Hold'em table

On the button, a small open gives me position postflop and a chance to win the blinds without committing much with a marginal hand.

Q9o plays well against a wide three-handed button min-raise. A 3-bet from the small blind avoids playing a multiway pot out of position with the big blind still to act, and it can take the pot down right away.

7-2 offsuit is far too weak to continue facing a large preflop raise and an opener still behind.

T5 offsuit is too weak to defend against a large three-bet, even in position.

23 suited is at the bottom of the button opening range in 3-handed play, and both blinds are left to act, so folding is the disciplined choice. A mixed open would also be reasonable, but folding costs nothing.

6-4 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against the big blind at this stack depth.

Q4 offsuit is too weak to profitably enter against both blinds from the button at this stack depth.

Pocket kings are a premium hand. Raising to 400 builds the pot and charges the big blind to continue.

Pocket eights are well ahead of a wide small-blind steal range in a blind-vs-blind spot. A 3-bet in position gets value and denies equity, and it keeps the initiative.

Pocket kings are strong enough to four-bet for value. Raising to 3000 builds the pot while leaving room for a worse hand to continue.

With 88 in a blind-vs-blind spot, the SB's 4-bet range is wide enough that shoving gets folds from bluffs and hands like AQ often enough to be profitable. When called by overpairs or AK, 88 keeps about a third of the equity. The stack-to-pot ratio after a call would be low, so jamming now captures fold equity.

Pocket kings are strong enough to call the preflop shove, especially in a three-handed game.

Ace-ten suited is a strong button hand in three-handed play. Raising to 250 builds the pot while keeping the open size modest.

KJo is well ahead of a wide 3-handed button opening range, and 3-betting from the small blind avoids playing out of position in a multiway pot with the big blind still behind. A raise to 11bb builds a pot I can take down preflop or play with initiative.

K2 offsuit is far too weak to defend against a large 11bb 3-bet with the opener still behind.

A-T suited is strong enough to continue against the small blind’s three-bet. Calling keeps weaker hands in and lets me play in position postflop.

Small c-bet on a monotone board as the preflop 3-bettor with range advantage; the Jd gives us a redraw to a decent flush, blocks some flushes, and adds an overcard.

The nut flush is strong enough to raise for value. This sizing gives overpairs and hands with a high diamond room to continue while setting up a turn shove.

Getting about 3.5:1 with a Jd flush draw (9 outs) plus a king overcard on a monotone board, so a call is profitable. Shoving is too risky against a range heavy in made flushes and sets.

My hand is only a J-high flush draw plus a gutshot, facing a flop check-raise on a monotone board. Villain's range there is full of made flushes and sets. A pot-sized jam gets little fold equity, so I check and plan to give up against a large bet, since my equity is too low against the hands that bet big.

I have the nut flush on an unpaired board. Betting 3000 builds the pot while giving overpairs with a diamond and smaller flushes room to call.

I have only king-high with a non-nut single-diamond flush draw, against a range that check-raised the flop in a 4-bet pot. That range often contains the Ad or a made hand. My realistic equity of about 15% is below the roughly 18-24% I need to call 3000, even counting implied odds.

A9o on the button in 3-handed play is a clear open-raise; 2.5bb puts pressure on both blinds.»,

T9 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button open with the big blind still behind, and it realizes equity poorly out of position.

K5 suited has enough equity to defend the big blind against a button raise, especially with the small blind folded.

With top pair but a weak kicker, I prefer checking out of position rather than building the pot against stronger kings. I can respond to a bet based on its size.

The K-Q high board favors my button opening range, so a small c-bet should fold out plenty of BB's weak hands. My ace is also an overcard that can improve.

Top pair is strong enough to continue against a small flop bet, but the weak kicker makes raising unattractive.

Top pair with a weak kicker has showdown value, but the turn improves several straight draws and stronger hands. Checking keeps the pot manageable and lets me assess a bet.

A9 has a gutshot to the nut straight plus an overcard ace. A two-thirds pot semi-bluff can fold out weaker pairs like Qx and Tx and pressure a capped check-calling range, while still having equity when called.

Top pair is strong enough to continue against this turn bet, given the opponent can also bet draws and weaker hands. Raising would risk too much with a weak kicker.

I have two pair, kings and queens, but the river queen makes stronger hands plausible. Checking avoids a thin value bet out of position and lets me evaluate a bet.

Ace-high still beats some missed heart draws. A check-call-call line is heavy in pairs that rarely fold, so a river bluff has poor fold equity and I'll take the free showdown.

Open-raise the button with 87 offsuit; it has sufficient playability in a short-handed unopened pot and benefits from initiative.

K7 offsuit plays poorly out of position against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Getting 400 to 150 in the big blind against a wide button open, 93s has enough equity and playability to defend by calling.

Bottom pair with a weak kicker on a K-Q high board, which favors the button's raising range, so checking to the preflop raiser is standard. I'll consider continuing against a small c-bet.

This dry high-card board favors the caller's range, while 8-high has little immediate equity. Checking preserves the option to realize any turn improvement without risking a low-equity c-bet.

Bottom pair on a paired board has showdown value but gets little value from worse hands and is vulnerable to a raise, so I'll check to control the pot and possibly induce bluffs.

A small turn stab can fold out unpaired hands and some pocket pairs after the opponent checked twice. Our hand has little showdown value, so betting is preferable to checking behind.

Getting about 4.75:1 on a small turn bet, and the button checked back the flop, so their range contains plenty of air and weak hands that my pair of threes beats. Calling is better than folding, while raising would only get called by better hands.

I only have third pair with a weak kicker on a board where the heart flush just came in. Checking to showdown is best: a bet gets called only by better hands, and my hand has some showdown value against the button's small-bet bluffs.

My eight-high has no showdown value, but the turn caller's range contains many queens, kings, and now-made heart flushes that are unlikely to fold. Checking avoids an unprofitable river bluff.