Hold'em table

Opening small on the button can win the blinds while keeping the investment modest. If called, 5♣3♣ has suited and straight potential with position postflop.

9-2 offsuit is the worst starting hand. Calling 175 out of position against a button raise with a big blind still to act is a losing play, so I fold.

4h2c is too weak to defend out of position against a button raise, even with the discounted call. Folding preserves chips for better spots.

3d8d is a weak offsuit-ish hand out of position against two players still to act behind; folding to the 100 call is reasonable, avoiding a marginal spot.

Button folded, so I only need 50 more to complete with 3:1 pot odds. T7o is weak but cheap enough to see a flop heads-up.

Ace-king is a strong value raise against the small blind’s limping range. Raising to 400 builds the pot with an equity advantage and position postflop.

T7o is too weak to continue against a big blind raise, and calling 300 more out of position is not profitable.

A6o on the button in a 3-way pot: calling 100 closes little, keeps the pot small, and lets me use position postflop. No need to bloat it with a marginal offsuit ace.

Pocket tens are strong against a button limping range, so I raise for value and to discourage a multiway pot. The larger sizing compensates for playing out of position.

AQo is a strong hand in 3-handed play. I'm in the big blind facing a small blind raise to 500 and a button limp, so a 3-bet to 1700 builds the pot with a hand that dominates many of their holdings and takes the initiative.

A6o is too weak against a small blind raise and big blind three-bet; calling 1600 with a dominated ace is not profitable.

Pocket tens are strong enough to defend against a big-blind three-bet, with 1,200 to call into 2,300. Calling keeps weaker hands in the opponent’s range and avoids committing the stack against a stronger continuing range.

Check to the preflop aggressor with a medium overpair. This controls the pot against higher pairs while allowing weaker hands and draws to bet.

Ace-high with the nut spade draw (As) plus overcard Queen on a 6s4c7s flop, heads-up in a 3500 pot. Seat_1 checked, so a bet of about half pot builds fold equity, and I still have strong equity if called.

TT is an overpair on this low flop, and calling requires only about 25% equity against a range that can include overcards and draws. Raising would tend to fold out bluffs while concentrating the opponent's continuing range toward stronger hands.

The ace favors the preflop three-bettor's range and reduces the value of my tens. Checking preserves showdown value without inflating the pot against stronger hands.

I hold top pair with the nut ace and a backdoor spade draw on a wet board. Seat_1 checked the turn after calling a flop bet, so their range looks capped. Betting about half the pot (3500 into 7100) gets value from weaker aces and draws and denies equity.

The ace strengthens much of the preflop three-bettor’s range, leaving tens as a weak bluff-catcher against this second barrel. With little chance to improve and another potential river bet, calling is unlikely to be profitable.

Pocket fives are a profitable button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while retaining position and strong implied odds when we flop a set.

3c7s is a very weak offsuit hand out of position in the small blind, facing a button raise to 250 with the big blind still to act. Folding is the best option.

Closing the action with 67o against a button raise, I have enough equity and pot odds to call 150 into 400, despite being out of position.

I have 7-high with no pair and only a backdoor straight draw on a king-high flop. Checking keeps the pot small and avoids bluffing into an opponent who raised preflop.

Pocket fives have some showdown value but little ability to improve on this two-diamond board. Checking back keeps the pot small and avoids a check-raise while retaining position for later decisions.

My 6-7 has only a gutshot on a coordinated board; checking keeps the pot small and gives me a free river card.

Pocket fives retain some showdown value, but betting is unlikely to fold out many better hands on this coordinated board. With no diamond or useful straight draw, I prefer to check back and reassess on the river.

My 6-7 has no pair and no diamond, so I have little showdown value and no strong bluffing case against a preflop raiser who could have a king or ten. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me fold if seat_1 bets.

Pocket fives retain showdown value against unpaired hands and smaller pairs. Betting rarely gets called by worse, and without a diamond blocker this is not an attractive bluff.

Q8s on the button in 3-handed play is a reasonable hand to see a flop with, getting 2.5:1 odds, but not strong enough to raise for value.

With 50 to call into a 250 pot, I'm getting 5:1 and 54o has enough equity in a 3-way limped pot to see a flop. Folding would forfeit my small blind for no reason, and raising into two limpers with this weak hand is too risky.

With 5-3 offsuit against two limpers, take the free flop rather than inflate the pot with a weak hand.

Bottom pair with weak kicker and first to act; checking controls pot and avoids bloating against flush/straight draws.

I have no pair or direct draw on a coordinated flop against two opponents. Checking preserves chips and takes a free card if the button checks behind.

I have Qd with a backdoor flush draw and an overcard on a J-4-9 flop. Both opponents checked, so a small bet on the button can take the pot now or build equity against weak ranges. A small bet of 200 into 300 is cheap and still fine if I get called.

Bottom pair with a weak kicker is unlikely to be best against a flop bet from the button, and I am out of position with another player still to act. Folding avoids putting more chips in with a marginal hand.

Five-high with no direct draw has too little equity to call a two-thirds-pot bet. With no useful blockers and poor prospects out of position, a bluff-raise is unattractive.

7s2s is a very weak offsuit hand from the button and calling 100 into a small pot with poor playability is not profitable.

Pocket jacks are a strong value raise against the big blind's wide range. Raising to 3 big blinds builds the pot and charges the opponent to continue while we are out of position.

Getting 3:1 pot odds (200 to win 500) with suited 64s in the big blind against a small blind open, so calling is profitable enough and I can play postflop in position... actually out of position, but the price is good.

With two overcards and no spade, JJ has showdown value but gains little from betting into hands that continue. Checking keeps the pot manageable out of position and retains weaker hands in the opponent's range.

Board is Qs Ks 6d and I have a pair of sixes with a backdoor spade draw, which is weak showdown value plus equity. Seat 1 checked as the preflop raiser, so a modest bet of about two-thirds pot can take the pot or build it with outs, and it also denies equity to overcards.

With two overcards and no spade, JJ is a weak bluff-catcher against this two-thirds-pot bet. Our jacks block several natural straight-draw bluffs, and playing out of position makes realizing sufficient equity difficult.