Showdown Hold'em table

Pocket 8s is a marginal hand; the published optimal preflop table does not include 88, so checking avoids overcommitting against a dealer that only qualifies with a pair or better.

On the flop with a medium pair and no draw, checking preserves the option to raise on the river if the board improves, and avoids committing chips when the dealer's hole cards are still unknown.

I hold a pair of eights with a jack on the board, giving me a pair. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is likely ahead of random dealer holdings. Raising 1x on the river wins the ante and blind when I beat the dealer, and the expected value is positive against the dealer's qualifying range.

With Q4o offsuit, the hand is too weak to raise preflop; checking preserves chips and lets me see the flop cheaply before deciding.

Hole cards Qs and 4h are weak with no pair and no flush draw; checking preserves chips and lets the board develop before committing more.

On the river with Qs4h and board Kd-4d-2s-Ac-Kh, I have only a weak high-card hand with no pair, no draw, and no backdoor equity. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is unlikely to beat that, so folding minimizes expected loss.

8c3d is a weak hand with no pair, no suitedness, and no straight potential. Preflop optimal strategy says fold or check this holding; checking preserves chips and avoids risking 30-40 chips on a hand that loses to most dealer pairs.

8c3d is a weak hand with no pair and no draw on a dry Ad-3c-Kd flop; raising 2x risks 20 chips with poor equity against the dealer's likely range, so checking keeps the option to evaluate the turn and river cheaply.

My hand is 8c3d, which is high card with no pair, flush, or straight draw. The board is Ad 3c Kd 4c Ts, giving me only a weak 8-high. With no raise yet on the river, raising 1x costs 10 chips with almost no chance to beat the dealer's likely pair or better, so folding to limit losses is the correct play.

7h9d is a weak preflop hand that falls outside the optimal raise thresholds; checking preserves the option to raise cheaply on the flop if the board improves the hand.

With 7h-9d on an 8d-Tc-7c flop I have a weak 7-high with a backdoor flush draw and no pair; the dealer likely qualifies with a pair, so raising 2x risks chips without enough equity. Checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if I improve, minimizing expected loss.

On the river with 7h 9d, my best hand is a 7-high straight (8d-Tc-7c-5h-Jd). The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and with two overcards (T, J) plus a 5 and 8 on board, the dealer almost certainly has at least a pair. Raising 1x costs 10 chips for a low-probability win, so folding saves the blind and is the expected-value play.

JdTh is a borderline hand preflop; checking keeps the option to raise on the flop if the board improves the hand, avoiding unnecessary risk on a speculative holding.

On the flop with JdTh on a 9s8h8c board, I have only an open-ended straight draw (6 outs) and no made hand. Raising 2x risks 20 chips to chase a draw against a dealer who already has a pair or better roughly 40% of the time, which is a negative EV play. Checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if I hit, and preserves the blind payout potential if the dealer misses.

On the river with Jd Th, the board 9s 8h 8c 7c Ah gives a straight (7-T) but the dealer likely has a pair or better from the 88 and 77 combos, so folding saves the blind.

9c Ks is a marginal preflop hand; checking preserves the option to raise cheaply on the flop and avoids risking chips with a weak holding.

With Ks-9c on Ac-4h-3h, I have only a backdoor flush draw and no pair, so raising risks chips without enough equity. Checking keeps the option to raise small on the river if the board improves, and avoids committing more when the dealer likely qualifies.

On the river with Ks-9c and a board of Ac-4h-3h-3d-2d, I have only a weak king-high that cannot beat a dealer holding a pair or better. Raising 1x risks 10 chips to win at most 10 from the play bet plus a blind payout that requires beating the dealer, so the expected value is negative; folding preserves bankroll by losing only the ante and blind already posted.

With 4h-6h, the hand is too weak to raise preflop; checking preserves the option to raise on the flop if the board improves the hand.

With 4h-6h on Ts-5d-9c, I have a weak gutshot and backdoor flush draw but no made hand; raising 2x risks 20 chips with poor equity against the dealer's likely range, so checking keeps the pot small and preserves fold equity for the turn and river.

On the river with 4h 6h, I have only high card and no made hand. The board contains a pair of tens and a queen, so the dealer almost certainly qualifies with at least a pair. Raising 1x costs 10 chips with essentially no chance to win, so folding minimizes expected loss.

Ace-high with a weak kicker is below the published preflop raise thresholds, so I check to avoid risking chips with a hand that rarely beats a dealer pair.

With Ace-high and no pair, flush, or straight draw on the flop, raising 2x has negative EV against the dealer's likely qualifying range; checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves my hand.

