Showdown Hold'em table

5-4 offsuit is not on the optimal preflop 4x raising table, so checking is correct. It lets me see the flop for free before committing any more chips.

I only have the board pair with weak kickers, and since the paired board means the dealer always qualifies, I'm usually behind now. My 8-out open-ended straight draw is better played by checking and deciding on the river than by committing 2x now.

My best hand is trips 2s with 8-5 kickers from a trips-on-board runout. The dealer always qualifies here and can at best tie with 4-5; every other holding beats me, so folding for 20 costs less than calling to lose 30.

J4 offsuit is not on the published optimal 4x preflop raising table (jack-high offsuit hands need JTo), so checking to see the flop is correct.

Jack-high with no pair and only backdoor straight chances on 7-3-2. That falls well short of the standard flop 2x raise threshold of two pair or a hidden pair, so checking to the river is better.

I have two pair, fours and twos with a jack kicker. The dealer always qualifies on the paired board but will usually hold only the board's twos, so I win far more often than the roughly 20% needed for raising to beat the certain 20-chip loss from folding.

Offsuit 6-4 is far outside the optimal 4x preflop raising range, so I check to see the flop for free.

Flopped trip sixes on K-6-6 is a very strong hand, well ahead of almost any dealer holding, so raising 2x now maximizes expected value.

KTs is well inside the optimal preflop 4x range (K2s+), so raising the maximum is correct.

4-3 offsuit is well outside the optimal 4x raising range (33+, any ace, strong kings/queens/jacks), so checking to see the flop is correct.

A pair of fours made with a hole card plus a four-card club flush draw is well above the standard flop raise threshold. The strong equity and flush payout on the blind make raising 2x better than checking.

A5 suited is any ace, which the optimal preflop strategy says to raise 4x.

AK offsuit is well inside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (any ace), so the maximum raise gives the highest expected value.

J2 offsuit is well outside the optimal 4x raising range (which needs JTo or better for offsuit jacks), so I check and see the flop for free.

Jack-high with no pair, no four-card flush draw and only backdoor straight and flush draws is far below the standard flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the river option open.

With only jack-high, the dealer qualifies in about 613 of 990 holdings. Across all 990, raising averages about -21.6 chips, which is worse than the -20 lost by folding.

Q3 offsuit is below the optimal 4x raise threshold (Q8o+), so checking and seeing the flop for free is correct.

Q3 on an 8-9-4 rainbow flop gives only a queen high with no pair and no real draw, so raising 2x is clearly -EV. Checking keeps the option to see the river for free and fold if needed.

The board pairs nines, so the dealer always qualifies. Enumerating the 990 possible dealer holdings gives 312 wins, 57 ties and 621 losses for raising, an EV of about -12.5 chips versus -20 for folding, so calling is less costly.

T7 offsuit is not in the optimal 4x preflop raising range (JTo is the weakest offsuit ten-high hand to raise), so checking is the correct play.

Our 7 pairs the board (a hidden pair using a hole card), and optimal flop strategy raises 2x with any such pair above deuces. The T-9-7 also gives some straight potential.

Q7 offsuit is below the optimal 4x raising threshold (Q8o+), so checking and seeing the flop is the better play.

I have top pair of queens using a hole card, and standard flop strategy is to raise 2x with any hidden pair. It is well ahead of the dealer's likely range, so the raise has positive expected value.

K7 offsuit falls inside the published optimal 4x raising range (K5o+), so raising 4x preflop is correct.

This is Ultimate Texas Hold'em-style play, and the optimal preflop strategy raises 4x with any ace, so A3 suited qualifies. The suited ace also adds flush potential for the blind payout.

J4 offsuit falls outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (which needs JTo+ for offsuit jacks), so checking and seeing the flop for free is correct.

J-4 on a 3-9-3 flop has only the board pair and no draw, which is far below the standard flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the option to fold or bet 1x on the river.

The dealer always qualifies on the paired board, and I win about 220 of 990 dealer holdings and tie 57. That makes calling worth about -17.2 chips, compared with -20 for folding, so raise_1x is slightly better.

65s is not in the published optimal 4x preflop raise range (33+, any ace, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, etc.), so checking and re-evaluating on the flop is the higher-EV play.

This is a four-card flush draw with only a 6-high hidden card and no pair. Standard flop strategy raises four-flushes only with a ten or better in hand, so checking keeps the river raise-or-fold option open.

I have two pair, sixes and fours with a king kicker. The board pair means the dealer always qualifies, and I beat roughly 60% of dealer holdings, so raising (EV about +1 chip) is far better than folding (-20).

