Hold'em table

Q9 suited is a solid button open three-handed, with position and good postflop playability. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures both blinds while keeping the investment modest.

KTo is a reasonable defend against a button open in a three-handed game. Calling keeps weaker hands in while avoiding a large, marginal three-bet from out of position.

8-7 suited has strong multiway playability and excellent pot odds from the big blind versus a small open and one caller.

With top pair and a strong kicker on a connected, two-spade flop, I have a hand worth continuing with, but leading into two opponents from out of position is unnecessary. I’ll check and respond to any bet.

I have an open-ended straight draw on this connected board and can apply pressure after the flop checks through. A medium sizing can fold out unpaired overcards while retaining strong improvement equity.

Second pair without a strong draw is a marginal holding against a two-thirds-pot lead into two opponents. With the small blind still to act and many difficult turn cards, folding is preferable to paying to continue.

Top pair with a strong kicker is too strong to fold to this moderate-sized bet, but raising risks isolating against stronger made hands on a connected, two-spade board. Call and reassess on the turn.

Top pair with a decent kicker is likely ahead of some draws, but the connected board and prior flop raise make this a marginal hand to build a large pot with. I’ll check and reassess on the river.

Betting our pair plus open-ended straight draw extracts value from worse pairs and draws while denying equity on this coordinated board.

The 700-chip bet is modest relative to the pot, and top pair with a king kicker has enough showdown value to continue. Raising risks isolating against stronger hands on a connected board.

I have only one pair on a river that completes a possible heart flush and several straights. Checking avoids value-owning myself against the line villain took.

The third heart is a strong scare card after I bet both prior streets, while my pair of eights has limited showdown value against the opponent's likely calling range. A substantial river bluff can fold many one-pair hands.

I have a pair of tens with a strong king kicker and need to win only about 27% of the time. The river bet can include missed spade draws or weaker pairs, so calling is preferable to folding at these odds.

Pocket deuces are worth opening from the button in a three-handed game. A modest raise applies pressure to the blinds while keeping weaker hands in the range.

97 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button open, especially out of position to both opponents.

Calling costs 150 into a 400 pot, requiring about 27% equity. With no rake, 8-6 offsuit has enough equity and straight potential against a typical wide button opening range to make a marginal big-blind defense.

With eight-high and a gutshot to a nine-high straight, checking is preferable to leading into the preflop raiser. It preserves chips out of position while allowing a free turn if the opponent checks back.

With only a small underpair on a J-high flop, betting risks building the pot against better hands. I’ll check back and preserve my two-outer and modest showdown value.

After the button checks back the flop, a turn probe can fold out unpaired overcards and pressure weak pairs. We have little showdown value but retain a gutshot straight draw if called.

My pocket deuces are below the board and have only two likely outs to improve. Calling 375 would require far more equity than this hand can reasonably expect.

A5 suited has strong playability and blocker value on the button. Raising isolates the blinds and takes initiative.

K2 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise, especially with the big blind still to act. Its poor playability and domination risk make folding preferable to calling or bluff-raising.

7♣5♥ is a weak offsuit hand with poor playability out of position. Despite the pot odds, folding avoids defending too wide against the button raise.

Eight-three offsuit is too weak to profitably open on the button without evidence that the blinds overfold. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity and playability.

Suited 7-5 has enough playability to complete from the small blind at a favorable price. I’ll keep the pot small rather than raise a marginal hand.

With A-K suited heads-up after the button folds, I raise for value and deny the small blind a cheap flop.

7♠5♠ is too weak to continue profitably against a 4× big-blind raise, especially out of position and with a caller already involved.

As the button in a three-handed game, 9-6 offsuit is playable with position. A small raise applies pressure while keeping the risk modest.

Q3 suited is too weak to defend profitably from the small blind versus a button raise in a three-handed game.

Calling costs 150 into a 400-chip pot, requiring 27.3% equity before accounting for realization. Q8 offsuit is a reasonable big-blind defense against a button opening range, particularly with no rake.

Q8 has no pair or immediate straight draw on this rainbow flop, which favors the preflop raiser’s range. Checking avoids investing with weak equity out of position.

I have a weak bottom pair on a king-high flop, so checking back keeps the pot small and avoids building it against stronger made hands.

With little showdown value, I can probe after the button checks back the flop, targeting ace-high and other unpaired hands. This sizing applies pressure without risking an unnecessarily large bluff.

A small pair is vulnerable, but the 350-chip bet into 900 gives reasonable pot odds and the flop was checked through, leaving room for a turn stab. Calling keeps bluffs and weaker hands in while avoiding an oversized commitment.

Pairing the eight gives us showdown value against missed draws and ace-high hands. Betting is unlikely to get called by worse or reliably fold out better pairs, so checking is preferable.

With a weak pair of sixes and a poor kicker, a value bet is unlikely to be called by worse; checking preserves showdown value.

J7 suited has playable button equity three-handed, and a small open can leverage position while keeping the pot manageable.

Pocket eights are strong enough to three-bet against a wide button opening range. The larger out-of-position sizing pressures the big blind to fold and reduces the chance of a difficult multiway pot.

T-3 offsuit is far too weak to continue against a button open and a substantial small-blind 3-bet. Fold and preserve the remaining stack.

J7 offsuit is too weak to continue against a large 11bb three-bet-like raise in a heads-up pot.