On the river with only a high ace and no pair, straight, or flush draw, my hand is too weak to continue. Folding loses only the ante and blind rather than risking more chips on a hand that cannot beat the dealer's likely qualifying hand.

With Ace-high and no pair, I have no edge preflop and the dealer qualifies with a pair or better, so I check to avoid risking extra chips on a weak hand.

With Ace-high and no pair or draw, raising risks 20 chips on a hand that likely loses to the dealer's qualifying hand; checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves, and the blind paytable offers no value for a high-card win.

On the river with Ad-high and no pair, straight, or flush, I have almost no chance to beat the dealer's likely qualifying hand; folding saves the blind and avoids losing the ante when the dealer qualifies.

2c 3h is a very weak hand with no pair and poor connectivity. Preflop optimal strategy folds or checks this hand; raising would risk 30-40 chips with negligible equity against the dealer's random range.

With 2c-3h on a 5d-7h-4d flop, I have only a weak inside straight draw and no made hand; raising 2x risks 20 chips with poor equity against the dealer's likely pair or better, so checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves my hand.

On the river with 2c-3h and a board of 5d-7h-4d-7s-8d, I have only a weak 7-high. The dealer likely qualifies with the pair of 7s, and my hand cannot beat a qualifying dealer hand, so folding minimizes expected loss.

Td5h is a weak preflop hand with no pair, no high card strength, and no suited connectors; it does not meet the published optimal raise thresholds, so checking minimizes expected loss against the dealer.

With Td5h on a 4s-9d-7d flop, I have only a backdoor flush draw and no pair, so raising 2x is too costly against a dealer that only needs a pair to qualify. Checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves my hand.

On the river with Td 5h and a 9-high board, I have only high-card strength and no made hand. The dealer likely qualifies with a pair of 9s or better, so calling the 1x raise would be a negative-EV play; folding saves the blind and is the correct decision.

6s4s is a speculative hand that is not in the published optimal preflop raising range (no pair, no ace, no K-high suited, no Q6s+ or J8s+), so checking preserves the option to raise cheaply on the flop if the board connects.

With 6s-4s on a 6c-Ad-2h flop, I have bottom pair with no redraw. Raising 2x risks 20 chips on a weak hand against a dealer that likely has an Ace; checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the turn and river cheaply.

On the river with 6s4s and board 6c Ad 2h Kc Jh, I have only a pair of sixes with no backdoor flush or straight potential. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is weak enough that the expected value of a 1x raise is negative compared to folding and saving the blind.

With 8c2c, I have no pair and only a weak suited connector. Preflop optimal strategy folds most hands; checking avoids risking 30-40 chips on a hand that likely loses to the dealer's pair-or-better qualification.

8c2c is weak on a 6s7dAc flop with no draw; raising 2x risks 20 chips with poor equity, so checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves.

On the river with 8c2c, my best hand is a pair of sixes using the board. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, so I need to beat the dealer's hand to win anything. With only a pair and no redraw, the probability of beating a dealer who likely has a better hand is too low to justify risking the ante and blind.

With only Ace-high and no pair, I'm not raising preflop. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the flop before committing more chips, since the dealer needs a pair or better to qualify.

On the flop with As-6s, I have a backdoor flush draw and gutshot to a 4, but no made hand. Raising 2x risks 20 chips with only ~30% equity against the dealer's likely pair; checking keeps the pot small and preserves fold equity on later streets.

On the river with As6s, the board 5s5c6d8hKs gives only a pair of 5s with an Ace kicker, which is weak. The dealer likely qualifies with a pair or better, and raising 1x risks 10 chips to win only 10 on the play bet with poor equity, so folding minimizes expected loss.

Q7o is a weak hand that falls well below the published optimal preflop raising thresholds (33+, any ace, K2s+ or K5o+, Q6s+ or Q8o+, J8s+ or JTo). Raising would risk 30–40 chips with poor equity against the dealer's range, so checking preserves bankroll and keeps the option to evaluate the flop.

With Qh7s on a 5s5d8h flop, I have no pair and only a backdoor flush draw; raising 2x is a large overbet with negative expected value, so checking keeps the option to raise on the river if the board improves my hand.

On the river with Q-high and no pair, straight, or flush draw, I cannot beat a dealer hand that qualifies with a pair or better. Raising 1x risks 10 chips for a blind payout that requires beating the dealer, which is unlikely here, so folding minimizes expected loss.

6h Jc is a weak offsuit hand that falls below the published optimal preflop raising thresholds, so checking minimizes expected loss against the dealer's unknown range.

