Showdown Hold'em table

J4 offsuit isn't strong enough to meet the published preflop raise thresholds, so I check to see the flop cheaply.

Jack-high with no pair and no realistic draw on this dry board; checking to see the river for free is best.

Only king-high with no pair or draw; dealer will usually qualify and beat this, so folding avoids the extra bet.

9-3 offsuit is not on the published raise list (not an ace, not paired, not qualifying king/queen/jack), so I check to see the flop cheaply.

9-high with no pair, draw, or connection to the board; checking to see the river for free rather than risking 2x with almost no equity.

No pair and only ten-high with weak kickers; standard strategy is to fold rather than raise into likely better dealer hands.

K5 suited falls within the optimal 4x raising range (K2s+), so I raise preflop.

JTs suited falls within the published preflop 4x raising range (J8s+), offering good straight/flush potential.

K4 offsuit does not meet the published preflop raise thresholds (needs K5o+ or K2s+), so checking to see the flop cheaply.

King-high with no pair or draw on a dry board; not strong enough to raise, so I check and reassess on the river.

I hold two pair (aces and threes) with a king kicker on a paired board; dealer only beats this with a full house (needs an unseen ace or three) or a diamond flush, roughly a 20-25% chance, so calling is clearly +EV.

5-3 offsuit is well below the published preflop raise thresholds (33+, any ace, K2s+/K5o+, Q6s+/Q8o+, J8s+/JTo), so I check and wait to see the flop cheaply.

Only bottom pair with a weak 3 kicker on an A-Q-5 board; not strong enough to commit a flop raise, better to see the river cheaply.

I hold two pair (Aces and Fives, Queen kicker) using the board's paired aces plus my own five, a solid made hand worth the extra bet on the river.

9-7 offsuit doesn't meet the optimal preflop raise criteria (no ace, no pair, not suited K2s+/Q6s+/J8s+ or offsuit K5+/Q8+/JT), so check to see the flop cheaply.

Only a modest pair of sevens with an ace kicker; better to wait for the turn and river before committing any raise.

I have a pair of sevens on the river, which is enough to beat many non-qualifying or weaker dealer hands; standard strategy calls for raising with any made pair rather than folding.

J3 suited doesn't meet the optimal preflop raising criteria (not an ace, not J8s+, not suited king), so I check and wait to see the flop.

Only a weak bottom pair of threes with a jack kicker; not strong enough to commit extra chips on the flop, so I'll see the rest of the board first.

I hold a pair of threes with strong kickers (K, J, T); per standard river strategy any made pair should be played, since the dealer only wins when qualifying with a better hand and pushes otherwise.

King-Queen offsuit falls within the recommended 4x raising range (K5o+), so I raise for value preflop.

J6 offsuit is below the published preflop raising threshold (needs J8s+/JTo), so I check and wait to see the flop.

Only a weak pair of sixes with a jack kicker; better to see the turn and river before committing any raise.

I have two pair (sixes and deuces) with a jack kicker, a solid hand that beats most dealer holdings, so I'll call with the river raise.

T9 offsuit isn't strong enough for a preflop raise per the reference strategy; checking to see the flop cheaply.

No pair and only a weak backdoor straight draw; better to check and decide on the river with more information.

J6 suited doesn't meet the optimal preflop raising thresholds (need J8s+ for jacks), so check and see the flop for free.

Only a backdoor flush draw with weak kickers; no reason to commit chips now, I'll see the river for free.

Board shows trip queens plus a king, giving me QQQ-K-J. I win or push whenever the dealer's hole cards are both rank J or lower and unpaired (~29% of the time) and only lose to dealer pairs, Kings, Aces, or quad-Q scenarios (~71%). EV of raising (~-16.8 chips) beats the guaranteed -20 chip loss from folding, so raising is correct despite being an underdog.

54 offsuit is weak, not on the published 4x/3x raise list, so I check and wait to see the flop.

Only a weak bottom pair (5s) with no draw; better to wait and see the full board before committing chips.

