Hold'em table

As the button in a three-handed game, 9-6 offsuit is playable as an open-raise. A modest raise applies pressure to the blinds while keeping the pot manageable.

A4o in the small blind facing a 3-handed button open is a decent 3-bet bluff candidate with an ace blocker; flatting out of position with the BB still behind is poor. Squeezing to 10bb takes initiative.

JTs plays well in position against the small blind’s three-bet. Calling keeps the pot manageable, though the button can still act behind me.

With 9♦6♣, facing a large reraise and a cold-call, continuing would be unprofitable; fold and preserve chips.

Top two pair on a dry-ish flop with a spade draw out there; a 1/3-pot c-bet as the 3-bettor gets value from Ax and draws while protecting against spades.

J-high has no immediate draw on an ace-high flop, and the preflop reraiser is likely to have a strong range. Calling 750 with only weak backdoor possibilities is not worthwhile.

Q2 offsuit is below a reasonable button opening threshold in 3-handed play with two blinds left to act; folding is the low-risk option.

JTo is strong enough to raise heads-up against the big blind. Raising to 300 puts pressure on their range rather than playing a limped pot out of position.

A♥J♥ is strong enough to 3-bet for value against a small-blind open. Raising to 1000 builds the pot while applying pressure heads-up.

JTo is difficult to play out of position against this large three-bet, and calling risks making dominated pairs.

Q2 offsuit is a weak, easily dominated button hand at 100 big blinds. With no reads on the blinds, I’ll pass on this marginal open.

With the button folded, JTo is a solid heads-up blind-vs-blind hand. Raise for value and initiative rather than merely completing the small blind.

Getting 3:1 in the big blind versus a small-blind open that should be wide, K8s is a clear defend, and I'll have position postflop. Calling keeps their weaker hands in and my hand plays well enough as a call.

With no pair and no club draw on this ace-high flop, I’ll take the free card rather than bluff into the preflop caller’s range.

Seat 1 checked as the preflop raiser, which weakens their range. A small one-third-pot stab in position can fold out overcards and weak pairs, while K8 has little showdown value anyway.

The small bet offers favorable pot odds, and my overcards plus backdoor straight and flush possibilities give enough equity to continue. I’ll avoid raising with no made hand.

I have only jack-high with limited drawing potential, so checking keeps the pot small rather than bluffing into the preflop caller.

King-high has some showdown value against missed draws, and the small-blind player's flop check-call range holds many aces and nines that won't fold. Checking back to realize equity cheaply is better than bluffing here.

I have only jack-high, and the river does not meaningfully improve my bluff credibility after calling the flop bet. Checking avoids risking chips against likely pairs that may call a small bet.

King-high rarely wins at showdown, and after the passive turn and river checks, a bet can fold out the underpairs and 9x in the SB's check-call range. My K also blocks AK.

J-high has no pair or meaningful showdown value on this paired ace-high board. The river bet is substantial, and I have better hands to bluff-catch with.

7♠5♥ is a weak offsuit hand and not worth entering from the button against both blinds.

In a blind-vs-blind spot, J6o is a reasonable raise from the small blind: completing leaves me out of position with a weak hand, while a 3x raise can take the pot down right away.

Q5 offsuit has enough equity to defend the big blind against a small-blind raise, especially with position after the flop.

The K-Q high board favors my preflop-raising range, so a small one-third-pot c-bet works as a cheap bluff. My jack gives me a little backdoor straight equity to fall back on.

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

J-high with only a gutshot on a KQ board after getting called on the flop; barreling again into a caller's range is unprofitable, so check and give up unless I get a cheap card.

Second pair with a weak kicker has showdown value, but betting risks building a pot against better queens or kings. Checking in position keeps the pot manageable and lets me reassess on the river.

Jack-high has almost no showdown value. BB's turn check-back caps their range to mostly marginal pairs and missed draws, so a roughly two-thirds-pot bluff only needs to work about 39% of the time to profit.

Second pair beats missed draws and weaker pairs, and the river bet requires about 28% equity to call. The small flop bet and turn check leave enough bluffs and thin value bets in the opponent’s range.

On the button 3-handed, 74s is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb puts pressure on both blinds.

Against a button open, A2 offsuit has an ace blocker but plays poorly as an out-of-position call. A three-bet can win the pot preflop and avoids inviting the big blind in cheaply.

6-4 offsuit is too weak to continue against a button raise and a substantial small-blind 3-bet; calling would be unprofitable out of position.

In position with a deep-stacked suited hand, getting about 2.9:1 on the call. Playability and implied odds make a call slightly better than folding against the small blind's 3-bet.

A small continuation bet leverages my preflop strength on a low paired board. I also have a gutshot straight draw if called.

The small c-bet gives good pot odds: 600 to win 3200, or about 19% equity needed. I have a gutshot to a straight, backdoor diamonds, and position, with deep stacks for implied odds.

My ace is the best kicker to the board’s two pair, but a pocket pair or a 3 or 5 beats me. Checking avoids building a large pot with a hand that has limited value against a flop caller.

My hand plays the board with a weak kicker and loses to nearly anything at showdown. The opponent's turn check suggests unpaired hands like AK/AQ that may fold, and I still have a gutshot to a 6 as backup.

My ace kicker can beat missed broadway hands on this double-paired board. Calling the turn bet is preferable to raising, which would mostly drive out hands I already beat.

Ace high has showdown value on this double-paired board. Betting risks getting called by better hands while folding out many worse ones.

Our hand only plays the board and loses to almost any ace-high or pocket pair at showdown. The king on the river is a scare card for underpairs and weak aces, so a large bluff can fold out much of the range that checked.

My ace plays as the kicker to the board’s two pair. The river bet is large, but missed draws and other bluffs give me enough reason to call.

8-3 offsuit is too weak to open from the button against two players with full stacks.

With the button folded, completing costs only 50 more into a 150-chip pot. Even with a weak offsuit hand, the price is reasonable heads-up.

The small blind limped, which caps their range, and J7o plays fine in position as a raise for value and fold equity. Raising to 3.5x puts pressure on their weak limping range.

2♦4♠ is a very weak hand, and calling 250 more out of position against a raise is not worthwhile.