Showdown Hold'em table

7-3 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

7-3 offsite on a K-T-6 flop has no pair, no draw and no overcards, so raising 2x would have negative EV. Checking is free and keeps the option to raise 1x or fold on the river.

With 7-high I have no pair, so the dealer beats me in most holdings; I win only about 40 of 990. Raising is worth roughly -24 chips against -20 for folding, so folding loses less.

6-2 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

Standard flop strategy is to raise 2x with any pair that uses a hole card. My deuce pairs the board, and a pair beats many dealer holdings while the dealer often fails to qualify, so raising beats checking.

4-5 offsuit is not in the optimal 4x raising range (33+, any ace, K5o+, etc.), so I check and look at the flop for free.

Five-high with only a gutshot and no pair is far below the flop raise threshold of a hidden pair or better. Checking keeps the river decision open at no extra cost.

My hole cards don't play: my best hand is the board's pair of eights, so I can only tie, which happens about 13% of the time. Raising would lose about 26 chips on average versus a sure 20 by folding.

K9 suited is within the published optimal 4x preflop range (K2s+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

73 suited is not on the optimal preflop 4x raising table, which calls for 33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+ or J8s+. Checking lets me see the flop for free.

With 7-high, no pair and only a backdoor flush draw, this hand is far below the flop 2x raise threshold (two pair, a hidden pair, or a strong flush draw). Checking keeps the option to fold on the river.

The board already gives me 44-A-Q-T and my hole cards don't play, so at best I can only tie. The dealer always qualifies and wins with any K, J, pair, or flush. A tie happens only about a quarter of the time, so raising risks 30 chips and loses more on average than folding for 20.

QJ offsuit is in the published optimal 4x preflop table (Q8o+ qualifies), so raising the maximum 4x has the highest expected value.

52 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

With 5-high, no pair, and only a gutshot to the wheel (a single 4), I don't have enough equity to raise 2x. Checking keeps the river decision open at no extra cost.

My best hand is only ace-high (A-K-Q-J-5), so any dealer pair or straight beats me, and I win only if the dealer's two cards are both 4s or 2s. Raising works out to about -2.66 antes versus -2 for folding, so I fold.

Pocket 77 is in the optimal preflop 4x raise range (33+), so the maximum raise has the highest expected value.

62 suited is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

Holding 6-2 on a K-K-7 flop leaves me with only the board's kings and a weak backdoor flush draw, well below any flop raising threshold. Checking keeps the river decision open.

Board trip kings leave my 6-2 without a win; I can at best tie, which happens only about 12% of the time. Calling would need a tie rate above one third to beat folding.

6-4 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, strong kings/queens), so checking to see the flop is correct.

Six-high with no pair and only backdoor straight draws is too weak to put 2x the ante in on the flop. Checking lets me see the river for free and then decide whether to play for 1x or fold.

We hold a pair of fours. Every dealer no-pair hand (about 420 of 990 holdings) gives us a win on the play bet, so raising has an EV of roughly -12 chips. Folding costs a certain -20.

T7 offsuit is not on the optimal preflop 4x raising table (which needs JTo+ among offsuit non-ace, non-king hands), so I check and see the flop for free.

Ten-high with no pair and no flush draw on J-Q-2 falls well short of the standard 2x flop-raise threshold (two pair, a hidden pair, or a strong flush draw). Checking keeps the option to raise 1x or fold on the river.

With a pair of sevens, roughly 41% of dealer hands fail to qualify. Even if every other dealer hand beat me, raising would lose about 13.6 chips on average, which is better than the certain 20-chip loss from folding.

KJs is within the published optimal 4x preflop raising range (K2s+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

4-2 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop raising range (33+, any ace, strong kings/queens/jacks), so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

A pair of fours using a hole card, plus a wheel draw with any 5, should be ahead of a random dealer hand often enough to justify the flop 2x raise over checking. This matches the standard strategy of raising a hidden pair on the flop.

J4 offsuit falls outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (which needs JTo or J8s+ for jacks), so I check and see the flop for free.

Jack high with only backdoor straight and flush draws and no pair falls well below the flop raising threshold, so I check and decide on the river.

With only jack-high, the dealer qualifies with 597 of 990 possible hands, and I win only about 144. Raising loses much more than the 20-chip fold cost, so I fold.

A4 suited includes an ace, and the optimal preflop strategy says to raise 4x with any ace, so maximum raise is correct.

76s is not in the optimal preflop 4x range (33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, etc.), so check and reassess on the flop.

A four-card flush draw with no pair and only low hidden spades (7s, 6s) falls below the standard flop 2x raise threshold, which calls for a hidden ten or better in the suit. Checking keeps the option to bet 1x on the river if the flush or a pair comes in.

