Hold'em table

Pocket sevens is a playable middle pair with position on a 3-handed table, so raising to 300 builds the pot and takes initiative from the blinds.

JTo out of position in the small blind facing a button open to 3bb, with the big blind still to act behind me. Calling 250 more is marginal and often leaves me playing out of position, so I fold.

K9 suited is a solid defend against a button open, and calling keeps weaker hands in while avoiding an unnecessary 3-bet out of position.

Check with a modest gutshot and backdoor club-flush potential; this hand is not strong enough to build the pot on the flop.

I hold 7-7 with no pair or draw on an A-Q-T rainbow-ish flop, so I have little showdown value. Checking keeps the pot small and is free, and the opponent's check already signals limited strength.

I have a gutshot to Broadway but no made hand or spade draw. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me realize my river equity for free.

I hold a pair of sevens, which is weak against the Ace and Queen on board, so checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the river for free.

K-high has some showdown value, and after both players checked the flop and turn, a river bluff is unlikely to fold enough better hands to justify risking chips.

I hold a pair of sevens, which is behind any queen or ace on this board, and a river bet from me would only pay off better hands. Checking is the cheapest way to see showdown.

K5o on the button in a 3-handed game is a playable hand. Calling 100 to see a flop is reasonable, and a raise with a weak kicker risks getting dominated.

K4 offsuit is weak, but the small additional call gets a favorable price against a limp. Complete rather than inflate the pot out of position.

I'm in the big blind with no bet to call, so checking sees the flop for free with a marginal Jh 5h.

With only king-high and no meaningful immediate draw on this dry, multiway flop, checking keeps the pot small and preserves the chance to improve cheaply.

Hand is Jh 5h on a 7h 3s 2c flop with no bet to call, so checking keeps the pot small while I have only backdoor flush potential and a weak pair-less hand.

On a dry 7-3-2 flop with both opponents checking, a small bet with king-high on the button can take the pot now, and it also gives me a chance to pick up equity if called. A small size risks little.

The small bet offers favorable pot odds, and king-high can still be ahead of a stab with unpaired overcards. I have limited backdoor improvement potential, so calling is preferable to raising or folding.

I hold a four-flush-outs-plus-overcard type draw (three hearts including the board 7h) and the 150 call is priced well against the 600 pot, so calling is better than folding or a raise into two opponents.

With only king-high and no meaningful draw on a low, connected board, a turn lead is unlikely to fold out multiple opponents. Check and avoid investing more unless the action develops favorably.

I have J-5 high with no pair and no realistic draw on the turn, so checking is the free, sensible option rather than betting or folding.

Both opponents checked the turn on a dry board (7h 3s 2c Ts), so they likely hold weak hands. I have only king high, but a bet of 400 into the 750 pot can win the pot now, and I am last to act with position. Being called leaves me with a weak hand, but the cost is small.

K-high has no meaningful draw on this board, and calling a sizable turn bet would be difficult to justify, especially with another player still to act.

Jack-high with no pair, no straight draw, and only three hearts facing a 400 turn bet into a 1150 pot needs about 26% equity, which this hand doesn't have against a betting line, so folding is correct.

QJs is a strong button-hand three-handed, so open-raise for value and initiative. 250 is a standard-sized raise that applies pressure without inflating the pot excessively.

Ten-four offsuit is weak and out of position in a three-way pot against a button raise, so folding avoids a costly marginal call.

J9o in the big blind against a button min-raise to 250 gets pot odds of 150 to win 400, about 27% equity needed. The hand is marginal but has enough equity and a good price, so calling is better than folding or bluff-raising.

Top pair with a jack and a pair of nines gives me two pair on a wet board (J-9-7). I'm first to act heads-up against the button's raise, so I bet about 3/4 pot for value and to charge draws.

Call with top pair and a strong kicker; the pot odds are favorable, while raising risks isolating myself against stronger made hands on this connected board.

Top two pair (Jacks and Nines) on a coordinated board J-9-7-6 is very strong. I bet about two-thirds of the pot for value and to charge draws like 8x, 10x and flush draws; the opponent called the flop, so they likely hold a draw or a pair.

Top pair with a strong kicker has enough showdown value to continue at these pot odds, despite the connected turn creating several straight and two-pair possibilities. Raising would be too thin against this line.

Two pair, jacks and nines, is likely best against a caller's range of one-pair hands and missed draws. I make a modest value bet of about a third of the pot, which limits the loss if a straight with an 8 calls.

