Hold'em table

Open-raising 87o from the button in 3-handed play to leverage position and pick up the blinds.

T5 offsuit is a weak hand. Out of position against a button open, with the big blind still to act behind me, calling 150 more is a losing play, so I fold.

The small pair is worth defending against a button min-raise at this price, with potential to make a set.

My underpair has some showdown value, but this ace-high, two-heart flop favors the preflop raiser. Checking avoids building a pot with a weak hand.

C-betting one-third pot on an Ace-high board with a substantial range advantage in position.

Pocket threes have little equity on this ace-high flop and no heart or meaningful draw. Calling out of position would make later streets difficult to play profitably.

JTo on the button in a 3-handed game is a solid raising hand with position against two blinds, so I make a standard 3x raise.

96 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 3x button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

K5o is too weak to defend out of position against a 3bb open from the button.

Six-five offsuit is a marginal but playable button open three-handed. Raising gives me position and a chance to win the blinds.

A7o performs poorly out of position facing a button open with the big blind still behind, making it a clear fold.

K2o in the big blind facing a button min-raise to 250 has good pot odds (150 to win 400, about 27% needed equity) and a king-high hand that plays fine against a wide button range, so calling beats folding or bluff-raising.

King-high on a Jd 5d 4c flop with a flush draw out there is weak. I'm out of position against the preflop raiser, so I'll check and see what they do rather than build a pot with a marginal hand.

My weak pair has some showdown value, but a bet is likely to be called by better hands and draws. Checking in position keeps the pot manageable.

King-high on a paired 5-J-4-5 board has little showdown value but some. The button checked back the flop, so their range is capped and weak, but I have no strong hand to bet for value. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me realize my equity.

Trips are likely ahead, and a 400-chip bet gets value from jacks and draws while charging the diamond and club draws.

King-high on a paired board with a flush draw and a straight draw possible; facing a turn bet of 400 into 550 after a check-check flop, I have no pair and little equity, so I fold.

Q8s is well within standard 3-handed button opening range; raising to 2.5bb to exploit position.

J9s out of position against a button open, with a big blind still to act behind me, is marginal; calling 200 more risks playing a bloated pot out of position. Folding is the simple, low-variance choice.

T2 offsuit is too weak to defend out of position against a 2.5-big-blind raise.

Q7o on the button in a 3-handed game is a marginal hand with decent playability. Calling 100 to win a 250 pot is a good price, and raising would risk too much with a weak kicker.

Calling 50 offers good pot odds with Q7 offsuit against a button limp. Raising would build a larger pot out of position with a marginal hand.

Holding 9d 5s in the big blind with two limpers, checking to see a free flop is the standard and optimal play.

With queen-high, no club, and only backdoor draws in a three-way pot, I’ll check rather than build the pot.

I have nine-high with negligible equity on a broadway-heavy flop; checking is standard and free.

On the button with a gutshot (Q-T-8-7 needs J... actually Q with K,T gives a Broadway draw) and a backdoor club flush draw, and both opponents checked, a small bet can take the pot or build equity. The stakes are small relative to the pot.

Queen-high has no immediate straight or flush draw on this flop. Facing a bet with another player still to act, folding preserves chips.

I hold nine-high with no direct draw on a coordinated King-ten-eight flop facing a bet, making this a clear fold.

K5 suited is a reasonable button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds uses position while keeping the pot manageable.

Q8s is too weak to flat out of position against a 2.5x open with the big blind left to act, making folding standard.

A3 suited is a decent hand in the big blind, and the button's 2.5x open is wide. The pot odds are good (150 to win 400), so I'll call and see a flop rather than bloat the pot out of position.

Bottom pair with an ace kicker and a backdoor nut flush draw, out of position heads-up against a button opener who could hold many hands. A small bet gets value from worse hands and denies equity, and it can pick up a fold from ace-high and other weak holdings.

Top pair is strong enough to continue against a small flop bet, but the weak kicker makes raising less attractive. Calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in the pot.

Ad3d on 9s Kh 3c 9d gives me a pair of threes with an ace kicker and a backdoor flush possibility. Seat 3 only called the flop, so they likely hold a marginal made hand or a draw, and I bet small for thin value and protection as the first to act.

Top pair is strong enough to continue against the small turn bet, but the weak kicker makes raising unattractive.

Two pair, nines and threes, is a marginal hand. Seat_3 called both flop and turn, so a betting range full of Kx, 4x and 9x beats us, while worse hands rarely call. Checking controls the pot size.

Top pair has good showdown value, but my weak kicker makes a river value bet thin against a player who bet both the flop and turn. Checking avoids paying more when they have a nine or a stronger king.