Hold'em table

Opening on the button with A7o is standard 3-handed strategy to apply pressure and utilize position.

JTs suited plays well postflop with a 2.25x open and room behind; calling keeps the pot manageable in position while retaining raise/bluff options.

T9 suited has good multiway playability, and calling 125 offers favorable pot odds while closing the action.

I have an open-ended straight draw plus a flush draw (roughly 13-15 outs) on Qd-9s-8d, so betting ~70% pot builds the pot and applies pressure while I still have fold equity.

I have a pair and an open-ended straight draw, giving me enough equity to continue at this price. Calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in while avoiding a large raise into a multiway pot.

I hold Ace-high with no pair and no direct draw on a wet, coordinated flop facing a bet and a call.

I hold an open-ended straight draw plus a flush draw (~32% to hit on the river), so a turn semi-bluff builds the pot and applies fold equity while I still have a strong drawing hand behind.

I have a pair plus a gutshot and can continue at these pot odds; raising would risk too much against a turn bet that may include strong made hands.

I have only a pair of nines, and the river completes some strong holdings without improving my hand. I’ll take the free showdown rather than risk a bluff-raise.

Ten-three offsuit is one of the weakest hands and plays poorly postflop even from the button; folding avoids bleeding chips out of position against two players.

J7 offsuit is a reasonable blind-versus-blind limp; completing is inexpensive and avoids building a pot out of position with a marginal hand.

Check back with QJo in position to see a free flop against the small blind's limp.

I have no pair or meaningful draw on this ace-high flop, so I’ll take the free card rather than bluff into the big blind.

We have position and a gutshot straight draw with Queen-Jack on an Ace-King-Three board. Taking a free card is prudent in a limped blind-versus-blind pot.

A small turn stab can fold out the opponent’s unpaired hands after the flop checked through, while risking only half the pot. My hand has little showdown value, so checking is unlikely to win at showdown.

Holding a gutshot with four outs on the turn getting 3-to-1 pot odds does not offer sufficient direct or implied odds to justify a call.

As the button in a three-handed game, T5 offsuit is playable as an open-raise; raising takes initiative and can win the blinds immediately.

Holding an unsuited weak eight-high hand out of position against a button open makes for an easy fold.

In 3-handed play, Q6s is well within standard button opening range, so raising to 2.5x applies pressure and builds the pot with position.

94o is a weak hand out of position against a button raise with the BB still to act. Folding loses only the 50-chip blind and avoids a dominated spot.

K3 suited is a reasonable big-blind defend against a button minraise, and the price is favorable heads-up. I’ll call rather than inflate the pot with a marginal hand.

I have a weak bottom pair with a poor kicker on a board with straight and flush draws, so checking avoids building a pot with a marginal hand.

C-betting half-pot as a semi-bluff with a flush draw and gutshot straight draw to apply pressure and build the pot when our draw hits.

I have a pair with a strong kicker and am getting a reasonable price against a single small flop bet. Calling keeps weaker bets and bluffs in while avoiding an unnecessary raise with a vulnerable hand.

I have only a weak pair on a highly connected turn, so checking keeps the pot manageable and lets me evaluate the opponent’s action.

Turned a 7-high straight with a queen-high flush draw redraw; betting for value against pairs, two pairs, sets, and worse draws.

Kicker and bottom pair are unlikely to be ahead, and the turn gives me only a weak draw with few clean outs. The 700-chip bet is too costly to call.

Q9o on the button in a 3-handed game is a profitable steal-raising spot; raising to 2.5bb applies pressure and builds the pot with a hand that plays well in position.

J-2 offsuit is too weak to continue from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Getting attractive pot odds to defend the big blind against a standard button open with an ace-high hand.

As the preflop caller out of position, checking top pair with a modest kicker allows us to control the pot size and let the preflop aggressor continuation bet.

I have top pair with top kicker on A-Q-4 after my button raise and the BB checked; betting ~2/3 pot extracts value from weaker queens, underpairs, and ace-high hands while charging draws.

I flopped top pair on a dry board against the button's standard continuation bet, making a call the most profitable action to keep their bluffing range in.

Turned two pair with Aces and Eights; checking to the flop aggressor to let them continue betting worse hands or bluffs.

I hold second pair (queens) with an ace on board, and seat_1 called my flop bet — that range contains AQ, AK, and Ax which beat me. Checking back for pot control and re-evaluating on the river is the safest line.

I have top two pair (Aces and Eights) on a relatively dry runout. After opponent checked behind on the turn, I am value betting into their weaker Ax and Qx holdings.

My pair of queens beats all bluffs and missed draws, and a check-turn-then-river-lead line is often a bluff or thin value bet. Calling 750 into a 2000 pot needs only ~21% equity, which this line justifies.

9♦4♥ is a weak offsuit hand, and calling or raising from the button risks chips with poor playability.

Getting favorable pot odds of 3:1 to complete from the small blind with suited cards and postflop playability.

9h5h offsuit is weak; free check in the BB heads-up is fine and avoids bloating the pot.

I have bottom pair with a weak kicker out of position in a limped pot; checking is standard to keep the pot small.

I have 9-high with no draw on a Q-high board against a limper who checked; checking keeps the pot small and avoids bluffing into a likely pair.

I have bottom pair on a paired board with three clubs. Checking to see the river cheaply is the best option with modest showdown value.

My 5h9s only plays as pair-of-queens with a 9 kicker, which loses to most of villain's continuing range, so betting has no value and bluffing into a check-check line is unnecessary risk. Taking the free river card preserves my thin showdown equity against small pairs and air.

I hold two pair, Queens and Threes, which beats all of opponent's unpaired high cards. Checking allows me to see showdown for free without risking chips against better pairs.

I have only nine-high and lose at showdown against nearly anything, so a half-pot bluff on this scary board (missed flush draw, paired Q) is my only way to win; a passive limper-checker often folds weak showdown hands.

Facing a pot-sized bet on the river with fourth pair (threes) on a double-broadway paired board, our hand only beats total air. Calling requires 33% equity which we do not have against a typical betting range here.