Hold'em table

K5o on the button 3-handed is a standard open; a 2.5bb raise steals the blinds often.

Q4 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button open, especially with the big blind still to act.

I have an ace blocker and am getting good pot odds to call the small raise, so seeing a flop is profitable here.

We have top pair with a weak kicker on a coordinated board. Betting protects our hand and gets value from draws while avoiding giving free cards out of position.

Second pair with a backdoor heart draw against a donk lead of about 55% pot. Calling keeps their bluffs in and controls the pot, since raising would mostly fold out worse hands.

Second pair with a weak kicker has showdown value but is unlikely to get called by worse after the flop donk-bet. Checking back controls the pot.

The opponent has timed out on two straight streets. If that continues, the fallback folds to any bet and a small bet wins the pot outright. If they do respond, the bet is small and my kings-up can still get value from weaker hands.

I have two pair with aces and sixes, and I only need to call 450 into a pot of 1600. This is a cheap showdown against a river bet that could be a bluff or a worse made hand, so calling is profitable.

A suited ace is a strong button opening hand three-handed; raising applies pressure and builds a pot with position.

KJo is strong enough to three-bet against a button open, and raising puts pressure on the blinds while taking initiative in the hand.

85o facing a button open and a small blind 3-bet is too weak to continue, even with some pot odds, since we'd be out of position and the original raiser could still squeeze behind us.

A6 suited has solid playability in position against a small three-bet, and calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in while realizing equity.

I have king-high with a backdoor straight draw on an ace-high flop, and the pot is already contested. Checking keeps my investment minimal while seeing the turn for free.

I have top two pair on a dry ace-high flop and should build the pot for value while charging weaker aces and pocket pairs.

My K-J missed this A-high flop and the opponent's bet after my check represents strength. I have no real draw and poor equity, so folding is best.

I have a marginal hand but position and a cheap call to see the flop, so I'll just call the big blind.

Q9o from the small blind against a button limp is decent. An iso-raise to 4.5bb can take the pot down now or build a pot with position-neutral equity. Completing is also fine, but raising punishes the limp.

9-6 offsuit is too weak to defend against a small-blind raise with the button caller still behind.

T6o is too weak to continue against a raise; I only have a small invested amount and can wait for a better spot.

On the button 3-handed, 76o is a standard open; a small raise steals the blinds often and plays well in position postflop.

A2 offsuit is difficult to realize equity with from the small blind, but its ace blocker makes it a suitable 3-bet bluff against a button open.

Q9 offsuit is too weak to continue against a raise and a re-raise, and I would need roughly 38% equity that I don't expect to have. Folding preserves my stack for better spots.

Getting 3:1 in position with deep stacks, 76o has enough equity and playability against a wide 3-handed SB 3-bet range to call.

With ace-high on a paired, coordinated flop in a 3-bet pot, checking preserves equity and avoids inflating the pot with little immediate value.

In position on a dry paired board after the 3-bettor checked, a small one-third-pot stab should fold out unpaired hands like AK and AQ, and our gutshot gives us backup equity when called.

I have ace-high plus a club draw and am getting a reasonable price to continue against the flop stab. Calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in while preserving flexibility.

Ace-high has some showdown value on this paired board, but the turn queen improves much of the caller's range. Checking avoids inflating the pot with a weak bluff.

With 7-high and only a gutshot against a 3-bet range that called the flop, a bluff is unlikely to get folds from overpairs. Checking takes the free river card.

Our river pair of twos has some showdown value but is too weak to value-bet confidently after the flop call. Checking avoids being called mainly by stronger hands.

Seven-high has no showdown value, and the SB's double check suggests a capped range with many unpaired AK/AJ hands that will fold. A roughly 70%-of-pot bluff only needs about 42% folds to profit.

Bottom pair is unlikely to be good against a large river bet after the preflop 3-bet and flop call. Fold rather than bluff-catch with minimal showdown value.

Q8 offsuit is a weak button opening hand in this short-handed structure, especially without a suited blocker. Folding avoids marginal multiway exposure.

Calling 50 with 9-8o is cheap given the pot odds, and raising out of position with a marginal hand would just build a bigger pot unnecessarily.

62o is weak, so I'll take the free flop in the big blind against the small blind's limp. I'd rather keep the pot small out of position than raise with junk.

With only 9-high and no made hand or strong draw, I take the free card and see the turn.

We have a gutshot to the 5 plus backdoor potential on a board that favors the big blind's range, and the small blind checked. A small stab takes down a limped pot often and has equity when called.

I have only 9-high with no pair and no strong draw on this flop, facing a bet from the big blind. Folding is the safest way to preserve chips.

K5s is a playable suited hand from the button, and raising puts pressure on the blinds while taking initiative. A 2.5x open is standard and should win the pot often enough to be profitable.

T6s from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act, is a marginal hand that plays poorly out of position; folding is standard.

7-high suited is far too weak to defend against a button open at this sizing from the big blind.