Hold'em table

4h9d offline is a weak, unsuited hand out of position postflop against two players; folding from the button avoids a marginal, negative-value spot.

J2 offsuit is one of the weakest hands in the small blind against the big blind, and it would be out of position for every postflop street. Folding gives up only the 50-chip small blind and avoids a marginal spot.

Three-handed on the button, Q5 suited is a standard opening hand, so I'm raising to 2.5bb to steal the blinds.

7-4 offsuit in the small blind facing a button raise is a clear fold; it plays poorly out of position and lacks equity to call or 3-bet.

JTo in the big blind getting good odds (150 to call into a 400 pot) against a likely wide button open; call and play postflop with position disadvantage rather than bloating the pot.

Top pair with a jack kicker on a dry flop, heads-up and first to act out of position. A bet of about 64% of the pot gets value from worse pairs and denies equity to overcards.

Q5 with no heart backdoor and no straight draw has only Q-high plus one overcard against a big blind's sizable donk bet. The call doesn't get the roughly 28% equity it needs, so folding is cleanest.

9-4 offsuit on the button is a clear fold preflop even in 3-handed play; it's well below a reasonable opening range and has poor playability.

Ace-queen offsuit is a strong hand heads-up against the big blind after the button folded. Raising for value from the small blind builds the pot with a hand well ahead of the big blind's range.

Getting 2:1 in position against a wide small-blind open, 84o has enough equity to defend by calling.

Top pair with an ace kicker on a two-heart board, heads-up and first to act. A bet of about two-thirds pot gets value from worse queens and draws and charges heart draws.

With only a gutshot to a 7 and a weak overcard, I don't have the equity to call 400 into a 1000 pot. A bluff-raise against a preflop raiser who led out would also be thin.

Q9o on the button in 3-handed play is a reasonable hand, and calling 100 into a 150 pot gets a good price with position, so I limp rather than fold or inflate the pot.

Getting 5:1 to complete with suited T6 after a button limp. Calling is fine for the multiway implied odds.

A8 suited in the big blind against two limpers is a solid hand to raise for value and take initiative; limpers tend to have weak ranges, so isolating with a suited ace is profitable.

Q9o on the button is a marginal hand, but getting 600+300 into a 900 pot (about 3:1) with position makes a call reasonable against a big blind raise; a 3-bet is too thin and folding gives up too much equity.

With 300 to call into a 1200 pot, I need about 25% equity. T6 suited in a three-way pot with 100bb stacks has enough raw equity and implied odds to justify calling despite being out of position.

I have an open-ended straight draw out of position in a three-way pot on a board that favors the preflop raiser. Checking keeps the pot controlled and leaves room to realize my equity or check-raise.

KQJ two-tone three-way smashes the limp-call ranges; we have only a gutshot to the nut straight plus ace-high and backdoor clubs. Checking keeps the pot small and lets us realize equity, calling a small bet if one comes.

Top pair (queens) with a gutshot to a straight on a coordinated KQJ board. Both opponents checked, so betting for value and protection against straight and flush draws is right, and half pot is a reasonable size.

I have an open-ended straight draw (any A or 9), and calling 600 into a 2400 pot needs 25% equity. That's reasonable with two cards to come plus implied odds, while check-raising into two players is too risky.

A8cc on KQJ two-tone is just a gutshot to the ten with a weak overcard; facing a bet and a call on a very coordinated board, my ~4 outs don't justify 600 into 2400 even with implied odds, and reverse implied odds (chops with AT, flush/board pairing) are significant.

A pair of tens on a very coordinated K-Q-J-T board is weak against a flop bettor, since any ace or nine already makes a straight. Checking keeps the pot small and still leaves our straight outs live.

I have a flopped straight (9-T-J-Q-K) on the turn, and the board has many draws. Seat 2 checked, so I bet about half pot for value and to charge draws.

Bottom pair on a four-to-broadway board facing continued aggression. Any ace or nine already beats me, and my draws are weak: an ace on the river plays the board for a chop, and a nine still loses to any ace. I don't have the 25% equity needed to call.

Pocket kings on the button, first to act. A standard 2.5bb open builds the pot while keeping weaker hands in.

T4 offsuit in the small blind facing a 2.5x button open is a clear fold; it plays poorly out of position and has little equity against an opening range.

KTo is a solid hand heads-up against a button min-raise-ish open of 2.5bb. Calling 150 more gets good pot odds (about 2.7:1) and keeps the range wide without bloating the pot out of position.

Flop J-J-Q with K-T gives a open-ended straight draw (A or 9 makes a straight) plus a king overcard. Out of position against a button raiser, a small bet takes the initiative and can win the pot against many hands.}

KK is a strong overpair on JJQ and beats Qx, draws and bluffs, so I raise for value and to deny equity to the broadway draws. Folding to a re-raise is still possible if the opponent shows strength.

Holding K-high with a Q on board and a pair of jacks on board is weak, but I have a king kicker with a gutshot to a straight (T-K-Q-J needs A or 9: actually T,J,Q,K gives open draw needing A or 9). Open-ended straight draw with 8 outs plus overcard-ish equity makes calling 750 into a 2000 pot profitable versus a button raise that could be a bluff.}

Board is Js Jd Qh 2s; I hold K-high with a gutshot (need an A for Broadway, with T-K-Q-J). The opponent raised the flop and I called, so their range is strong; I check and keep the pot small, and I may call a modest bet with my gutshot and backdoor outs.

KK is ahead of the Qx hands and draws that check-call here, and the 2s changes nothing. A moderate bet gets value and protection while keeping the pot manageable if they hold trips.

I hold K-high with a Q-high-J board, so I have a gutshot to a straight (Ten and King need an Ace for the nuts: A-K-Q-J-T). Actually Td Kh with J Q on board gives an open-ended-like draw needing an Ace or 9: A-K-Q-J-T makes broadway, and 9 gives 9-T-J-Q-K. That is 8 outs for a straight, plus pot odds of 1500 to win 5750 (about 21%) make calling profitable against a wide betting range."}

Board is J J Q 2 7 and I hold K-high, so I have no showdown value against a villain who raised flop and turn. The opponent has shown strength, so betting would only get called by better hands and checking is the safest play.

KK is a bluff-catcher on this paired board. Villain led the flop and called our 3-bet, so their range is heavy with Jx and QQ, which beat us; a river bet would mostly get called by better hands and lose to a check-raise, so checking back at showdown is safer.

A5o on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising 2.5x to take the blinds or play in position.

QQ is a premium hand. Raising to 900 from the small blind against a button open builds the pot and charges the big blind and the button to continue, while I'm out of position.

T7o facing a button open and a small-blind 3-bet is far too weak to continue. The original raiser is still behind me, so I fold.

A5o facing a 3-bet to 9bb from the small blind is a clear fold; it's dominated by most of the SB's 3-betting range and plays poorly out of position-adjacent with weak kicker.