Hold'em table

Q8 offsuit is strong enough to open on the button three-handed, and a 2.5 big blind raise applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

AJo is a decent hand in 3-handed play, but out of position against a button open with the big blind still to act, a call is safer than a 3-bet. It keeps the pot small and avoids getting dominated by a re-raise.

Holding T6 offsuit out of position against two opponents, the hand has poor playability and realization despite decent pot odds.

Ace-high with a backdoor draw on a K-high flop, heads-up and out of position against the button's raise. A small bet of about two-thirds pot takes the initiative, and a fold from worse hands like queens or weak pairs gets value from equity denial. I check-fold less and keep the bet size modest.

Middle pair with a queen kicker is strong enough to call the flop bet in position. Raising would risk building a large pot against better hands.

Top pair with an ace kicker on a K-J-8-4 board is a decent hand heads-up, and I'm first to act with position against me. A half-pot bet of 700 gets value from worse Jx and draws while charging hands that want to see a cheap showdown.

Middle pair can still be ahead of diamond or straight draws, and the half-pot bet gives me a reasonable price to continue in position.

I hold a pair of jacks with an ace kicker on 8d 4c Kd Js 5c, so I likely have the best hand. Seat 1 called a flop and turn bet, so it probably has a king or a draw that missed. I'll bet about a third of the pot for value and expect worse pairs to call.

The 900-chip bet gives me a favorable price. My pair of eights can beat missed draws and some weaker pairs often enough to call.

Q7o on the button in a 3-handed pot is a marginal hand, but the price is only 100 to win 250 and I have position, so calling is better than folding or bloating the pot out of position.

Q6o is too weak to complete from the small blind even with decent direct pot odds, as it plays poorly out of position.

A-T offsuit is strong against a button limp, so I raise for value and to deny a cheap flop.

Q7 offsuit is weak and out of position against a 5x raise from the big blind. Calling 400 into a 650 pot with a dominated, low-playability hand is not profitable, so I fold.

Q6o is too weak to open even on the button in 3-handed play. Easy fold.

With the button folded, 7-6 suited is strong enough to raise heads-up against the big blind. A modest raise builds the pot without overcommitting out of position.

6-2 offsuit is the weakest hand, and calling 150 more out of position against a small blind raise isn't profitable, so I'm folding and giving up the big blind.

On the button in a three-handed game, T2 suited is playable as a small open. Raising gives me a chance to win the blinds while keeping the investment modest.

9-8 offsuit out of position in the small blind, facing a button raise with the big blind still to act, is a marginal hand that plays poorly. Folding is the simplest choice, and I lose only the 50-chip small blind.

Getting 3:1 pot odds closing the action against a button open, calling with pocket deuces to set-mine is standard.

Check with an underpair out of position against the preflop raiser.

I have little equity on this connected flop, and the big blind’s calling range can connect with it. Checking avoids investing more with a weak hand.

With bottom pair and very little equity on a high board, checking is standard and takes a free card.

After the big blind checked twice, a delayed bet can win the pot with my weak hand. The turn is a blank, so a modest bet puts pressure on their unpaired hands.

Holding an underpair to the board with minimal equity facing a bet on the turn, folding is clear.

T4 offsuit is a weak hand, and calling out of position against two players in a 3-handed pot is not profitable. Folding on the button costs nothing extra.

In a blind-versus-blind scenario after the button folds, Q7s is well ahead of an average holding and plays well with initiative, so I raise to 3bb.

T2 offsuit is too weak to defend against a raise to 300, even with position after the flop.

J5s is too weak to open profitably even from the button in 3-max.

With the button folded, completing the small blind costs only 50 chips against an unraised big blind. T2 offsuit is weak, but the price is good enough to see a flop heads-up.

Q5 offsuit is a decent heads-up hand against a limping small blind, and I act last postflop only if needed. A modest 3x raise builds the pot with a hand that has decent equity and can fold out weaker holdings.

T2 offsuit is too weak to defend against the big blind's raise, especially out of position.