Hold'em table

Three-handed, the button can open wide, and Q3o is a marginal hand that works as a small steal against only the two blinds. A 2.5bb open risks little and uses position.

K6 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against an early 2.5bb open with the big blind still behind.

Nine-six suited has enough equity to defend the big blind against a button raise to 250, especially with no rake. Calling keeps the pot manageable out of position.

I have little equity on this paired, king-high flop and am out of position against the preflop raiser, so I’ll check.

This dry, paired K88 board favors the preflop raiser's range, so a small c-bet (about a third of the pot) should get folds from many of the big blind's weak hands. Queen-high has some backdoor equity.

Nine-high has no immediate draw and very little showdown value on this paired, diamond-heavy flop. Calling out of position is unlikely to be profitable.

T8 offsuit is a marginal button hand in this setup; folding avoids realizing weak equity in a multiway pot.

Completing costs only 50 chips to see a flop heads-up. Although 8-4 offsuit is weak and out of position, the price makes calling preferable to folding.

J4o is a weak hand, so I'll check my option in the big blind against the small blind's limp and see a free flop in position. Raising would bloat the pot with a hand that plays poorly.

With bottom pair and a modest kicker in a limped pot, I’ll check rather than build the pot out of position.

Bottom pair in position on a wet board after a limped pot and a check. A small half-pot bet gets thin value from worse hands and denies equity to overcards and draws.

Bottom pair has enough equity to call a 100-chip bet into this pot, especially against a big blind who can bet draws and unpaired hands. I’ll reassess on the turn.

My bottom pair is weak on the paired turn, and I can see the opponent's action without investing more chips.

Our fours with a jack kicker are likely ahead of the draws and weaker pairs a limp/check-calling small blind holds. A small bet gets value and protection while keeping the pot manageable if we're behind a 9 or a 6.”

Bottom pair with a weak kicker has little chance to improve against a better made hand, and the second bet makes a call unattractive.

K2 offsuit is a reasonable button open three-handed. A 2.5 big blind raise uses position to contest the blinds without committing much of the stack.

ATs is well ahead of a wide 3-handed button opening range. Three-betting out of position takes the initiative, denies the big blind a cheap look, and blocks the button's strong aces.

QJs is strong enough to defend against a likely wide small-blind squeeze at this price, retaining good playability despite being out of position.

K2 offsuit is too weak to continue against a large three-bet and a cold call.

Top pair top kicker on a monotone board; a small bet gets value from worse tens, pairs and single-club draws, and charges them for their equity while keeping the pot manageable.

I have a made queen-high flush on the monotone flop. Calling keeps the opponent's bluffs and weaker value hands in while avoiding inflating the pot immediately against the strongest club holdings.

Top pair top kicker with no club is vulnerable on this monotone, now-paired board against a range that called a 3-bet and a flop bet. Checking controls the pot and bluff-catches, rather than betting into flushes and boats.

I have a queen-high flush on a paired board and should value bet while keeping weaker one-club hands and overpairs in range.

Top pair with top kicker on a monotone, paired board is too strong to fold against a sub-half-pot bet, since I only need about 24% equity. Raising risks getting called only by flushes and better hands, so I'll call and re-evaluate on the river.

With four clubs on board and no club in my hand, top pair plus the board's fours is only a bluff-catcher. Betting would mostly get called by flushes and better hands, so I check and keep the pot controlled.

The queen-high flush is strong enough to value bet after the river check, while a moderate sizing can still be called by lower club holdings and avoids risking too much against ace-high flushes.

On a four-club board I hold no club, and villain's line of calling the 3-bet, calling the flop, betting the turn and then betting the river beats top pair far too often. Any club, overpairs, sets and QJ all have me crushed, so I don't reach the roughly 17% equity this call needs.

76o on the button in 3-handed play is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb puts pressure on both blinds and keeps positional initiative.. It beats limping or folding.

J9 suited has sufficient playability to defend against a button open at this depth, especially with the big blind still to act. Calling preserves flexibility without inflating a marginal out-of-position pot.

T3 offsuit plays poorly out of position against a raise and a caller, so calling another 150 chips is not worthwhile.

Check the open-ended straight draw to preserve flexibility and avoid inflating the pot out of position.

This is an open-ended straight draw on a dry 8-T-5 board, and I'm in position. A small c-bet uses fold equity and keeps the pot manageable, with plenty of equity if called.

I have an open-ended straight draw with additional backdoor club potential and sufficient equity to continue against this small flop bet.

The paired turn is a credible card to represent an 8 or strong made hand after calling the flop. A moderate stab can fold out unpaired overcards and some weak pairs while retaining straight-draw equity.

I have an open-ended straight draw (a 4 or 9 makes the straight), which is about 18% equity against a 24% price. Implied odds on the river make up the gap, and the small turn lead keeps the call cheap.

J-high has no showdown value, but this opponent's flop bet and turn call create a range that is likely to call a river bluff often. Checking avoids bluffing into their many tens and eights.

Our 7-high has no showdown value after the straight draw missed, and the villain's check after leading the turn looks capped. A two-thirds pot bluff can fold out weak pairs and ace-high.

J-high has no showdown value on this paired board, and the river bet after sustained action is unlikely to be bluff-heavy enough to justify a call.

Button A4 suited is a reasonable opening hand three-handed, and raising applies pressure to the blinds while retaining playability.

Q3 offsuit is too weak to defend the small blind against a 3x button raise with the big blind still to act.

T8s in the big blind against a 3x button open is a clear defend, since I'm getting 200 to win 650. The hand plays well postflop and suits flatting over 3-betting.

Middle pair with a gutshot (Q or 9 completes a straight), out of position against the button's opening range. Checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me continue against a c-bet.

Betting our nut-flush draw and range advantage after the blind checks. This sizing applies pressure while retaining flexibility versus a check-raise.

Middle pair with a gutshot (9 makes a straight) facing a small half-pot c-bet; calling is clearly profitable, and raising would fold out the button's worse hands while getting called by better ones.

Middle pair with a weak kicker out of position on a draw-heavy board; checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me decide how to handle a turn bet from the button.

With ace-high and no meaningful draw on this board, checking keeps the pot controlled after the flop call and preserves showdown equity.

Middle pair with a weak kicker has showdown value, but the river completed the flush draw. Betting would mostly get called by better hands, so I'm checking to reach a cheap showdown against a range that checked back the turn.

I have the nut straight on a passive river, while the only meaningful danger is an opponent holding two diamonds for a flush. A moderate value bet can be called by many one-pair and two-pair holdings.

The price is good: we call 700 to win 1950 and need about 26% equity. Our middle pair beats the missed draws and bluffs that could bet this river after the turn checked through.

Q-J suited is a strong button opening hand three-handed, so I raise to build the pot while keeping the sizing moderate.

52 offsuit is one of the weakest hands; out of position in the small blind facing a button raise, with the big blind still to act, it is a clear fold.

8-3 offsuit is far too weak to defend against a button raise from the big blind.