Hold'em table

Opening small on the button pressures the blinds while preserving positional advantage. This suited one-gapper has enough postflop potential to include in a wide three-handed opening range.

7-3 offsuit is a trash hand out of position facing a button open; folding is clearly correct.

Calling costs 125 to contest a final pot of 500, giving 3:1 pot odds. Against a typical wide button opening range, Q5 offsuit is a marginal but reasonable big-blind defense at this sizing with no rake.

With queen-high and only weak backdoor draws, checking avoids investing chips with little equity. Although this connected flop favors parts of my defending range, this hand is a poor candidate to lead.

This connected, two-spade flop strongly favors the big blind’s calling range, and I have no pair or meaningful draw. Checking avoids investing in a low-equity bluff and preserves the option to respond to the turn.

The button's flop check leaves many unpaired overcards that can fold to a turn probe, while my big-blind range credibly contains trips and straights. Q5 has little showdown value but retains a gutshot if called.

With no meaningful draw and virtually no showdown value, this hand cannot profitably call the turn bet. A bluff raise is also unattractive without relevant blockers.

K3o on the button 3-handed is within a standard open-raising range; raising to 2.5bb takes initiative and positional advantage against the blinds.

KTs is a strong three-bet candidate against a wide button opening range. Raising to 1,000 applies pressure, discourages the big blind from entering, and retains good postflop playability when called.

J5 offsuit is too weak to continue against an open and a substantial three-bet, especially with the original raiser still to act. Folding avoids committing more chips with poor equity and playability.

K3 offsuit is a weak hand facing a 4x 3-bet from the small blind out of position; calling 750 more with poor playability is unprofitable, so fold.

With no rake and button position, T4 suited is a reasonable marginal steal. A small raise pressures the blinds while limiting investment with a weak hand.

Seven-six offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids a marginal pot played out of position.

Facing a small 2.2x button open with 7-9 offsuit in the big blind, I'm getting about 3:1 pot odds and closing the action; the hand has decent playability so a call is reasonable while a 3-bet would be a low-equity bluff.

I have 7-9 on an A-8-5 board with only a gutshot (6) and no pair; checking to the preflop raiser is standard and I can decide after seeing their action.

This dry ace-high flop favors my preflop raising range, making a small continuation bet an efficient bluff against the big blind's missed hands. My backdoor diamond draw provides some potential to improve if called.

Gutshot to the nuts (any 6) facing a small 1/3-pot c-bet with deep stacks; direct odds are close and implied odds plus float/bluff potential make the call profitable.

I have middle pair with a gutshot (6 for a straight) on A-high board where the button c-bet; checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me see what the aggressor does, with intent to call a reasonable bet given pair plus draw equity.

The turn gives me a flush draw plus a gutshot, making this a strong semi-bluff with little showdown value. A roughly three-quarter-pot barrel pressures weak pairs while building the pot for rivers that complete my draws.

Middle pair of sevens with only a gutshot to the 6 faces a big turn bet from the preflop raiser on an ace-high board; roughly 8 outs gives ~17% equity against needed ~30%, so folding is correct.

Eight-five offsuit is too weak to open profitably by default, even on the button. Folding avoids investing with poor equity and limited playability against two opponents.

Button folded, so I'm heads-up in the small blind with T8o, a hand that plays fine as a raise against the big blind; raising to 3x takes the initiative and pressures the BB rather than limping out of position.

Calling costs 200 to contest a 600-chip pot, and Q6 offsuit is a reasonable defense against a small-blind opening range. Position postflop helps realize equity without inflating the pot with a marginal hand.

As the preflop raiser on a dry paired K-J-J board, a small one-third pot c-bet folds out a lot of the BB's unpaired hands cheaply while our T8 has little showdown value.

Q6 has little showdown value here, no flush draw, and only a remote backdoor straight possibility. Even against this small bet, its weak equity realization makes folding preferable.

K4o on the button in a 3-handed game is a reasonable open-raise; stealing the blinds with position is profitable and K-high plays fine heads-up in position.

J8 offsuit is too weak to defend profitably from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise, with the big blind still to act. Its poor equity realization out of position favors folding.

Calling costs 150 to contest a final pot of 550, giving favorable odds against a typically wide button opening range. A2 offsuit is a reasonable big-blind defense here, though its weak kicker warrants caution postflop.

Ace-high with no meaningful draw is too weak to lead on a king-queen-high board that favors the preflop raiser. Checking preserves chips and lets us respond to the opponent's action.

Top pair with a weak kicker on a dry K-Q-7 board; a modest continuation bet for value and protection against hands like Qx, draws, and overcards after the BB checks to me.

Ace-high with a weak kicker and no meaningful draw is a poor continuation against this bet on a board favoring the preflop raiser. Out of position, we have too little equity and playability to justify calling.

Pocket threes are a profitable button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds gives us a chance to steal the blinds while retaining position and set potential when called.

62 offsuit is too weak to defend against a button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more chips with poor equity and positional disadvantage.

J2 offsuit is a weak, dominated hand out of position against a button raise; folding is the standard play despite decent pot odds.