On the flop with 6h Jc and board 2s Jh 5c, I have middle pair with a weak kicker. Raising 2x risks 20 chips to win a pot where the dealer likely qualifies with a better hand; checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if I improve or the board stays safe.

On the river with only a pair of Jacks and no flush or straight draw, the dealer's board already shows a pair of 5s, so the dealer qualifies. Raising 1x risks 10 chips to win 20, but the dealer's pair makes a player win unlikely; folding saves the blind.

9c-Td is a weak suited connector with no pair and low preflop equity; the published optimal preflop table does not include it, so checking preserves bankroll against the dealer's unknown range.

With 9c-Td on a 4h-5d-8s flop, I have an open-ended straight draw but no made hand. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves the option to raise 1x on the river if I improve, which is the correct play for a draw in this ante-only structure.

On the river with 9c-Td, I have only a weak 9-high straight (4-5-7-8-9) that is unlikely to beat the dealer's likely pair or better, and raising 1x risks 10 chips for a low-probability win, so folding preserves bankroll.

With Tc-Ah, I have no pair and only a backdoor flush draw. Preflop optimal strategy for this hand is to check rather than raise, since raising 3x or 4x would risk 30-40 chips with a weak holding against the dealer's unknown range.

On the flop with Tc-Ah and board Kc-9c-As, I have Ace-high with no pair and no flush draw. Raising 2x costs 20 chips with no made hand and no strong draw, so checking preserves chips and keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves.

On the river with Tc-Ah, I have only Ace-high and no made hand. The board is uncoordinated, so my chance of beating the dealer's likely pair or better is very low; folding saves the blind and avoids a likely loss.

Ac-2s is a weak hand with no pair and poor connectivity; preflop raise EV is negative, so I check to see the flop cheaply and avoid risking 30-40 chips on a long shot.

With only Ace-high and no pair or draw, raising 2x risks 20 chips on a hand that rarely beats a dealer qualifying hand; checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves.

On the river with Ac-2s and a board of 2h-9d-Ks-Ts-6d, I have only a pair of twos. The dealer likely qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is too weak to risk another bet. Folding saves the blind and avoids losing more chips on a marginal holding.

With only Ace-high and no pair, suitedness, or strong kicker, preflop raise EV is negative against the dealer's random two cards; checking preserves the option to raise cheaply on the flop if the board improves my hand.

With only Ace-high and no pair or draw, raising 2x risks 20 chips on a hand that likely loses to the dealer's likely pair; checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves my hand.

On the river with 2h Ad and board Jc 6h Ah 7s 5d, I have only Ace-high with no pair, flush, or straight draw. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is unlikely to beat that; raising 1x risks 10 chips for a low-probability win, so folding minimizes expected loss.

Kd2c is a weak hand with no preflop raising value; checking preserves the option to raise on the flop if the board improves and avoids risking chips with a negative-EV hand.

Kd2c is a weak hand with no pair and no flush draw; the flop 3d 4c 5c gives a backdoor straight draw but no immediate value. Raising 2x risks 20 chips with poor equity against the dealer's likely range, so checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if the board improves.

On the river with Kd2c and a board of 3d 4c 5c 8c 8h, I have only a weak high-card hand with no pair, flush, or straight. The dealer likely has a qualifying hand given the paired board and possible flush draws, so raising 1x has negative expected value. Folding saves the 10-chip blind.

9c 4c is a weak offsuit hand with no pair and no flush draw; it does not meet the published preflop raise thresholds (33+, any ace, K2s+ or K5o+, Q6s+ or Q8o+, J8s+ or JTo), so checking is the correct play to avoid risking chips with negative expected value.

With 9c-4c on a 5s-6s-Js flop, I have a weak backdoor flush draw and no made hand. Raising 2x risks 20 chips with low equity against the dealer's range, so checking keeps the pot small and lets me evaluate the turn and river cheaply.

On the river with 9c-4c and a 9-high spade board, I have only a weak high card. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, so I almost certainly lose; folding saves the blind.

9c3c is a weak suited hand that does not meet the published preflop 4x threshold (no ace, no pair, no K2s+ or K5o+, no Q6s+ or Q8o+, no J8s+ or JTo). Raising 3x or 4x would risk 30–40 chips with poor equity against the dealer's random two cards, so checking to see the flop is the better play.

With 9c3c on a 3d 6h Th flop, I have only a weak backdoor flush draw and no pair; raising 2x risks 20 chips on a hand that rarely improves to a dealer-beating hand, so checking preserves capital and lets me evaluate the turn and river cheaply.

