from the big blind builds the pot and takes the initiative, and I have position disadvantage but a strong hand.

Q7 offsuit is often dominated by a big blind three-bet range and does not play well enough postflop to justify calling the additional 600 chips.

Q6o is too weak to open profitably even on the button in 3-handed play.

J5 suited in the small blind, heads-up against the big blind with the button folded. Calling 50 more to win a 200 pot is a cheap price, so I take the flop rather than fold.

Q3 suited can see the flop for free, but it is too weak to build a larger pot against the limper.

I have Jc high with a backdoor flush draw on an Ace-high board, so I can't call much. Checking keeps the pot small, and a small bet would likely only get called by better hands like an Ace.

Q-high has little equity on this dry ace-high flop and no meaningful draw. I’ll take the free turn card rather than build a pot with a weak hand.

Heads-up on the turn after a checked flop, I hold a club flush draw with a gutshot (5c Jc, board Ad 2h Ts 4s), which is not a flush draw actually; I have only a gutshot-ish backdoor (3 makes a wheel straight). Both players showed weakness by checking, so a small 100 bet is a cheap semi-bluff that can win the pot with a gutshot to the wheel as equity backup.}

The small turn bet offers a reasonable price to draw to a five for a straight. A queen may also improve my hand, so I’ll call rather than raise.

I have a flush with the Jc and the board Js Ts 4s... wait, only the Js and Ts and 4s are spades; my Jc is not a spade, so I have just a pair of jacks with a weak kicker. Ace on board. Opponent called a small turn bet and checked the flop, so their range is capped and weak-ish; a small value bet of 200 into 400 could get called by worse pairs or draws that missed.}</br>

I have only queen-high, and the river completes a possible flush. With no relevant blocker, calling or bluff-raising is unlikely to be profitable.