Hold'em table

On the button with 98 offsuit, a raise to 250 is a standard steal that can win the blinds outright or let me realize my position postflop.

9Jo is a weak hand from the small blind facing a button raise, and calling out of position with a marginal hand is unprofitable long-term, so folding is best.

T5 suited in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open with 150 to call into a 400 pot gets ~2.7:1 odds; suited connectivity and closing the action make this a marginal but standard defend.

I have bottom pair with a weak kicker out of position against the preflop raiser on a K-high board; checking to see what the button does is the standard play, planning to call a reasonable c-bet or fold to big pressure.

With 9-8 on a 7-5-K board I have only a backdoor-level gutshot and no made hand, so I take the free showdown check behind rather than bloat a pot against a player who has already checked.

Bottom pair with a weak kicker on a coordinated K-J board; opponent checked back the flop so they may have showdown value. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me see a free river with a hand that can't stand a raise.

I have only a backdoor-ish 9-8 with a gutshot to a six-high straight and no made hand, and checking is free, so I take the free card rather than bloat the pot.

We rivered trip fives with a ten kicker after the preflop raiser checked back flop and turn, showing weakness. Value bet about two-thirds pot to get called by Kx, Jx, or pairs that may hero-call given our line looks like a bluff.

I have only a king-high hand with no pair, and the river bet of 375 into a 925 pot needs about 29% equity to call, which this hand does not have against a range that likely includes made hands.

Pocket fives have good set-mining potential in position; calling the big blind to see a cheap flop with a medium pair in a 3-handed game.

Q7 offsuit in the small blind facing a limp from the button; completing for 50 into a 250 pot gives excellent odds to see a flop with a playable hand in a 3-handed game.

AQs is a strong hand against two limpers, so I'm raising to 500 to build the pot and isolate with initiative.

I have a small pair (55) in position on the button facing a raise from the big blind. Calling 400 more to see a flop gives me potential set-mining value and avoids bloating the pot with a vulnerable hand.

Q7 offsuit is a weak hand facing a raise and a call, out of position in the small blind; folding is clearly correct despite decent pot odds.

Ace-high with a three-spade board draw against one opponent; checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the opponent's action before committing more chips.

We have a medium pair on a low board, but with three overcards possible, checking for pot control and a free card to improve our hand or backdoor straight draw is safer than building a pot with a marginal holding.

I have only ace-high on a four-card board with no made hand, and the opponent checked the flop, so I'll take the free turn card rather than bloat the pot.

I have an open-ended straight draw and a pair, opponent checked twice showing weakness, betting can win the pot immediately or build it for my draw.

Ace-high with no pair and no real draw facing a 700 turn bet into 1800 needs roughly 28% equity, which a weak ace-high hand is unlikely to have against a bet after a flop check.

On the button in a 3-handed game, 65o is a marginal but playable open; raising to 2.5x steals the blinds often and keeps position with a hand that has some playability.

Deuce-four suited is a weak hand to play out of the small blind against a button raise, and calling 200 more to see a flop in a three-way pot isn't justified.

T5s is a marginal defend from the big blind against a button open, but getting 150 into a 400 pot offers decent odds, and the hand has some postflop playability.

I have a weak flush draw with 5-high and no showdown value. I check to see a free turn and evaluate if the button bets.

Checked to us on a monotone board where we hold a flush draw plus open-ended straight draw; a c-bet semi-bluff takes it down often and has strong equity when called.

I have a ten-high flush, which is strong but vulnerable to a higher flush draw. Raising protects my hand and builds the pot.

Holding 6s5c on 7s9s3s gives a double-gutshot (8 or 4) plus a spade draw, roughly 12-15 outs with straight-flush potential; 650 to call into 2550 is good enough odds to continue, while raising into a monotone check-raise risks being against a made flush.

Villain's turn check was a timeout fallback, so a bet may win outright if they stall again (fallback folds to a bet). We also hold a pair plus flush draw and double gutshot (4s, 8s, spades), giving strong equity if called, so semi-bluffing ~60% pot is good.

Jack-queen offsuit on the button is strong enough in a 3-handed pot to raise for value and take the initiative from the blinds.

Holding 2c5h, an extremely weak offsuit hand with no postflop potential, folding is the optimal play from the small blind facing a button raise.

A3 suited in the big blind facing a 3x button open with 200 to call into 450 is a standard defend; it plays fine postflop with nut flush potential and we close the action.

Bottom pair with ace kicker on a Th 3c 4c board, out of position against the preflop raiser; checking to see the button's action and keep the pot small with a marginal made hand.

I have only Q-high with a weak backdoor draw, and seat_3 checked to me, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids bloating it without a made hand.

Bottom pair with a gutshot wheel draw on a three-club board; checking keeps the pot small with a marginal hand and lets me evaluate a bet rather than bloat the pot out of position against possible flushes or tens.

Checking is free on the turn, and with only a high-card J-Q-T and no made pair or strong draw, taking the free card is the best option.

Tens and threes with ace kicker on a paired, three-club, straight-heavy board; a bet mostly folds out the ace-high/broadway hands we beat and gets called by Tx, flushes, straights, or any pocket pair above 3. Check and evaluate as a bluff-catcher if the opponent bets.

Queen-high with no pair or straight draw on a paired-looking board is too weak to bet, and seat 3 has checked the river, so checking to see a free showdown is the best option.

On the button with A3o three-handed, I raise to 2.5bb to pressure the blinds and take initiative.

98 offsuit in the small blind facing a button open with the big blind still to act is a marginal spot out of position; folding avoids playing a weak hand OOP against two opponents.

Seven-two offsuit is one of the weakest hands in hold'em, and calling 150 out of position against a button raise is not profitable enough to justify continuing.

4d6s offsuit is a weak hand even on the button in 3-handed play; folding avoids playing a marginal hand out of position postflop against two opponents.

A4 offsuit is a playable hand, and calling the 50-chip completion is cheap in a three-handed pot where the button has already folded.

KJo is strong in a heads-up pot with position; raising to 200 puts pressure on the small blind and builds the pot when ahead.

Ace-four offsuit is a marginal hand, but calling 100 into a 300 pot from the small blind is a reasonable price in a three-handed game, and it keeps me in with an ace-high hand.

Ace-high with a weak wheel draw is not strong enough to bet into a heads-up pot, and checking keeps the pot small while I see whether seat_2 bets.

We have two overcards and a backdoor club draw on a dry low board; a half-pot c-bet can fold unpaired hands and take the pot down, while we can improve on later streets.

I have a double-gutshot straight draw (needs a 6 or a 2) plus ace high, and facing a 200 bet into a 600 pot I get about 3-to-1 pot odds, so calling is profitable with roughly 8 outs.

With A-4 on a 3-5-7-7 board I have only ace-high plus a wheel draw needing a 2, so I can't profitably bet or raise and should take the free card.

Our hand is King-high with no pair on a paired board. Villain called flop bet, indicating some made hand or draw. Betting here could bloat the pot against a better hand, so checking behind keeps the pot small and gives a free river.

I hold only ace-high with no pair on a paired board, so I have little showdown value. Checking keeps the pot at 800 and avoids bloating a pot where seat_2 has shown aggression on earlier streets.

We have King-high with no showdown value on a paired board. Opponent has shown weakness by checking twice, making this a good spot to bluff and steal the pot.

I have ace-high with no pair on a paired board, and seat_2 has shown sustained aggression, so my equity is likely well below the roughly 20% needed to call 400 into a 1200 pot.