Hold'em table

Pocket aces on the button in a 3-handed pot: raise for value to build the pot with the best starting hand, using a standard 3x sizing.

J6 offsuit is too weak to defend the small blind against a 3bb button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Nine-four offsuit is too weak to defend against a 3bb button raise out of position. Folding avoids investing more with poor equity and playability.

9♣4♦ is too weak to open profitably from the button, so I fold rather than invest a blind-sized call.

KTs is a strong opening hand blind versus blind. Raising to 3 big blinds builds value against weaker calls and pressures the big blind while compensating for playing out of position.

Qh4h is a marginal suited hand, but the price is good: 200 to call into a 400 pot (2-to-1). The small blind's raise is wide, and I close the action with a suited queen-high hand. I will call and see a flop rather than fold or bluff-raise out of position.

Second pair with a strong kicker and a backdoor heart draw has solid showdown value but gains little from building a large pot. Checking protects our checking range and lets us reassess against any bet.

Top pair with a weak kicker on a Q-high flop, heads-up against a player who checked. A modest bet of about 2/3 pot gets value from worse queens and draws and denies equity.

Second pair with a strong kicker and backdoor straight and flush possibilities is strong enough to continue against a single flop bet. Calling preserves weaker hands and bluffs in the opponent’s range without inflating the pot out of position.

Checking keeps the opponent's bluffs and weaker value hands betting after their flop stab. My two pair is strong enough to continue, but this connected board also gives them straights and better two-pair combinations.

Top pair on a Q-2-T-K board with a flush draw is likely best here against a opponent who checked twice. I'll bet about half pot for value and protection while keeping the flush draw as backup.Bet 700 into 1400.

Turning kings and tens gives me a strong value raise against weaker two pair, pair-plus-draw hands, and club draws. Raising now charges the many draws and builds the pot before a potentially action-killing river.

Top pair with a weak kicker is likely behind a turn check-raise, since the board has many strong made hands (sets, two pair, straights) and few bluffs. The 27% pot odds aren't enough, so I fold.

Pocket fours are a profitable button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds gives us fold equity and position if called, while keeping the investment modest.

3c5d is a weak offsuit hand out of position in the small blind facing a button raise to 250 with the big blind still to act, so folding is the disciplined play.

A5s is a strong 3-bet candidate against a button open: the ace blocker adds fold equity, and the suited wheel potential plays well when called. I’ll size to 850 from the big blind.

The modest three-bet size and positional advantage make calling reasonable with pocket fours. Effective stacks leave room to win a substantial pot when I flop a set, while position provides some opportunities to win unimproved.

A small continuation bet can get value from weaker hands and deny equity to overcards while keeping the pot manageable with a weak kicker.

Pocket fours have poor equity against the big blind’s three-betting range on A-Q-Q, with only two outs to improve meaningfully. The small bet does not compensate for limited showdown value and likely pressure on later streets.

A6s on the button in a 3-handed game is a strong enough hand to open for a 3x raise, which puts pressure on both blinds and gives me position.

K♠3♥ is a weak offsuit hand, and calling a sizable button raise from the small blind would leave me out of position with the big blind still to act.

K6 offsuit is a weak defend against a 3bb button raise, especially out of position. Its domination risk and poor equity realization make folding preferable.

K9 suited is a solid button open three-handed. A 2.5× raise applies pressure to the blinds while keeping the pot manageable if called.

K3 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more with a poorly connected, frequently dominated hand out of position.

A7s in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open: pot odds are good (150 to win 400) and the hand has a suited ace with decent equity against a wide button range, so calling is better than a bloated 3-bet out of position.

Ace-high with a backdoor-free weak holding on a T-9-2 two-tone board, out of position against the preflop raiser; checking keeps the pot small and retains showdown value.

A small flop bet gets value from weaker pairs and draws while denying equity to overcards. The king kicker gives me enough showdown strength to bet without building a large pot.

Ace-high with a backdoor flush draw has some equity, and a 180 bet into 730 gives roughly 20% pot odds. The button's continuation bet is wide, so I'll call and keep the pot small rather than raise.

I have only ace-high with a backdoor gutshot on a T-9-2-4 board. The button bet small on the flop and I called, so I'll check and take a free card rather than bluff or build the pot.

Bet 300 into 910 for value and protection with middle pair and a strong kicker, while keeping the size modest against the flop caller.

Ace-high with no draw on a Tc 9d 2c 4s board, facing a 300 bet into 910 (pot odds about 3.0 to 1, so I need roughly 25% equity). The button has bet flop and turn and likely holds a pair or better, so my equity is only a few outs and well under that.

A9 suited is a strong button opening hand three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while building a pot with position and good playability.

K8o from the small blind facing a button open to 250 with the big blind still to act is a weak, dominated hand that plays badly out of position, so folding is the safer choice.

J5 offsuit is weak, but the button’s small open and the favorable pot odds make defending from the big blind reasonable. I’ll call and avoid inflating the pot out of position.

I have only jack-high on a queen-high flop, and the preflop raiser has a range advantage. I’ll check and avoid investing chips without a meaningful draw.

A small continuation bet leverages my preflop range advantage and can fold out hands with useful equity. The nut flush draw and ace overcard provide strong equity when called.

J-high has no pair or meaningful draw on this board, and calling requires too much equity against a preflop raiser's flop bet. Fold rather than invest further with only limited backdoor potential.