On the river with 9c3c and board 3d6hTh6s7c, my best hand is a pair of sixes, which is weak and vulnerable to the dealer's likely qualifying hand. The expected value of raising 1x is negative here, so folding to preserve bankroll is the correct play.

Preflop with Qh5h, the optimal published strategy only raises with 33+, any ace, K2s+ or K5o+, Q6s+ or Q8o+, J8s+ or JTo. This hand falls outside those ranges, so checking is the EV-maximizing play and preserves the option to raise on the flop if the board improves the hand.

With Qh5h on a 7hTh8d flop, I have a backdoor flush draw and a gutshot to the 9, but no made hand. Raising 2x risks 20 chips with weak equity; checking keeps the option to raise 1x on the river if I improve, which is the higher-EV path given the one-raise limit.

On the river with Qh-5h and a 7h-Th-8d-8h-3c board, I have only a weak queen-high with no flush draw completed. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and the board contains a pair of eights plus a ten, so the dealer almost certainly has a qualifying hand. Raising 1x costs 10 chips for a slim chance to win, and the blind paytable only pays on a win, so folding minimizes expected loss.

5d6h is a weak connected hand with no pair and low suitedness; preflop EV for this holding is negative, so I check to see the flop cheaply and avoid risking the ante and blind on a raise.

With 5d-6h on a Qs-5h-Ad flop, I have bottom pair but no draw and the board is disconnected, so raising risks too much against a dealer that qualifies with any pair; checking keeps the blind alive and lets me see the turn and river cheaply.

On the river with 5d-6h and a Qs-5h-Ad-2c-7d board, I have only a pair of fives and no backdoor draws. The dealer likely qualifies with a pair or better, and raising 1x risks 10 chips to win a small pot with weak equity, so folding preserves bankroll.

With 4h 3d, there is no preflop raise value; checking preserves the option to raise 2x on the flop if the board improves the hand.

With 4h-3d on a Td-2s-3c flop I have an open-ended straight draw (A-5 for the wheel) but no made hand yet. Checking preserves the option to raise 2x on the turn if I improve, and avoids committing chips with a weak draw on a board that could easily pair and give the dealer a qualifying hand.

On the river with 4h-3d and a board of Td-2s-3c-6d-9h, I have only a pair of threes with no straight or flush potential. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is unlikely to beat a random dealer hand that reached the river. Folding saves the 10-chip blind and avoids losing the ante when the dealer qualifies.

4c 9h is a weak hand with no pair, no suited connectors, and no high card strength; it falls well outside the published optimal preflop raising range, so checking to see the flop cheaply is the correct play.

With 4c-9h on a 6s-7s-Th flop, I have only a weak gutshot to an 8 and no made hand, so raising is a negative-EV gamble against the dealer's unknown range; checking keeps the option to evaluate the turn and river cheaply.

On the river with 4c 9h and a 6s 7s Th 9d Kh board, I have only a weak 9-high. The dealer qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand is unlikely to beat that, so folding saves the blind and ante.

With a pair of twos, preflop equity is too low to justify a 3x or 4x raise; checking preserves chips and lets the board develop before deciding.

With a pair of twos on a disconnected board, raising risks building a pot against a dealer hand that likely improved; checking keeps the option to raise on the river if the board stays safe and preserves fold equity if it doesn't.

My hand is a pair of deuces, which is unlikely to beat the dealer's likely qualifying hand given the board. Folding saves the blind and minimizes expected loss.

With only Ts5h, I have no pair and poor equity against the dealer's random two cards. Checking preserves my bankroll for the final hand and avoids risking chips on a weak hand.

With only Ts-5h on a 9s-3s-Qd flop, I have no made hand and only a weak backdoor flush draw; raising 2x risks 20 chips against the dealer's likely pair or better, so checking preserves the option to see the turn and river cheaply.

On the river with T5o and a board of 9s 3s Qd 3d 6d, I have only high-card strength and cannot beat a dealer hand that qualifies with a pair. Folding preserves my remaining bankroll rather than risking 20 chips on a near-certain loss.

5s-7d is a weak offsuit hand with no preflop raising value; checking keeps the ante and blind in play at minimal cost and lets me see the flop before committing more chips.

On the flop with 5s-7d and board 8d-Js-6h, I have only a weak gutshot to a 4 and no pair. Raising 2x costs 20 chips with poor equity against the dealer's likely made hand, so checking to see the river cheaply is the higher-EV play.

On the river with 5s-7d and a board of 8d-Js-6h-Qh-4s, I have only a weak 8-high straight with no pair and no flush draw. The dealer likely qualifies with a pair or better, and my hand has very low equity, so folding saves the blind and ante rather than risking more chips.