Hold'em table

Q9 suited is a strong button opening hand three-handed, with positional advantage and solid playability.

KTo is a reasonable mixed three-bet candidate against a button open, with a king blocker and playable high-card strength. Raising to 1,000 applies pressure and discourages the big blind from entering while we are out of position.

7♠8♦ offsuit is too weak to continue against a button open and a substantial small-blind 3-bet. Calling would put in 9 more big blinds with poor equity and likely playability.

Q9 suited is not strong enough to continue profitably against this very large 3-bet sizing, especially if the small blind is value-heavy.

Pocket deuces are worth opening on the button three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds can win the blinds immediately while preserving positional advantage and set value when called.

9♠7♦ is a weak, offsuit hand from the small blind facing a button raise, with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more out of position.

Defend the big blind against a small button raise with suited connectivity and favorable pot odds.

I have an open-ended straight draw and can apply pressure to the preflop raiser after their checked-to flop. A moderate continuation-sized lead gives fold equity while retaining strong improvement potential.

Pocket deuces have little equity against a substantial flop lead on J-9-5, with only two outs to improve against a higher pair. Without evidence of excessive bluffing, calling or bluff-raising is less profitable than folding.

A5 offsuit is a reasonable button open in a three-handed pot. A raise to 250 applies pressure to the blinds while keeping the sizing modest.

K2 offsuit is a weak, dominated hand from the small blind facing a button raise, with the big blind still behind.

75 offsuit is a marginal defend against a 2.5bb button raise and realizes equity poorly out of position. Without evidence of unusually loose opening, folding is preferable to calling or bluff-raising.

8-high offsuit is too weak to profitably open from the button in this format.

Completing costs only 50 chips with 150 already in the pot. Suited 7-5 has enough playability to continue cheaply while keeping the pot small out of position.

With strong AKo against a small-blind limp, raise for value and take the initiative heads-up. A raise to 400 is a solid sizing without overcommitting preflop.

Against a potentially wide blind-versus-blind raise, 7♠5♠ has enough suited connectivity to defend at 100-big-blind depth. Calling preserves its straight and flush potential without inflating the pot further out of position.

With seven-high and no meaningful draw, this is a poor candidate to lead into the preflop raiser on a board that favors their range. Check and avoid investing further without improvement.

A small continuation bet can win the pot immediately and gives me useful fold equity with two overcards and a gutshot to the nuts. The sizing keeps the cost controlled if called.

Seven-high has no pair, flush draw, or viable straight draw on this flop. With poor equity and no useful bluff blockers, continuing out of position is unprofitable even against the small bet.

Nine-six offsuit is too weak for a standard button open with both blinds still to act. Without evidence that the blinds overfold, folding is preferable to investing with poor playability.

Q3 suited is playable heads-up from the small blind, and completing cheaply keeps the pot small while closing the preflop action.

Q8 offsuit has adequate equity to see a flop for free against the small blind limp, but is not strong enough to inflate the pot out of position.

With no pair and only backdoor club-flush potential, I’ll take the free turn rather than bluff into the big blind’s range.

Betting half pot can fold out many missed limp hands while retaining equity with a gutshot to a king-high straight.

Q-high has no meaningful immediate draw on this flop, and calling the bet would be unprofitable without sufficient equity.

J7 offsuit is marginal, but on the button a small raise can win the blinds and gives me position if called.

Pocket eights are a strong three-handed hand and play well as a value 3-bet against a button open. Raising also discourages the big blind from entering cheaply.

T3 offsuit is far too weak to continue against a button raise and small-blind three-bet. Calling 700 with poor equity and the original raiser still to act would be unprofitable.

J7 offsuit is too weak to continue against a sizable small-blind 3-bet; calling would put in more chips with poor equity and playability.