Hold'em table

7-8 offsuit on the button in a 3-handed game is playable, and calling 100 to win a pot of 250 gives a good price with position, so I limp in rather than bloat the pot out of position later.

Completing costs 50 into a 250-chip pot. T5 offsuit is weak, but the price is good enough to see a flop against a limp.

With pocket threes in the big blind facing two limpers, checking gives us a free flop to set-mine without bloating the pot out of position.

Middle pair with a weak kicker is worth seeing another card, but betting into two players on an ace-high, two-heart flop risks building a pot against stronger hands.

I hold an underpair on an ace-high coordinated board in a multiway pot; checking to see the next street for free is the best play.

Both opponents checked the Ace-high flop, so a small stab at 200 into a 300 pot on the button can win the pot. I have a gutshot plus backdoor straight and flush draws (7-8 offsuit, board T-4-A), so I have some equity if called.

Middle pair has enough value to continue against a small button bet, especially when the bettor can have draws or be betting after two checks.

Holding an underpair to the entire board against a flop bet and call leaves us with negligible equity and poor playability.

With a weak pair and a low heart draw on an ace-king board, I prefer to check and control the pot.

I hold 7c8s, which has a straight draw on a Td 4h Ah Kh board and little showdown value. Seat 2 checked the turn after calling my flop raise, which suggests weakness. A 400 bet into the 700 pot is a small semi-bluff that can win the pot now, and I have some backdoor outs if called.

A weak pair of tens is unlikely to be ahead of a second barrel on this coordinated board, and I have few ways to improve.

JTo is strong enough to open on the button in a three-handed game. A 2.5 big blind raise pressures the blinds without overcommitting.

Holding nine-six offsuit from the small blind against a button open is an easy fold out of position.

K5 offsuit is weak, and calling 150 to win 400 out of position against a button open is marginal at best, so I'll fold and avoid playing a dominated hand postflop.

65 offsuit is too weak to open from the button 3-handed, making fold the standard play.

Ah7s is a strong hand heads-up against the big blind, since the button folded. Raising to 3bb from the small blind builds the pot with a hand that plays well.

K2 offsuit has enough equity to defend the big blind against a small-blind raise, and I will have position after the flop.

I raised preflop and hold ace-high with a backdoor nut flush draw on a 5-J-4 two-tone board, in position of nothing but first to act heads-up. A bet of about two-thirds pot takes the pot often and gets equity from gutshot-style draws (A-2-3 outs for a wheel plus overcards). Actually, a smaller sizing of 400 into 600 keeps the risk low. .

King-deuce has no pair or diamond on this flop, and calling 400 with only a weak backdoor straight possibility is not worthwhile.

Q8s on the button in a 3-handed game is a fine open. A small raise puts pressure on both blinds and gives me position and some playability.

J9 suited plays well as a three-bet against a button open. Raising from the small blind can isolate the opener and avoid inviting the big blind in cheaply.

T2o is an unplayable hand facing an open raise and a 3-bet. Folding is standard and trivial.

Q8s is weak facing a 3-bet to 1000 from the small blind after my 250 open. Calling 750 out of position-ish with a dominated hand is unprofitable, so I fold.

Q7 offsuit is strong enough to open from the button in a three-handed game. A 2.5-big-blind raise applies pressure while keeping the investment modest.

Folding Q7o in the small blind against a button open as it is too weak to continue out of position.

5-9 offsuit is a weak hand. Calling 150 more into a 400 pot would be OK on price alone, but I'd be out of position against a button raiser who opens wide. Its equity doesn't justify playing it postflop, so I fold.

Opening Kd 5d from the button is standard in 3-handed play; raising to 2.5bb to apply position advantage.

Q8 suited out of position in the small blind facing a button open with the big blind still to act is a marginal hand, and calling 200 more risks playing a weak hand out of position in a three-way pot. Folding is the disciplined choice.

A3 suited is strong enough to defend the big blind against a 2.5bb button raise. Calling keeps the pot manageable with a hand that plays well postflop.

Bottom pair with an ace kicker has some showdown value, but betting out of position into the preflop raiser is unlikely to accomplish much. Checking keeps the pot manageable.

We flopped top pair with a weak kicker on a dry board; checking back controls the pot size and under-represents our hand strength.

My two pair is weak against a king, nine, or most pocket pairs. Checking keeps the pot manageable and may induce a bluff from an unpaired hand.

I have top pair on a paired board and the opponent has checked twice. A small value bet can get called by pocket pairs or weaker holdings.

The turn bet is small enough to call with two pair and an ace kicker, especially after the flop checked through. I can reassess if faced with a river bet.

My two pair has showdown value, but a river bet is unlikely to get called often by worse hands. Checking also lets missed draws bluff.

I have Kings and Nines with a weak five kicker; checking back realizes showdown value safely against missed draws and lower pairs without risking a check-raise.