Hold'em table

54s on the button in 3-handed play is a standard open; a raise to 2.5bb puts pressure on the blinds while keeping a playable, suited connector.

K♣2♠ is a weak offsuit hand, and calling from the small blind would leave me out of position against a button raise with the big blind still to act.

J8 suited is strong enough to defend the big blind against a button min-sized opening, especially with 150 to call into a 400-chip pot.

With jack-high on a paired flop, I’ll check to the preflop raiser rather than build the pot out of position.

A dry paired board favors the preflop raiser, so a small c-bet with a backdoor-equity hand like 45h works well against a BB check. Betting about a third of the pot gets folds cheaply.

J-high has limited equity and no backdoor flush draw on this paired flop. Out of position, calling the small bet would leave too many difficult turns.

A♣9♣ is a strong hand to raise preflop, and a modest raise builds the pot while applying pressure to the blinds.

T2 offsuit is too weak to call a 3x button raise from the small blind with the big blind still to act.

J9o in the big blind facing a 3x button open offers good pot odds (200 to win 650), so defending by calling is standard; 3-betting is too loose.

Middle pair with a gutshot out of position against the button raiser on a board that hits the raiser's range, so check with the plan to call a reasonable c-bet.

A small continuation bet can fold out some unpaired hands while keeping the risk modest. I also have an ace overcard and backdoor club-flush potential if called.

Middle pair with a gutshot (8 for the straight) against a small 200 bet into 650 is an easy call at these pot odds. Raising would mostly fold out worse hands and get called by better ones.

Middle pair with a gutshot to the ten on a paired board. Checking controls the pot and lets me see the river cheaply against a button that c-bets wide.

A♣9♣ has useful showdown value, but the turn has not improved it and the caller can have plenty of pairs. I’ll take the free river rather than risk a bluff that may fold few better hands.

Our middle pair looks best often after villain checked back the turn, which caps his range. A small thin value bet can get called by worse jacks and pocket pairs.

This is only a pair of sevens with an ace kicker, and the river lead can represent Qx/Jx, pocket pairs, a seven, or completed diamond draws. Despite the small price, I expect too few bluffs to justify calling.

J9 offsuit is a reasonable button open three-handed, and a 2.5 big-blind raise puts pressure on the blinds while keeping the pot manageable.

Q5o from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act behind, is a clear fold; it plays poorly out of position.

The raise is small and I’m getting favorable pot odds from the big blind. 6♣4♠ is weak, but it’s worth defending heads-up rather than folding for 150 more.

I have a weak pair with a gutshot on a monotone board, so checking keeps the pot small and lets the button act.

This low, monotone flop connects well with the big blind’s calling range. With no pair and only a backdoor flush draw, I’ll check in position and reassess on the turn.

I have a weak pair and no diamond, while the four-diamond board makes a flush highly plausible. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves my showdown value.

I have a jack-high flush on the turn. A 350-chip bet can get value from smaller diamonds and pairs while keeping the pot manageable against a higher flush.

A four-diamond board makes a diamond in the opponent’s hand a flush, and my pair of fours has little reliable equity against this turn bet. The few straight outs are also compromised by the diamond draw, so calling is not worthwhile.

K8o on the button in 3-handed play is a standard open-raise; a 2.5bb open pressures both blinds.

2♦4♦ is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Pocket threes are worth defending against a button raise at this price, with the potential to win a larger pot when I hit a set.

With an underpair on a dry queen-high flop, I prefer to check and avoid building the pot out of position.

This is a small c-bet on a dry Q-high board where I hold the preflop range advantage. K8 has a gutshot to a straight with a J (KQJT98 no... actually K-high with backdoor draws), so it's a reasonable semi-bluff at a cheap price.

Pocket threes are below every board card and have few ways to improve. Calling out of position against the flop bet is unlikely to be profitable.

K7 suited is a profitable button open in a three-handed game. A modest raise puts pressure on the blinds while keeping weaker hands in my range.

A8 suited is strong enough to three-bet against a button open, and raising avoids playing a multiway pot out of position.

QJo facing an open and a 3-bet from the small blind is dominated and out of position, with the button still to act behind, so folding is clearly best.

K7 suited has some playability in position, but the large 3-bet to 10 big blinds demands too much equity. Against a typical 3-betting range, calling 7.5 big blinds is not profitable.

A7 offsuit is strong enough to open on the button three-handed. A 2.5-big-blind raise puts pressure on the blinds while preserving position.

Button opens wide in 3-handed play and 44 plays poorly out of position with the big blind still behind, so a 3-bet to 10bb is a solid mix that takes down the pot often. Calling is also reasonable.

A6 suited is too weak to call a large 3-bet from the small blind with the button still involved. Folding avoids committing more chips out of position.

A7 offsuit is often dominated by a small-blind three-bet range, and calling the large raise is unlikely to realize enough equity.