Hold'em table

Q9 suited is a strong button opening hand three-handed, with position and good playability. I raise to apply pressure and build the pot.

KTo is strong enough to defend from the small blind against a button open, and the price is favorable. Calling keeps the pot manageable while the big blind still has a chance to act.

Calling costs 150 into a 600-chip pot and closes the preflop action, giving favorable 4:1 pot odds. Although offsuit, 87 has enough connectedness to justify a low-cost defense against a button open and small-blind call.

With top pair and a strong kicker on a connected, two-tone flop, I have a decent hand but am out of position multiway. Checking controls the pot and keeps weaker hands and bluffs in.

I have an open-ended straight draw, but no made hand on a two-spade board. Checking to the preflop raiser keeps the pot manageable out of position and lets me evaluate any bet and the other player's response.

Betting middle pair for value and protection on this coordinated board after both opponents checked. A moderate sizing can fold out overcards and charge draws.

Top pair with a strong kicker is too good to fold, but the two-spade, connected board and multiway pot make raising unnecessarily risky. Call and reassess on the turn.

Calling closes the action at a price of 450 into 1650 with an open-ended straight draw and deep stacks for implied odds. Some outs are vulnerable on this two-spade board, but calling is preferable to inflating the pot with a multiway semi-bluff.

Top pair has useful showdown value, but the connected, two-tone board and two flop callers make a turn bet vulnerable to stronger made hands and draws. Check to control the pot.

We have a pair and an open-ended straight draw, but limited value from betting into two opponents. Checking controls the pot and preserves our equity without exposing us to a raise.

I have middle pair with an open-ended straight draw on a coordinated board. Betting protects equity and can collect value from tens, draws, and weaker pairs.

Top pair is a bluff-catcher on a highly connected board, and the button is betting into two players after both called the flop. With a player still behind and no strong redraw, folding avoids a costly marginal call.

Calling requires about 29% equity, and my pair plus straight draw has too many compromised outs against this strong multiway betting line. Better straights can leave me drawing nearly dead, while playing the river out of position limits my ability to realize equity.

As the button in a three-handed pot, pocket deuces are worth an opening raise; 250 applies pressure while keeping the sizing modest.

97 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise, especially with the big blind still to act. Poor equity realization out of position makes folding preferable to calling or bluff-raising.

8-6 offsuit is too weak to defend against a button open at this depth, especially out of position.

A5 offsuit is strong enough to open on the button three-handed, with an ace blocker and position on both blinds. Raising to 2.5 big blinds gives us a chance to win the blinds while keeping the investment modest.

K2 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind versus a button open, especially with the big blind still behind.

75 offsuit is too weak to defend profitably out of position against a 2.5x button raise, despite the favorable pot odds.

8-3 offsuit is too weak to open from the button at this stack depth.

With the button folded, 7♠5♠ has enough playability to complete the small blind at a good price. I’ll avoid inflating the pot out of position and see the flop.

Ace-king is well ahead of the small blind’s limping range. Raising to 4bb builds a value pot with position and denies weaker hands a free flop.

7♠5♠ is too weak to defend out of position against a large 4bb raise; calling would be costly and leave little playability postflop.

On the button in a three-handed game, 9♠6♥ is playable as an open-raise; a modest raise takes initiative while keeping the pot manageable.

Q3 suited is too weak to profitably continue from the small blind against a 3bb button raise. Poor position, domination risk, and the big blind still to act favor folding.

Q8 offsuit has sufficient equity versus a button opening range, and the big blind is getting favorable pot odds to defend heads-up.

With only queen-high and limited immediate drawing equity on this board, checking is the prudent option out of position.

I have only a weak bottom pair on a king-high board, so checking behind keeps the pot small and avoids being raised off my equity.

A turn stab can fold out many missed overcards and weak pairs after the opponent checks twice. I also retain a gutshot to a king-high straight.

A weak pair with a poor kicker has limited equity against this turn bet, and the club draw adds pressure on future streets. Calling would require too much confidence that the bet includes enough bluffs or weaker hands.

J7 offsuit is a marginal but reasonable button steal at a small sizing. Raising pressures the blinds while preserving positional advantage and limiting the investment with a weak hand.

Pocket eights are a strong enough value hand to 3-bet the button min-raise, denying equity and building a pot against weaker continuing ranges.

T-3 offsuit is far too weak to continue against the small blind's substantial three-bet, especially with the button still able to act.

J7 offsuit is too weak to defend against the small blind's three-bet, even with position. Its poor playability and lack of strong blockers make both calling and bluff four-betting unattractive.