Hold'em table

A6o on the button 3-handed is a clear open-raise; 2.5bb puts pressure on the blinds.

K7 suited is strong enough to defend against a button open, but I prefer calling to building a larger pot out of position.

9-high with a weak, disconnected offsuit hand performs poorly multiway against a button raise and small blind call. Folding preserves chips.

Top pair with a weak kicker is worth continuing with, but on this dry board I prefer to check to the preflop raiser rather than build the pot out of position.

The K-J-4 board favours my button opening range, and the ace high gives me a backdoor nut flush draw. A small c-bet of a third of the pot pressures the small blind's weaker hands and keeps my range protected.

Top pair is strong enough to continue against a small flop bet, but the weak kicker makes a raise unattractive.

Top pair and a flush draw are strong enough to continue, but checking keeps weaker hands and bluffs in the pot while avoiding an unnecessarily large pot against better kings.

Ace-high with no draw has some showdown value against busted draws, and the small blind's check-call range is full of Kx and Jx that won't fold. Checking back takes a free card and controls the pot.

I have a king-high flush. A moderate river bet can get value from weaker flushes and some strong pairs without risking an oversized bet against an ace-high flush.

Ace-high is a pure bluff-catcher here, and the river completed the diamond flush. Villain check-called the flop, checked the turn, then led when the flush got there, which points to a value-heavy range that beats us most of the time.

43 offsuit is too weak to open from the button at 100bb against two unknown opponents.

Pocket fours is strong enough to open from the small blind heads-up. A minimum raise builds the pot while retaining flexibility against a re-raise.

Blind vs blind facing a min-raise, J9o is well ahead of the SB's wide opening range, and calling 100 to win a 300 pot gives great odds while keeping position. Calling is fine; a 3-bet is also possible but calling realizes equity well in position.

I flopped a made straight on a coordinated board with a spade draw available. A substantial value bet charges draws and gets called by pairs, draws, and weaker made hands.

We are in position with two overcards and a backdoor flush draw against a wide small-blind range. Calling 300 into 700 needs about 30% equity, so this is a reasonable float.

I have a made straight on a coordinated board and should value-bet while charging flush draws and weaker made hands.

I have the second-nut-ish 9-high spade draw with 9 outs (about 20%) against a price of 29%. Implied odds on the river, plus some showdown value against bluffs, make a call reasonable.

I have a straight, but the paired three-spade board makes a river value bet too vulnerable to flushes and full houses after the opponent called multiple streets. Checking realizes showdown value safely.

J-high has almost no showdown value against a range that barreled twice, and the river check signals weakness. My calling range includes flushes and trips, so a two-thirds pot bet can fold out medium pairs and overpairs.

I have a five-high straight on this paired, three-spade board. Calling is preferable to raising, since worse hands may bluff or value-bet while better flushes or higher straights would continue.

7-high offsuit is far too weak to enter from the button at this stack depth.

A9s is a strong hand blind-vs-blind, so I'm raising to 3bb from the small blind for value and initiative.

Getting 2-to-1 pot odds in position against a small-blind raise, 7-6 offsuit is worth defending.

As the preflop raiser out of position on a dry J-4-3 board that favors my range, a small c-bet of about 1/3 pot works well. Ace-high with a backdoor flush draw and a wheel gutshot to the 2 gives me equity if called.

The small flop bet gives me a reasonable price to continue in position with a gutshot straight draw and some chance of improving to a pair.

The 2 gives us a wheel gutshot (any 5 makes a straight), and our ace may also be live, so this is a good semi-bluff barrel. It keeps pressure on a flop caller's weaker Jx and pocket pairs.

I have only a gutshot to a five and weak overcard outs. Calling 600 against a second barrel is not worth the price.

52 offsuit is too weak to open from the button in 3-handed play at 100bb deep, so I'm folding.

Ace-king offsuit is a strong heads-up starting hand. Raising from the small blind builds the pot and puts pressure on the big blind.

T4 offsuit is too weak to defend against a small-blind raise heads-up out of position.

A pair of fives is strong enough to open on the button three-handed. Raising to 250 builds the pot while retaining position postflop.

6c2c is too weak to defend against a button raise from the small blind, especially out of position.

Getting 150 to win 400 (27% equity needed) against a button open of 2.5x in 3-handed play, Q7s is comfortably profitable to defend. Calling is better than 3-betting here.

Top pair with a weak kicker out of position against the button's range; checking controls the pot and lets me call reasonable bets.

My pocket fives have some showdown value, but this flop connects well with the big blind's calling range. Checking in position controls the pot and lets me reassess on the turn.

Middle pair on an ace turn with a Broadway-heavy board, and the button's range still holds plenty of aces and better. Checking controls the pot and keeps my showdown value.

Pocket fives have some showdown value, but a turn bet is unlikely to make enough stronger hands fold. I’ll check in position and reassess on the river.

A middle pair of queens has showdown value, but this A-Q-J-T board with three spades makes straights and flushes likely. The opponent checked back twice, so I check to get to showdown cheaply rather than bet into better hands.

Pocket fives have little showdown value on this board. After three checks from the big blind, a river bet can fold out stronger small pairs and some weak one-pair hands.

Getting about 3:1 on a half-pot bet from a range that checked back twice and may be bluffing. My second pair only needs about 32% equity, and it beats plenty of missed hands.

Pocket twos are worth opening on the button, leveraging position and often taking the blinds or building a pot with a concealed set-mining hand.

K4o from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act behind, is a clear fold. It plays poorly out of position and is too weak to 3-bet profitably.

K6 suited has enough playability to defend the big blind against a button raise. Calling keeps the pot manageable.

I have king-high and only a backdoor flush draw on this ace-high flop. Checking keeps the pot small while I’m out of position.

A small continuation bet applies pressure to the many missed broadways and lower pocket pairs in the big blind's range while risking little with minimal showdown value.

King-high has little immediate equity on this A-T-7 rainbow flop. Out of position against the preflop raiser, calling even a small bet is unlikely to be profitable.