53 suited is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, strong kings/queens/jacks), so checking is correct to see the flop for free.

5h3h on a 2c-7h-Ks board is only five-high with a gutshot (needs a 4) and a weak backdoor flush draw. That is far below the flop raising threshold, so check and keep the option to decide on the river.

The board pair of kings gives the dealer at least a pair, so the dealer always qualifies. Our 5-3 kickers beat almost no dealer holdings, so raising risks about -2.9 antes against -2 for folding.

Pocket 55 falls in the published optimal 4x preflop range (33+), so the maximum raise gives the highest expected value.

J6s falls below the optimal preflop 4x threshold, which starts at J8s for jack-high suited hands. Checking keeps the option to raise 2x on the flop or 1x on the river.

Jack-high with no pair and only a backdoor flush draw falls well short of the flop 2x raise threshold. Checking keeps the river decision open.

With only jack high (A-Q-J-9-7 using the board), folding costs 20 chips. Raising costs 30 when the dealer qualifies, but wins 10 or pushes against many non-qualifying hands. By my count that gives an EV of about -18.5 chips, which beats -20 for folding.

T7 suited is not on the optimal 4x preflop list (which needs J8s+), so checking and deciding later on the flop and river is better.

Top two pair (tens and sevens) on a T-5-7 flop is a strong favorite against a random dealer hand, so raising 2x now clearly beats checking.

JTo is on the published optimal preflop 4x raising table (JTo and better offsuit jacks), so raising 4x maximizes expected value.

AQo is well inside the optimal 4x preflop raising range (any ace), so raising the maximum is the highest-EV play.

JTs is well inside the published optimal 4x preflop range (J8s+), so the maximum raise gives the best expected value.

Q5 offsuit falls outside the optimal 4x table, which needs Q8o or better for offsuit queens. Checking and deciding on the flop is the higher-EV line.

Queen-high with no pair and no flush or straight draw falls well below the flop raise threshold (a hidden pair or a strong draw). Checking keeps the river fold option open.

The dealer always qualifies on this paired board, and my jacks with a queen kicker beat about 190 of 990 dealer holdings and tie about 52 more. Raising is worth roughly -18.8 chips versus -20 for folding.

AK offsuit is well inside the optimal 4x preflop raising range (any ace qualifies), so raising the maximum gives the highest expected value.

T2 offsuit is well outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

With only ten-high and runner-runner draws against an ace-queen board, raising 2x would be clearly negative EV. Checking keeps the option to decide on the river for just 1x.

The dealer always qualifies on the paired board, and my board 4s with a T kicker win only about 12% of the time (roughly 83% losses), so raising is worth about -22 chips versus -20 for folding.

Pocket jacks are well inside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+), so the maximum raise is the highest-EV play.

5-6 suited is not in the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, strong kings, queens and jacks), so checking to see the flop cheaply is correct.

The paired-ace board means the dealer always qualifies, and my 6-5 kickers are usually beaten, so I am mostly drawing to the flush (about 35%). By my rough estimate, checking and raising 1x only on a made hand beats putting 20 chips in now.

The 6c pairs with the board's 6d and 6h for trips, which fills up with the aces into sixes full of aces. That beats most dealer hands and pays 3:1 on the blind when it wins, so raising is far better than folding.

Offsuit 87 is outside the optimal preflop 4x raising range (33+, any ace, strong kings, queens and jacks), so checking and seeing the flop is the higher-EV play.

A pair of sevens using a hole card is a hidden pair, and standard optimal flop strategy raises 2x with any hidden pair except pocket deuces.

94 offsuit is well outside the optimal 4x preflop raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

Nine-high with no pair and only backdoor straight draws falls well short of the standard flop raise threshold (two pair, a hidden pair, or a strong flush draw). Checking keeps the river decision open.

My pair of fours is weak, but about 38% of dealer hands miss and fail to qualify. Raising costs about -1.2 antes in expectation versus a certain -2 for folding, so the 1x call beats the fold.

9-2 offsuit is well outside the optimal 4x raising range, so checking to see the flop for free is correct.

The only pair is the board's pair of 4s, backed by a 9-high kicker and a weak backdoor flush draw, which is well below the flop raising threshold. Checking keeps the river decision open at lower risk.

I hold two pair, nines and fours with a king kicker, and the dealer always qualifies on this paired board. By a rough count, only kings, fours, overpairs and full houses beat me, about 24% of dealer holdings, so calling 10 is clearly better than folding and forfeiting 20.