Hold'em table

On the button in a three-handed game, 8-6 offsuit is playable as a small open when action folds to me. Position makes a raise preferable to limping.

J2s from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act behind, is a clear fold; the hand is too weak to call out of position or to 3-bet.

Pocket jacks are a strong heads-up blind-defense holding; a 3-bet builds value while applying pressure to the button opener.

Offsuit 8-6 is too weak to continue against a substantial three-bet, even with position.

A7o is a clear open from the button in 3-handed play, so I'm raising to 2.5bb to steal the blinds with a strong hand.

T3 offsuit is too weak to defend the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

K9 offsuit has enough equity to defend the big blind against a button minish raise, and calling 150 keeps the pot manageable out of position.

With king-high and no strong draw on this low, dry flop, I prefer to check out of position and evaluate the button's action.

A7o on a 642 rainbow board has a gutshot to the wheel (a 5 makes it), backdoor equity and an overcard, and the button's range has the edge here, so a small c-bet of about a third of the pot is good. It can fold out better hands and keeps our range protected.

The small flop bet gives K-high a reasonable price to continue against a wide button range. I can still improve with a king or nine.

King-high has little showdown value, but betting into the preflop raiser on this turn is unlikely to generate enough folds. I’ll check and avoid investing more without a strong reason.

A gutshot to the straight (any 5) plus an ace overcard makes a reasonable semi-bluff. A medium bet puts pressure on the big blind's weak pairs and draws after they checked twice.

King-high has no meaningful draw on this turn, and calling 500 against a second bet is unlikely to be profitable.

9-6 offsuit is a weak button opening hand in this short-handed setup and does not justify investing chips against two blinds.

Q9 suited is a strong enough heads-up hand to raise from the small blind after the button folds.

K2o in the big blind facing a 3bb small-blind open gets 2:1 pot odds, and we'll have position. Our equity against a wide blind-vs-blind range is well above the roughly 33% we need, so calling is better than folding or 3-betting.

On an ace-high, monotone flop, Q9 with no spade has little equity when called. Checking avoids investing more in a weak hand.

The SB checked, and I hold the nut flush draw with the Ks plus a wheel gutshot, so this is a strong semi-bluff. A half-pot bet on this monotone board builds the pot while giving me fold equity against weaker aces and pairs.

With no pair, no spade, and only remote backdoor possibilities on an ace-high monotone flop, calling the bet is not worthwhile.

On the button in a three-handed game, Q4 offsuit is playable as a small steal raise with position postflop.

AQs in the small blind facing a button open is strong enough to 3-bet for value and to deny the big blind a good price; a sizing of about 4.2x the open works out of position. Taking the initiative here beats flatting and getting squeezed or playing a multiway pot.

Calling with pocket fours closes the action at a reasonable price and preserves implied-odds value against the small blind's raise.

Q4 offsuit is too weak to call a large three-bet, especially with another player already in the pot.

We have bottom set on a dry flop after the preflop 3-bettor checked. A moderate bet builds value while retaining weaker overpairs and broadway hands.

AQ high with two overcards and a backdoor flush draw on a dry low board is getting about 4.5:1. Villain's small bet range includes many missed broadways and underpairs, so calling is profitable, while raising would mostly fold out worse hands.

The turn gave us the nut flush draw plus a wheel gutshot, about 12 outs plus possible overcard outs. Betting semi-bluff lets us win now against weaker made hands while keeping strong equity when called.

Top set is far ahead of the likely overpair, pair-plus-draw, and heart-draw range. Raising builds toward a river shove while charging the many draws on this coordinated board.

The nut flush draw plus a wheel draw gives about 12 clean outs (~27%). We need only about 18% equity to call 2300 into a 12725 pot, and calling lets us win villain's remaining 3750 when we hit and fold the river when we miss.

The hearts missed and I only have ace-high. The opponent's turn raise suggests a strong hand that will call a small shove, since they would be getting great odds. Checking gives me a free showdown if they have a missed draw, and I avoid spending chips on a bluff that is unlikely to work.

With trip fours in a large pot and only a short stack behind, shoving extracts value from Jx, overpairs, and other bluff-catchers. Checking forfeits too much value.

Ace-high with no pair loses to nearly every value hand that raises the turn and jams the river. It only beats pure bluffs, and those are unlikely to make up the roughly 18.5% of their range needed to justify calling off the stack.

Q8o on the button in 3-handed play is a standard open-raise; stealing the blinds with a 2.5bb open is profitable.

Pocket threes are a reasonable defend versus a small button open with deep effective stacks and strong implied odds when we flop a set.

6-3 offsuit has poor playability against two opponents, and the discount to call does not compensate enough for playing out of position.

I have a set on a wet board and should build the pot while charging diamond and straight draws. A substantial lead also gets value from overpairs and top-pair hands.

Queen-high with no pair and only backdoor draws facing a 3/4-pot lead lacks the roughly 30% equity needed to call. Raising as a bluff is thin against a donk-bet range that hits this low board.

6♦4♦ is a weak button holding; folding avoids entering a marginal multiway pot.

Q-J suited is strong heads-up against the big blind, so I raise for value rather than complete from the small blind.

Getting 2:1 in position against a wide small-blind steal range, 95o has enough equity and playability to defend by calling.

This low, connected flop favors the big blind's calling range, and Q-high has little immediate equity. Checking keeps the pot manageable.

The preflop raiser checked to me in position. My 9-high hand has a gutshot to a straight, an overcard and a backdoor flush draw, so a small stab can take the pot now and still has equity if called.

The small bet gives a reasonable price to continue with two overcards and backdoor straight and flush possibilities. Raising would risk too much on a board that connects well with the big blind's range.

Q-high has little showdown value, but the gutshot gives me a reason to see a river. After calling the flop bet, I prefer checking to a turn bluff on a card that may help the big blind's range.

Top pair with a flush draw and a gutshot against an opponent who has checked twice. Betting about 64% of the pot gets value from worse hands, protects against overcards, and keeps strong equity when called.

Q-high has only a gutshot against a player who has bet both streets. Calling 700 lacks sufficient equity, and a bluff raise is too speculative.