Hold'em table

98o on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb takes initiative and position against both blinds.

J9o in SB facing BTN raise, out of position, not strong enough to call or 3bet. Standard fold.

Facing a 150-chip call into a 400-chip pot from the button, the price is good enough to defend my big blind with a suited-connector-ish hand like T5 offsuit, though it's marginal.

I have a pair of fives with a weak kicker, which is a modest made hand, so checking keeps the pot small and controls risk against the preflop raiser.

K-high dry board favors my preflop raising range; a small c-bet with a gutshot gets folds from many hands and keeps equity when called.

Holding a pair of fives with a ten kicker, I get about 17% pot odds to call 200 into a 750 pot against a preflop raiser's continuation bet, so calling is reasonable without committing more chips.

I hold only a pair of fives on a board with K and J, so I have little value to bet and want to see whether seat_1 keeps betting.

Gutshot only with no showdown value; opponent called flop and seems sticky, so I take the free card and keep the pot small rather than barrel into a likely calling station.

I hold a set of fives, a strong hand here, and seat_1 has shown weakness by checking the turn, so a half-pot value bet should get called by worse hands like top pair.

I have 9-high with no pair on a K-J-7-5-5 board facing a river bet; a bluff raise is unlikely to succeed against a player who called the flop and leads the river, so folding loses the least.

Pocket fives on the button is a strong enough hand to raise for value and to take the initiative, building a pot in position.

Seven-queen offsuit is weak and I'm out of position against a button raise, so folding the small blind avoids paying 250 chips to see a flop with poor playability.

AQs in the big blind versus a button open is a clear 3-bet for value; raising to 1000 (about 3.3x) builds the pot in position-disadvantaged spot with a strong hand against a wide button range.

Pocket fives have enough implied odds to set-mine here, and I have position against the big blind's 3-bet.

We 3-bet AQs out of position and the button called; the 4-6-9 rainbow flop misses us but is dry and we hold the range advantage, so a small c-bet with two overcards and backdoor spade/straight equity is standard and takes it down often.

My pair of fives is very weak on this connected flop and I'm facing a 650 c-bet from a player who reraised preflop. I don't have the odds to chase longshot draws, so folding is best.

I'm on the button with 6-5 offsuit facing only a 1bb call in a three-way pot, so calling for cheap position is reasonable and I'll see the flop.

4c2c suited in the SB facing a limp; completing for 50 into a 250 pot gives great odds with a suited connector-ish hand that can flop straights/flushes multiway. Folding is too tight and raising is weak out of position.

T5o is a very weak hand, not worth raising. Checking allows me to see a flop for free and potentially hit something or bluff later.

Limped pot with 4c2c on a 7s9s3s monotone board; I have nothing and no spade, so checking is the clear choice rather than bluffing into two opponents on a board that hits flush draws often.

We flopped a ten-high flush, which is strong but vulnerable to higher spades. Betting 200 into 300 builds the pot for value and charges any single high spade draws.

With 6s5c I have a flush draw plus an open-ended straight draw, about 15 outs, so calling 200 into a 500 pot is a good price.

I have 4c2c on a 7s9s3s monotone board with no spade, no pair, and only a weak gutshot; facing a bet and a call, folding is clearly correct.

We have a ten-high flush on a three-spade board. Betting for value and protection against higher spade draws or straight draws. A half-pot bet of 500 into 700 extracts value from worse hands and denies free cards.

I have a pair of sixes with a nine kicker, and the 500-chip call is about 29% of the final pot, so calling is reasonable given the pot odds against a range that includes some bluffs.

We have a ten-high flush, which is likely best against a calling station who has called two streets. Betting half pot for value targets worse flushes and pairs with a spade, and we can fold to a raise representing a higher flush.

My pair of sixes is weak on this river against a line that has bet three streets, and calling 850 into a 2550 pot needs about 25% equity that a middle pair is unlikely to have.

QJ offsuit on the button in a 3-handed game is a clear open-raise; standard 2.5x sizing to take initiative in position.

2-5 offsuit is too weak to call a raise from the button, especially with a player behind.

A3 suited is a playable hand, and calling 150 into a 400 pot from the big blind gets a good price against a button open. A 3-bet isn't clearly better here, so I'll call.

I hold a pair of threes with an ace kicker on a T-3-4 board, which is a weak made hand, and checking is free and keeps the pot small out of position.

Heads-up on the button as preflop raiser with QJ on a dry-ish T-3-4 board, a small c-bet (~55% pot) folds out a lot of BB range while I have backdoor equity and two overcards.

Calling 300 into an 850 pot needs about 26% equity, and bottom pair with an ace kicker plus a small wheel draw is roughly that against a wide flop continuation-betting range.

I hold a pair of threes with wheel and straight-draw potential, but I'm facing no bet, so checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me see whether seat_1 continues aggression.

Semi-bluff with the Qc second-nut flush draw after the big blind checked twice on a three-club board; a bet folds out many one-pair and Tx hands while keeping strong equity when called.

Holding a pair of threes on a four-card board with three clubs, facing a 700 turn bet after a flop raise, my hand is likely behind and the pot odds don't justify calling.

Button with A3o, standard open raise to 2bb to steal blinds and leverage position.

With 9-8 suited, I have a playable connector and good pot odds for 150 chips to call a button raise, so calling is better than folding or bloating the pot out of position.

2c6d offsuit is one of the worst starting hands; even getting 5:1 pot odds, it plays poorly out of position against two opponents postflop. Folding is the standard play.

We have only a weak straight draw needing a 7 with no pair, and we act first postflop, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids bloating it out of position.

This dry paired board misses much of the cold-call range, so a small c-bet can win the pot immediately while risking little; if called, I can reevaluate on the turn in position.

With 9-8 on a 5-5-6 board I only have a gutshot, about 8-9 outs, which is well short of the roughly 22% equity needed to call 200 into a 700 pot against a preflop raiser who bet the flop.

Calling 100 with 46s on the button is a marginal but reasonable price in a 3-handed pot with two blinds to act after me, and it keeps a cheap look at the flop.

Button limped, I hold A4o in the SB; raising to isolate the limper and take initiative is better than completing out of position with a weak ace.

KJo is a decent hand 3-handed, but raising would bloat the pot out of position; calling 300 into 600 offers good odds to see a flop.

Holding 4-6 offsuit facing a 300-chip call into a 900 pot with two opponents is a clear fold, since the hand has very little equity and poor playability.

As4h on 3-7-5 gives a double gutshot (any 2 or 6) plus ace overcard; as preflop aggressor a half-pot c-bet gives fold equity against a BB caller's range while keeping strong equity when called.

We're getting 3:1 pot odds with two overcards on a low, disconnected board. Calling keeps our range wide and allows us to realize equity against a possible wide SB range.

Semi-bluff barrel with a gutshot (any 2 or 6) plus ace overcard on a dry paired board; the turn 7 makes it less likely villain holds trips, and a ~60% pot bet pressures weak pairs, 6x/4x, and overcards that called the flop while retaining outs if called.

I have only K-high on a paired board with no draw. Opponent has shown strength on three streets, and calling would risk chips with almost no chance to improve on the river.