Hold'em table

97s on the button 3-handed is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb puts pressure on the blinds and keeps good playability postflop.

Pocket queens are a strong preflop hand facing a 2.5bb raise from the button; I reraise for value and to build the pot while isolating.

Ace-king is strong enough to cold four-bet against a button open and small-blind three-bet in a three-handed game. This sizing builds value, pressures the button to fold, and leverages our blockers to aces and kings.

Facing a 3-bet and then a cold 4-bet to 22bb, 97s is far behind both ranges, and seat_2 can still act behind me. The 1950 call isn't justified with this many players in the pot.

Pocket queens are far ahead of a 4-bet range; calling keeps the pot manageable and lets me evaluate the flop rather than isolating only better hands with a shove.

Opponent 4-bet preflop, a range heavy on KK+/AK that beats QQ. Checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me call one street cheaply rather than bloating the pot out of position.

Top pair with top kicker is strong in this four-bet pot. A small bet on the dry flop can extract value from weaker pairs while setting up manageable value bets on later streets.

Small flop bet into a big pot with an overpair; QQ is a bluff-catcher against a 4-bettor's range, but the price is cheap enough to continue one street and reassess on the turn.

With QQ on K68J two-tone, checking keeps control against a preflop 3-bettor who check-called the flop; I avoid bloating the pot with a hand that's behind KJ/KK and can't fold cheaply later.

Top pair with top kicker is strong at this low stack-to-pot ratio. A small turn bet extracts value from weaker kings and some pocket pairs while charging newly available draws.

QQ is strong on this board and villain is triple-barreling with 4450 behind; calling keeps the pot manageable while retaining a stack to fold or call the river depending on runout.

QQ is a bluff-catcher on this paired board against a preflop 3-bettor who kept firing; checking keeps the pot small and avoids being raised off my equity.

With less than 40% of the pot left behind, top pair with top kicker is strong enough to shove for value in this four-bet pot. Worse kings and some bluff-catching pocket pairs can call, while the river does not complete the turn's draws.

Villain 3-bet preflop then triple-barreled including a river all-in on a paired board; that line is heavily value-weighted (KK, AA, JJ, 88, K8) and my QQ is a bluff-catcher with only ~22% pot odds needed but little of their range beaten.

9c3h is a weak trash hand out of position; folding is clearly best against two players.

A6 offsuit is strong enough to open from the small blind after the button folds. Raising to 3 big blinds pressures the big blind’s weaker hands, while the ace blocks some strong continuing hands.

Getting 2:1 in position against a wide small-blind steal range, 75o has enough equity and playability to defend by calling.

This connected, two-diamond flop favors the big blind's calling range, and A6 has little equity or useful draw potential. Checking avoids investing more out of position with a weak bluff candidate.

We have an open-ended straight draw (a 6 or J completes it) in position after a check, so a two-thirds-pot semi-bluff gains fold equity and builds the pot for when we hit.

Ace-high with no direct straight or flush draw is too weak to continue against a two-thirds-pot bet on this connected board. Out of position, our limited equity is difficult to realize, and we have better candidates for bluff raises.

Pocket threes are a profitable button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while retaining positional advantage and set potential when called.

KK is a premium hand against a button open, so I'm 3-betting from the small blind to about 4x for value and to thin the field.

T9 offsuit is a weak hand facing a 10bb 3-bet from seat_1 after seat_3's open; calling risks being dominated with poor equity and position.

Pocket threes realize equity poorly against a large three-bet, even in position. Calling 750 leaves insufficient reliable implied odds to justify primarily set-mining, and this hand is a poor four-bet bluff candidate.

23 offsuit is one of the weakest hands in the deck, even on the button in a 3-handed game. Folding preflop costs nothing.

T5o is weak but heads-up in the small blind, completing for 50 is cheap and folding gives up too much equity.

K6 offsuit has reasonable showdown value but is too marginal for a clear value raise against an unknown limping range. Checking lets me see a free flop and play in position without inflating the pot.

I have bottom pair with a weak kicker out of position; checking keeps the pot small and avoids building it with a marginal hand.

King-high has some showdown value, with backdoor straight and spade-flush possibilities. Checking behind realizes that equity for free and avoids building the pot with a weak hand.

I hold a pair of fives with a weak kicker on a scary K-Q board; checking keeps the pot small and avoids building it out of position with a marginal made hand.

Top pair is likely ahead after the small blind checks twice. A three-quarter-pot bet gets value from queens and draws while denying free equity.

Only bottom pair with a weak Td kicker against a turn bet; folding is cheapest and safest.

Completing the small blind costs only 50 into a 150 pot. With one opponent remaining, 8-6 offsuit has enough playability to justify a cheap entry without inflating the pot out of position.

Q5o is a marginal hand against a small-blind limp, so I'll take the free flop in position rather than build a pot with a weak holding.

A half-pot semi-bluff can fold out unpaired hands that currently beat us. Our open-ended straight draw provides useful equity when called, though the paired board makes those outs imperfect.

We're getting 3:1 against a small half-pot bet from a limper's wide range, and queen-high has enough equity to continue on this paired board. Calling keeps the pot small while we stay in position.

With an open-ended straight draw and little showdown value, I can profitably apply pressure to overcards and weak pairs. This turn barrel provides fold equity while retaining chances to improve when called.

Queen-high with no draw on 9-9-7-J facing a bet of 300 into 400 on the turn. The call needs about 30% equity, and this hand has far less.

A4 offsuit is a profitable button open three-handed, with an ace blocker and position against both blinds. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds without overcommitting a marginal hand.

76o from the small blind facing a 2.5bb button open, with the big blind still left to act, is a clear fold. Calling out of position with a weak offsuit hand loses money.

KJs is strong enough to defend the big blind against a 2.5x raise with good postflop playability and position disadvantage is manageable at 100bb.

I have king-high on a paired board with no invested equity advantage; checking keeps the pot small and avoids bluffing into the preflop raiser.

A small continuation bet pressures unpaired hands on this dry, paired board while leveraging my preflop range advantage. Ace-high retains showdown value and a gutshot provides additional equity when called.

King-high with no pair on a paired low board against a preflop raiser who bet flop is far behind; folding is cheapest.