Hold'em table

Holding 42o on the button is well outside any standard opening range in 3-handed play, making it a clear fold.

Button folded, so A9o is ahead of a random big blind often enough to take the initiative. A raise to 300 builds the pot and denies a free flop rather than limping.

J6 suited is a reasonable big-blind defend heads-up against a small blind raise, and the call price is favorable. I’ll avoid bloating the pot with a marginal hand.

Ace-high with no pair or draw on a queen-high two-club flop; checking controls the pot and avoids building a large pot with weak equity.

I have only jack-high with no flush draw, and a bluff into the preflop raiser's range has little value. I’ll take the free turn and preserve the chance to improve.

Ace-high with no pair and no club draw has little showdown value, but betting into a caller who checked the flop risks a raise I cannot continue against. Checking keeps the pot small and sees a free river.

I have no made hand and only a limited straight draw, while the three-club board is dangerous to bluff into. I’ll take the free river card.

Pair of nines with an ace kicker has showdown value, but the three-club board makes a thin river bet unattractive. Checking realizes that value without bloating the pot.

With only jack-high, I’m unlikely to win at showdown. A half-pot river bluff can credibly represent a club while targeting hands that checked through and missed.

Pair of nines with an ace kicker is ahead of enough bluffs and thin value to call a small river bet getting 3:1, but the flush and straight possibilities make a raise unattractive.

Pocket aces on the button is the strongest starting hand, so I raise to 3x the big blind to build the pot and isolate rather than just call.

6♦4♦ is too weak to defend out of position against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Getting over 2:1 direct odds preflop closing the action with a pocket pair, calling to set-mine or play postflop is standard.

Check to the preflop aggressor with an open-ended straight draw and underpair to see their action.

I have pocket aces on a dry Q-high flop and the big blind checked, so a value bet of about 60% pot builds the pot while keeping worse hands in.

Holding an open-ended straight draw plus an underpair on a Q-5-3 rainbow board gives us ample equity and implied odds to call a 400-chip continuation bet.

I have an open-ended straight draw with a pair of fours; checking to the flop aggressor is standard to see how they act and realize equity.

I have pocket aces on a dry board and seat_1 has been passive, so I bet about two-thirds pot for value and to charge club draws.

I hold an open-ended straight draw with 8 clean outs (any Ace or Six) with deep effective stacks behind, giving me sufficient implied odds to call the turn bet.

I only have a pair of fours after missing the straight, so checking to see showdown or face river action is the best line.

I have pocket aces, the best overpair, and the river checked to me after they called down. A value bet of about two-thirds pot targets their weaker made hands.

Our open-ended straight draw missed on the river, leaving us with only a weak pair of fours facing a third barrel.

A2 offsuit is a reasonable button open three-handed; raising to 250 applies pressure while keeping the size modest.

Holding T3 offsuit in the small blind against a button open is an easy standard fold.

83o is too weak to continue against a button open after the small blind folds, so folding is the highest-EV option.

J5o is too weak to open even from the button in 3-handed play.

73o is too weak to continue out of position for another half-blind after the button folds.

64o is too weak to open even on the button in a three-handed pot, so folding avoids a negative-EV call or raise.

A♦T♣ is a strong hand heads-up against the big blind, so I raise for value and take the initiative.

Calling with King-Ten suited in the big blind against a small blind open raise gives us great playability and pot odds in position.

A small continuation bet can fold out unpaired hands and deny equity to overcards while keeping the pot manageable with ace-high. The low flop is unlikely to have connected strongly with the big blind’s entire calling range.

We have the second nut flush draw plus two overcards in position against a 1/3 pot c-bet, giving us excellent pot odds and implied odds to call.

With only ace-high and little draw equity, betting into a flop caller risks building the pot against stronger hands. I’ll take the free card and preserve showdown value.

I have a strong flush draw with king-high and good showdown potential; checking behind takes the free card to realize my equity in position.

A-high has reasonable showdown value after the turn checked through. A river bet is unlikely to get called by worse hands, so I’ll take the free showdown.}

Our King-high has virtually zero showdown value against the small blind's range. After they checked both turn and river, a bet of 650 into 1000 applies substantial pressure to fold out Ace-high and weak pairs.

A-high has no pair or meaningful showdown value on this board, and the river bet requires a substantial bluff frequency to call. The opponent called the flop and then led the river after the turn checked through, so folding is prudent.

J7 offsuit is a reasonable button open three-handed; raising applies pressure to the blinds and gives me initiative.

74s is too weak to defend out of position against a button open with the big blind yet to act.

Q8 suited is playable enough versus a 2.5x button open, and the price to continue is only 150 into 400. Calling keeps the hand and avoids bloating the pot out of position with a marginal holding.

I have only bottom pair with no heart on a wet flop, so I check and let the preflop raiser act rather than build a pot I am unlikely to win.

I have a modest pair on a highly coordinated, monotone flop and no heart to improve my bluffing leverage. Checking keeps the pot manageable and preserves showdown value.

I have two pair, jacks and eights, but the board is paired and three-flush, and I am out of position against the preflop raiser. Checking controls the pot and preserves showdown value rather than building a large pot I may not want.

Bet for value and protection: worse pairs and heart draws may continue, while checking back gives them a free river. The modest size limits exposure against a better-kicker jack.

I have jacks and eights, and 300 to win 850 is a good price against a range that includes flush draws and missed stabs after the flop check. Raising is unattractive because trips and tens beat me.

I have jacks and eights on a paired, flush-possible board with an ace, so a bet mostly gets called by better and folds out worse. Checking controls the pot and lets me reach showdown cheaply.

My trips are strong against many hands that can check-call, including weaker pairs and some Jx. A modest river bet seeks value while limiting exposure to straights or stronger holdings.

Bottom pair of eights with a queen kicker is crushed by aces, jacks, tens, and flushes on this paired three-heart board, and the turn-river bets look like value far more often than a bluff at this price.