Showdown Hold'em table

T8 offsuit doesn't meet the preflop raising criteria (no pair, ace, suited king, or qualifying queen/jack combo), so I check to see the flop cheaply.

No pair, no draw, and board shows an ace that could help the dealer qualify; better to see the river for free before committing chips.

Pocket fives qualify as a premium pair per the optimal preflop table, so raising 4x maximizes value.

8-5 offsuit doesn't meet the published preflop raise criteria (no ace, not suited high card, not a qualifying pair), so I check and wait to see the flop.

I hold an open-ended straight draw (5-6-7-8 needing a 4 or 9) which is strong enough to raise now rather than wait for a worse river decision.

K9 offsuit falls within the published optimal preflop raising range (K5o+), so I raise 4x.

3-9 offsuit is not in the optimal raise range (not ace, not suited king/queen/jack combo, no pair), so I check and wait to see the flop.

3-9 high with no pair, draw, or significant equity against Ah-Js-7c board; checking to see the river for free rather than committing more chips.

I have a made pair (threes) with strong kickers (A,Q,J); standard river strategy is to raise with any pair or better rather than fold, since dealer qualification requirements make this a +EV call.

Pocket jacks (33+) is in the published optimal 4x raising range preflop, so I raise maximum.

96 suited doesn't meet the optimal preflop raising criteria (no ace, not K2s+/Q6s+/J8s+/pair), so I check and wait to see the flop.

I have top pair (sixes matching the board) with a decent kicker, which meets the threshold for a flop raise against the dealer.

Q4 offsuit is below the standard preflop raising threshold (needs Q6s+/Q8o+ or better), so I check and see the flop cheaply.

Top pair of queens with a weak kicker on a monotone diamond flop is too marginal to commit extra chips now; better to see the turn and river before deciding.

I have a pair of queens with the board already paired for flush potential against the dealer, but a made pair is generally profitable to bet on the river in this game's standard strategy despite the four-diamond board.

T3 offsuit doesn't meet the optimal preflop raising criteria (needs ace, pair, suited king, etc.), so I check and wait to see the flop.

Ten-high with no pair, draw, or significant equity on a Q-6-4 board; better to check and see the river for free rather than invest more chips now.

Board already pairs queens, guaranteeing at least a pair for both sides; with a ten kicker I have decent equity, so raising is +EV versus folding away the ante and blind.

J4 offsuit is not in the published 4x raise range, so check and wait to see the flop.

No pair and only a weak backdoor straight draw (needs both 8 and 9); not strong enough to commit a flop raise, better to see the river for cheap.

Top pair of Queens with a Jack kicker is a strong enough hand to beat a random qualifying dealer hand, so I raise.

3d5h is well outside the optimal preflop raise range (no pair, no ace, no suited/offsuit king or queen/jack qualifier), so I check and wait to see the flop cheaply.

Missed flop entirely with no pair or draw, so check and wait to see the river before committing more chips.

My hand is exactly the board's pair-of-eights with K-7-6 kickers (hole cards 3-5 don't help), so the dealer's extra two cards can only tie or beat me, never lose to me. Since the probability of a tie is only about 7%, calling the extra ante costs more in expectation than simply folding and eating the ante/blind.

Ace-Queen offsuit is a premium hand in the published preflop raise table (any ace qualifies for the 4x raise), so I raise the maximum preflop.

2d-Tc is not in the optimal 4x raise range (no pair, no ace, not a qualifying king/queen/jack combo), so I check and see the flop cheaply.

Board already shows a pair of nines, so only kicker matters; my best kicker is just a ten, which is too weak to profitably raise against the dealer's random holdings.

I have a pair of nines with a Jack kicker, a solid made hand that should beat an unqualified or weak dealer hand more often than not.

Ace-King is a premium hand per the published preflop strategy (any ace raises 4x), so I raise the maximum preflop.

4-6 offsuit is not in the optimal 4x/3x raising range, so I check to see the flop cheaply.

Only a backdoor flush draw with Q-high; not strong enough to raise, so I check and wait for the river.

I have a made pair of sixes with K-Q-J kickers, which meets the standard threshold to call on the river against the dealer's qualifying range.

J5 offsuit is well below the optimal preflop raising threshold (needs J8s+ or JTo), so checking to see the flop cheaply is correct.

I have top pair of Jacks on a dry board, which is strong enough to raise for value against a dealer who often won't have a better made hand.

Any ace is a standard raising hand preflop, but a weak offsuit ace like A3o merits the smaller 3x sizing rather than 4x.

King-Jack offsuit is well above the K5o+ threshold in the optimal preflop raising table, so a 4x raise is standard here.

Q6 offsuit is below the published preflop raising threshold (needs Q8o+ or K5o+), so I check and wait to see the flop.

No pair, no draw, and only queen-high; not strong enough to raise, so I check and wait for the river decision.

I have a pair of eights with K-Q-J kickers, which beats any dealer hand that fails to qualify and is strong enough to call against many qualifying pairs, so raising is +EV.

2c Ts is not a premium starting hand per the optimal preflop raise table, so I check and wait to see the flop cheaply.

Four clubs on board plus my 2c gives a strong flush draw with backdoor straight outs, worth raising on the flop.

Q2 offsuit doesn't meet the optimal 4x/3x raising criteria (no ace, not suited king, not matching Q6s+/Q8o+ since kicker is only a 2), so I check to see the flop cheaply.

Queen-high with no pair or draw against a paired board; checking preserves the option to fold cheaply on the river if things don't improve.

Any ace is a standard 4x raise per optimal preflop strategy.

7c4c is not in the optimal 4x/3x raising range (no pair, not ace, not suited king or similar), so checking to see the flop is better EV.

Four-card club flush draw (7c,4c with Ac,Qc on board) has strong equity to improve by the river, so raising now maximizes value on a profitable draw.

8-9 offsuit is below the published optimal preflop raise threshold (needs pair, ace, suited broadway-ish, or specific offsuit combos), so checking to see the flop is correct.

My 8-9 combines with the 7-T-J flop to make a straight already; raising 2x now captures value before a possible flush completes on the turn/river.

Pocket sevens fall under the 33+ category in the optimal preflop raise table, so raising 4x is the standard profitable play.

Q7 offsuit falls below the published preflop raise thresholds (needs Q8o+), so I check and wait to see the flop.

Queen-high with no pair or draw on this flop is too weak to raise; check and wait to see the river for free.

Only queen-high with no pair; too weak to beat a qualifying or even non-qualifying dealer hand often enough to call.

KQ offsuit is well within the published optimal 4x raising range (K5o+), so raise for maximum value preflop.

56 suited isn't strong enough for the preflop 3x/4x raise table, so I check and wait to see the flop.

I hold a four-card flush draw plus an open-ended straight draw (any 8 or spade completes a big hand), giving excellent equity to raise here.

T9 offsuit is not strong enough for the optimal preflop raise list, so I check and wait to see the flop.

Flopped two pair (tens and nines) on a 9h-2h-Th board, a strong holding worth raising for value.

9-5 offsuit is well below the published preflop raising thresholds, so checking to see the flop cheaply is correct.

No pair and only a backdoor flush/straight draw with 9-5 against Q-A-6; too weak to commit a flop raise, so I check and wait for the river.

My hand is just ace-high using the board (A-K-Q-9-7) with hole cards 9-5 contributing nothing but a weak kicker; standard strategy folds no-pair hands without A-K support.