Top pair with a strong kicker is a reasonable bluff-catcher against this modest river bet. Straights and two pair are possible, but the price and the opponent’s potential thin value bets or bluffs justify calling.

Q8 suited is a playable hand from the button in a 3-handed game, and calling the 100-chip big blind keeps the pot small with a speculative hand.

4-6 offsuit is a weak hand out of position in a three-way pot, and completing costs 50 more for little equity and poor playability, so I fold.

K5 offsuit is playable but not strong enough to build a pot out of position against the button's limp. Check and see the flop without investing more.

Check behind with king-high and little equity; the board is not favorable for a value bet, and I can realize my overcard and backdoor-flush potential for free.

I have top pair with a queen and an eight kicker, and the other player checked the flop, so a small value bet should win chips from weaker pairs and draws.

I have a king-high flush draw with nine likely outs, giving enough equity to continue against this small bet. Calling keeps the pot manageable while preserving the chance to improve.

I have only king-high with no meaningful draw, so betting would risk chips without much fold equity. I’ll take the free card and reassess on the river.

I have a pair of queens, which is decent but vulnerable on this board, and seat_3 checked behind, so checking keeps the pot controlled and avoids bloating it without a clear edge.

I have only king-high, but a river bet is unlikely to fold better hands while worse hands may already lose to my king-high. Check and take the showdown for free.

Our pair of queens is a showdown-value hand, and seat_3 has shown weakness by checking the turn and river after calling a flop raise, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids bloating it against a hand that may beat us.

8-4 offsuit is a weak hand, and calling or raising out of position against two blinds isn't worth it. Folding costs nothing.

With 6♣5♣, completing from the small blind is a low-cost way to see a flop after the button folded. I’ll avoid building a pot out of position with a speculative hand.

I'm in the big blind with no bet to call, and 5-3 suited is too weak to raise, so checking sees the flop for free.

Bet 100 for value and protection with middle pair plus a gutshot straight draw. The small size can get calls from weaker pairs while charging overcards to continue.

I have a pair of threes with a gutshot to a straight, and calling 100 into a 300 pot is cheap enough to continue without risking a raise.

The ace is an unfavorable turn for my second pair, and the big blind called my flop bet. I’ll take the free card rather than inflate the pot with a marginal hand.

I hold a pair of threes with a backdoor straight draw on a dry-ish turn, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids bloating it against a player who has shown weakness.

I have a weak pair of sixes that can often win against missed draws, but a river bet is unlikely to get called by worse hands. I’ll take the showdown value and check.

I hold a pair of threes with no bet to call, and the opponent has checked the river, so checking keeps the pot small and takes the free showdown.

8-2 offsuit is too weak to continue from the button, even with only the blinds invested. Fold rather than limp or raise.

Heads-up after the button folded, I am getting 3-to-1 on a 50-chip call with Q6 offsuit, which has enough equity against a random hand to justify calling.

5-3 offsuit is a weak hand, so I'll check my big blind option and see a free flop rather than build a pot.

I have a pair of sixes on a 7-2-6 board, a medium-strength hand with no free-card reason to bet, so checking keeps the pot small and lets seat_2 act first.

I have 5h3d on a 7d 2c 6c flop, which gives a gutshot straight draw (4 makes 3-4-5-6-7) with 4 outs. The opponent limped and checked, so a small bet of 100 into a 200 pot should often take the pot, and the draw gives me equity if called.

I have top-pair-level strength with a pair of sixes and a queen kicker against a 100-chip bet into a 300 pot, so calling keeps me in profitably without bloating the pot. Chat is unavailable this street, so the message is empty.

I have a pair of sixes with no to-call, so checking keeps the pot small and lets seat_2 reveal whether they will bet into my medium-strength hand.

I have 5h 3d on a 7d 2c 6c Kd board, which gives a gutshot to a 4 for a straight (4 completes 3-4-5-6-7) and no pair. Seat_1 has checked twice and only called a small flop bet, so they look weak. A small bet of 250 into 400 can win the pot now and still leaves me with outs if called.

I have a pair of sixes with a queen kicker, and calling 250 into a 650 pot gives about 22% equity needed, which a pair can reasonably meet against a possibly bluffing aggressor. Raising would only make sense as a bluff, which is not justified here.

I hold only a pair of sixes on a board with a king and multiple possible straights, and seat_2 has shown aggression, so checking keeps the pot small and lets me see whether they bet.

Pair of fives is a marginal showdown hand; the opponent called two bets, so a bet is thin and I check.