I hold two pair (fives and fours) with a ten kicker from the board, a strong river hand that beats most dealer holdings, so raising is clearly profitable.

Pocket aces is the best possible starting hand, warranting the maximum preflop raise of 4x ante.

Ace-Jack offsuit is a strong preflop holding per the optimal 4x table (any ace qualifies), so raise the maximum now to build value.

Q5o doesn't meet the preflop raise criteria (needs Q8o+ or K5o+), so I check and wait to see the flop.

Q-high with no pair and only a backdoor draw is too weak to raise the flop; check and reassess at showdown.

Only king-high with no pair, straight, or flush; not strong enough to beat a qualifying dealer hand profitably.

Any ace qualifies for the preflop 4x raise per optimal strategy, even with a weak kicker like 7.

8-2 offsuit is far below the optimal 4x raise criteria (no ace, no pair, no qualifying king/queen/jack combo), so checking to see the flop cheaply is correct.

I have a made pair of eights on the flop, which is generally profitable to raise for value against the dealer's range rather than waiting for a smaller river-only bet.

3-8 offsuit is far below the optimal 4x raising range, so I check and wait to see the flop cheaply.

No pair, no flush draw, and only a gutshot straight draw; checking is the standard low-cost option here.

Hole cards 3s8d give only high card 8 with board pair of 2s; no pair, no draw value, and dealer likely beats this, so folding minimizes loss.

5-7 offsuit is not in the optimal preflop raise range (needs pair, ace, suited K2+, K5o+, Q6s+/Q8o+, J8s+/JTo), so check and wait to see the flop.

5-7 offsuit with board 8-2-J gives only a gutshot draw at best, no pair; not strong enough to raise 2x, so check and wait for river decision.

I hold a made pair of sevens with a jack kicker, which beats a sufficient portion of dealer qualifying hands to make the river raise profitable.

Pocket pair 2s qualifies in the 33+ category of the optimal preflop raise table, so raising 4x is standard.

J6 suited is below the optimal preflop raising threshold (J8s+), so I check and wait to see the flop.

Weak board-pair hand with only a backdoor flush draw; better to check and wait for more information before committing chips.

Two pair (Jacks and 2s) is a strong river hand that beats most dealer qualifying hands, so I raise.

K3 offsuit falls outside the published preflop raising range (needs K5o+ or K2s+), so I check and wait for the flop.

Top pair of Kings plus a four-flush draw in diamonds is strong enough to raise here.

T9 offsuit is below the published preflop raise thresholds (needs J8s+/JTo or better), so checking to see the flop cheaply is correct.

Board is unconnected to my T9 with no pair or draw; checking to see the river for free rather than committing more chips.

Pair of tens on the river is a decent made hand that beats many dealer non-qualifying hands and weak pairs, so raising is correct per standard river strategy.

KJs is well within the optimal 4x raising range (K2s+), so I raise the maximum preflop.

T9 suited isn't strong enough for the preflop 4x/3x raise table (not an ace, pair, or qualifying K/Q/J hand), so I check and see the flop cheaply.

Only a backdoor three-flush with no pair or made draw worth raising; better to see the turn and river before committing more chips.

Suited JTo (clubs) is well within the published optimal 4x raising range, so raise the maximum preflop.

J8 offsuit doesn't meet the optimal preflop raise criteria (needs J8s+ or JTo), so I check and wait to see the flop.

I've paired the board (eights) with a decent kicker, which standard flop strategy says to raise with any made pair or better.

Q2 offsuit is below the optimal raise threshold (needs Q6s+ or Q8o+), so checking to see the flop cheaply.

Queen-high with no pair or draw on a dry board offers no edge to raise; checking preserves the option to fold cheaply on the river.

I have a pair of eights with a king kicker on the river, which is strong enough to raise given dealer qualification requirements and potential push outcomes.

QJ offsuit is a profitable preflop raise per optimal strategy, but not strong enough for the full 4x sizing, so raising 3x.