Hold'em table

QJo is a clear button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds applies pressure to the blinds while retaining positional advantage if called.

Five-deuce offsuit is a weak hand out of position against a button raise to 250, so folding the small blind avoids investing more chips with poor playability.

K7 suited in the big blind gets a good price to defend against a wide button 2.5x open, needing only modest equity to continue.

With king-high on a paired ace board I have some showdown value against a wide button range, but betting risks worse calls from aces and folds little better. Checking controls the pot and lets me evaluate the turn.

A small continuation bet leverages the preflop raiser's range advantage on this dry, paired board. It can fold out king-high and other hands with meaningful equity while risking little.

Calling 150 into 700 needs little equity; king-high on the paired ace board is often best against a button's wide preflop raise and small continuation bet, with backdoor diamond outs.

With a paired Ace board I have King kicker showdown value but no real draw, so checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me evaluate a turn bet from the preflop raiser.

Q-high has little equity against the flop-calling range and no meaningful draw or useful bluff blockers. Checking preserves chips and lets me reassess on the river.

With Aces and Kings on a paired board I have medium showdown value; checking controls the pot against possible trip Aces or a better King and may induce a bluff from missed draws.

The river king favors my preflop raising range, making a bluff credible against smaller pocket pairs and 4x. QJ has limited showdown value and blocks some strong ace- and king-containing calls.

River gives me Aces and Kings, and opponent checked back the turn, weakening strong Ace ranges. Getting about 28% pot odds with a King blocker, a call is profitable against river bluffs and weaker value.

Five-four offsuit is a weak hand, but calling 100 chips for position in a three-way pot is a cheap, reasonable price with the button.

Completing for 50 into 250 gives excellent pot odds with 8-3 offsuit, whose equity against two limping ranges exceeds the price despite being out of position postflop.

Q4 offsuit is too weak to raise profitably against two limpers. Checking takes a free flop without inflating the pot.

Top pair on a wet 8-7-5 board needs protection against club and straight draws in a limped three-way pot. A two-thirds pot bet charges draws and weaker pairs while allowing a fold to a raise.

With only queen-high, a gutshot, and a backdoor flush draw, calling a two-thirds-pot bet is unprofitable with another player still to act. Some straight outs also complete a possible club flush.

I have a pair of fives with a backdoor-ish gutshot to a straight (4-5-6-7-8), and the 200 call is about 22% of the final pot, which is a reasonable price to continue.

Middle pair with weak kicker on a turn that completes the flush and brings an overcard; checking controls the pot and avoids building it against a caller.

I hold a pair of fives with a gutshot straight draw, which is a medium-strength hand that is best played cheaply. Checking keeps the pot small and gives me a free river card.

I have only a pair of eights on a board with straight and flush possibilities, so checking preserves showdown value without risking chips against stronger hands that would call a bluff.

I hold a pair of fives on a board with 7-8-9 and a jack, which is a showdown-value hand that can't profitably bet into a player who has already checked. Checking keeps the pot small and avoids facing a raise.

4-7 offsuit is a very weak hand even on the button in a 3-handed game; calling or raising risks chips with poor equity and playability.

Completing the small blind costs only 50 into a 150-chip pot. J6 offsuit is marginal out of position, so limping keeps the investment small without giving up the favorable price.

Checking is free from the big blind with T7 offsuit, which is too weak to raise profitably, and folding would give up the option to see a flop for nothing.

With only jack-high and remote backdoor straight possibilities, this hand is too weak to build the pot out of position. Checking preserves chips and lets me reassess against the big blind's action.

I hold a pair of tens with a queen on the board, a medium-strength hand, so checking keeps the pot small and is free since no bet is faced.

After the flop checked through, the big blind still has plenty of unpaired hands that can fold to a small turn stab. Betting 125 into 200 risks little with a hand that has weak showdown value and little improvement potential.

I have a pair of tens with a queen kicker, and the 125 turn bet is small relative to the 325 pot, so calling is profitable against a wide range without bloating the pot out of position.

J-high has little showdown value, and holding no diamonds leaves missed flush draws available in the opponent's range. A two-thirds-pot bluff continues the turn aggression and can fold out stronger unpaired hands and some weak pairs.

I hold two pair (tens and twos) and the 300 call is well priced against a 750 pot, so calling is better than raising into a line that could be strong or bluffing.

Q4 offsuit is near the bottom of a three-handed button opening range, with poor connectivity and frequent domination. Without evidence that the blinds overfold, folding is preferable to a marginal steal.

Seven-trey offsuit is a weak hand, and calling 50 more from the small blind into a blind-versus-blind pot is not profitable enough to justify playing it.

Nine-seven suited is a playable button hand in a three-handed pot, and calling the 100-chip price keeps the pot manageable while I see a flop.

J8 suited has good playability multiway and only costs 50 more into a 250 pot, giving excellent pot odds to see a flop.

K5 offsuit is too weak to raise profitably against two limpers without reads. Checking realizes its equity for free without building a pot with a frequently dominated hand.

With J-high, only backdoor club and straight draws on a Q-high board in a limped multiway pot, checking free is best rather than bluffing into two opponents.

With king-high and only backdoor draws, betting into two opponents on this coordinated flop offers little value. Checking preserves chips and lets me reassess after the button acts.

I hold middle pair with a gutshot to an eight, and the board is multiway with no clear value bet. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the turn cheaply.

With only board pair of queens and a jack kicker, no flush or straight draw with one card to come, betting into two opponents risks calls from better pairs, queens, and draws. Checking keeps the small limped pot cheap and preserves showdown value.

King-high has some showdown value, but no strong draw or value bet on this paired board. Checking keeps the pot small against two opponents and preserves the chance to improve for free.

With a pair of sevens on a queen-paired board, I have a weak showdown hand that is unlikely to be best, so I take the free card rather than bloat the pot.

With only queen-pair and jack kicker on a paired king-high board after all streets checked, I likely lose at showdown but a multiway river bluff is unlikely to fold out both opponents holding kings, queens, pairs, or ace-high calls.

The river gives me kings and queens, and the passive action makes a queen less likely. A small value bet can get calls from pocket pairs or a seven while limiting exposure to better kings.

I hold a pair of sevens with a nine kicker, and the 100-chip bet into a 300-chip pot gives about 4:1 odds, so calling is a reasonable bluff-catch against a small river bet after the action was checked through.

On a paired Queen board with a King, my Jack kicker is likely beaten by any King, Queen, Ace kicker, or pocket pair, and facing a bet and a call the 100-chip call is not justified.

Pocket fives on the button in 3-handed play is ahead of most ranges; raising builds pot and takes initiative.

Nine-four offsuit is too weak to defend against a 2.5bb button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more chips with poor equity and position.

Q7 offsuit is weak, but I'm getting about 2.7-to-1 on a 150 call into a 400 pot against a wide button raise, which is enough to defend the big blind.

We flopped trip queens on a dry board, so betting for value about 55% of the pot builds the pot while we are well ahead of most continuing ranges.

In position with pocket fives for two pair on a paired queen board, a queen is unlikely given two on board and his donk bet could be a weaker pair, a three, or a bluff. The 300 call is cheap relative to the pot to evaluate the turn.

I hold three queens, a strong made hand, so I'm betting about two-thirds pot for value against a seat that has been calling along.

With pocket fives on a QQK board I only have queens and fives, losing to any queen, king, or higher pair. Facing a large turn bet after a flop bet, calling 800 has too little equity and only two outs to improve.