Hold'em table

84o is a weak hand out of position against two players; folding preflop avoids bleeding chips with a marginal holding.

Pocket fives are strong enough to open-raise for value and initiative in a blind-versus-blind situation.

K6 offsuit is too weak to continue against a 3x small-blind raise; it is easily dominated and has poor playability, so folding is best.

97 offsuit is too weak to open profitably from the button even in 3-handed play.

Button folded, so this is a blind battle with A3o. A small raise takes the initiative and applies pressure on the big blind rather than playing a weak ace out of position for a mere complete.

Nine-three suited is near the bottom of the BB defense range against a 3x small-blind raise; calling risks 200 more with a dominated, poorly-playing hand, so surrendering the blind is the highest-EV option.

46o is too weak to open even on the button; folding avoids a dominated, low-equity spot against two live opponents.

A5o heads-up against only the big blind has strong equity and plays well postflop; raising to 3x applies pressure and builds the pot rather than limping or folding with 50 already invested.

Defending the big blind in position against a small blind open with suited connectors J8s getting 2-to-1 pot odds.

Ace-high with a gutshot-ish backdoors; heads-up against a caller, I have little fold equity and no made hand, so I take a free card.

I flopped trips on a dry paired board; checking back keeps the opponent's bluffing range wide for the turn.

Ace-high on a paired board with check-through flop; checking back keeps pot control and avoids bloating a marginal hand against the preflop caller.

I have trip eights with a solid kicker. After opponent checks twice, I should bet for value and protection against draws.

Ace-high with no showdown value against a turn lead on a paired board; folding is cheapest.

AJo from the button is strong; a standard 3x open builds the pot and applies pressure on the blinds.

54 offsuit is too weak to continue from the small blind against a button open.

QTo is playable from the big blind against a button open once the small blind folds. Calling 200 into 450 is better than folding or turning this into a bloated three-bet out of position.

I flopped top two pair on a dry board and want to build the pot against the preflop raiser's continuing range. A roughly two-thirds-pot bet gets value while keeping worse queens, tens, and overcards in.

I only have ace-high with no real draw on QT5, and the big blind donk-led into the preflop raiser, which is weighted toward made hands like Qx/Tx/sets. Calling 450 with little equity or raising as a naked bluff both lose value, so folding is best.

T6o is too weak to open from the button, making an easy fold.

Pocket nines are well ahead of the big blind's range heads-up after the button folds, so I raise to 3bb for value and to build the pot.

A8o heads-up against a small-blind raise has solid equity, and calling 200 into a 400 pot requires only ~25% equity. Defending the blind and seeing a flop is cheaper and safer than 3-betting out of position with a marginal ace.

Pocket nines are two pair with the board jacks, but any jack has me crushed and the paired flop is dangerous. I check to pot-control and see how the big blind continues.

The board pair of jacks gives me top pair with the ace kicker, and the preflop raiser's flop check usually signals no jack. Betting half pot extracts value from worse pairs and A-high while protecting against turn outdraws; if check-raised I can cheaply fold.

Pocket nines make two pair on JJ2 and only need about 25% equity to call a half-pot bet. Raising mostly folds out worse hands, so calling is the better way to realize showdown value.

I have jacks and nines on a paired board after the flop aggressor’s queen turn. Checking keeps the pot smaller and lets my showdown value realize against unpaired hands and bluffs.

My A8-high has almost no showdown equity against a check-caller on a paired J-board, and firing again risks 700+ into a small pot against a likely station. Checking back is free and keeps the ace-high chance to spike a river or win versus busted draws.

I have two pair, jacks and nines, with showdown value on a paired board with a queen. Betting thin OOP risks getting called or raised mainly by better hands, so I check to realize my equity.

Q9 suited is playable from the button in a three-handed pot, so I open to 3x the big blind to take the initiative and fold out weaker hands.

Ten-seven offsuit is far too weak to defend the small blind against a 3x button raise, especially out of position with the big blind still to act. Folding preserves chips for better spots.

KTo has sufficient equity and playability to defend the big blind against a button open, closing the action for 200 chips getting over 2:1 odds.

Check top pair with a decent kicker to the preflop aggressor to pot-control and allow them to bluff.

As the preflop raiser facing a flop check, a small c-bet pressures missed hands on a king-high board while keeping the bluff cheap with queen-high and little showdown value.

I have top pair with a decent kicker facing a small continuation bet of 220 into 650. Calling is standard to keep the button's bluffing range wide without overplaying the hand.

I have top pair with a mediocre kicker and a gutshot straight draw on a coordinated board; checking to control the pot size out of position is optimal.

I have a gutshot and the betting lead, so a half-pot semi-bluff pressures the checked turn while keeping a cheap path to the nuts.

We hold top pair and a gutshot straight draw, getting roughly 3:1 pot odds to call a half-pot turn barrel.

I have top pair with a mediocre kicker out of position. Checking is standard to control the pot size and catch bluffs or get to showdown.

Queen-high has no pair or draw completed on this board, and the opponent has called two streets, so a river bluff is unlikely to succeed. Checking is free and avoids putting more chips in with a weak hand.