I have a king-high spade flush, which beats nearly every dealer holding; only two higher suited spades or a board-pair full house beats it. Raising wins the play bet and collects the 3:2 blind payout.

K6 suited falls within the published optimal 4x preflop table (K2s+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

6-4 offsuit is well outside the optimal 4x preflop range (pairs 33+, any ace, strong kings, queens and jacks), so checking and seeing the flop for free is correct.

The only pair is the board's pair of fives, and a 6-high kicker loses to any dealer ace or pair; the straight draws are only backdoor. Checking keeps the river decision open instead of putting 2x at risk as an underdog.

We play the board (fives with A-K-J) and can only tie. The dealer ties in 393 of 990 holdings, so raising has an EV of about -18.1 chips versus -20 for folding.

74 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

7-4 offsídesuited on a Q-K-9 flop gives no pair, no strong draw and no overcards, so raising 2x has negative EV. Checking keeps the free river decision, where we can fold cheaply if we miss.

My hole cards don't play, so the best I can do is tie on the board's kings. A tie only happens when the dealer holds two unpaired cards from 2-8, about 29% of the time. That puts raising at roughly -21.2 chips versus -20 for folding.

AJo is well inside the published optimal preflop 4x raising range (any ace), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

KJo falls inside the published optimal 4x raise range (K5o+), so raising 4x preflop maximizes expected value.

62 offsuit is far below the optimal 4x raising threshold (33+, any ace, K5o+, etc.), so checking preflop is correct.

The 2-6 offsite has nothing on an 8-A-J flop: no pair and no draw, and both cards are below every board card. Checking is free and keeps the option to fold on the river, so a 2x raise here would be clearly negative EV.

I hold two pair, sixes and twos, which beats most dealer holdings, so I estimate I lose only about 40% of the time. Calling risks 10 more chips to win 10–20, which is far better than folding and losing 20 for sure.

9-2 offsuit falls well outside the optimal 4x raising range, so checking preflop is correct. I'll wait for more information on the flop.

With only 9-high, no pair and just a weak backdoor club draw, raising 2x on the flop has negative expected value. Checking keeps the option to see the river for free and then raise 1x or fold.

With only king-high (K-Q-J-9-6), the dealer qualifies about two-thirds of the time, and every qualifying hand beats us. My rough estimate puts calling at about -2.2 antes, which is worse than the -2 antes lost by folding.

K9 suited falls within the published optimal 4x preflop range (K2s+), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

J7 offsuit is below the optimal 4x raising threshold (JTo+ for offsuit jacks), so checking preflop and reassessing on the flop maximizes EV.

Jack-high with no pair and no flush or straight draw falls well short of the flop 2x raise threshold, which calls for a hidden pair or better. Checking keeps the river option open.

Enumerating the 990 possible dealer hands with J-high on this board gives a raise EV of about -20.4 chips, which is slightly worse than folding for -20. The dealer qualifies with 597 of those hands and beats or ties us with 213 more.

J6 suited falls below the optimal 4x preflop threshold (J8s+), so checking and deciding on the flop has higher expected value.

The paired board gives me no real pair of my own, and I hold only a jack kicker with weak backdoor straight potential. That falls short of a flop raise, so I'll check and decide on the river.

Jacks and eights with a 7 kicker beats most dealer holdings on this paired board, so calling is far better than folding and forfeiting 20.

Q2 suited falls below the optimal 4x raising threshold (Q6s+), so checking preflop keeps the option to raise 2x on the flop or 1x on the river.

The only pair is the board's jacks, so my hand is really just queen-high with a weak kicker, well short of the usual flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the option of a 1x river raise or a fold.

I have two pair, jacks and deuces with a king kicker, and I beat roughly 58% of dealer holdings. Raising risks 30 to win 20, which is better than the certain loss of 20 from folding.

97 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, K5o+, Q8o+, JTo), so checking and reassessing on the flop maximizes EV.

Holding 9-7 on 2-8-K I have no pair, only a gutshot to a straight (needs a 6 or T) and weak overcards, so a 2x raise is not justified. Checking keeps the option to raise 1x or fold on the river.

Folding loses 2 antes. I have a pair of nines, which beats every non-qualifying dealer hand and every lower pair, so calling for 1x has an expected value well above -2.

Pocket 44 falls within the published optimal 4x raising range (33+), so the maximum raise is the highest-EV play here.

64s falls outside the optimal preflop 4x range (33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+), so checking and deciding on the flop has the higher expected value.

Two pair (nines and sixes) against a dealer who is already qualified by the paired board. It currently beats most dealer holdings, so the 2x raise has positive expected value over checking.