Hold'em table

4s 2c is unplayable even on the button in 3-handed play, making fold the clearly optimal play.

Button folded, so it's heads-up between the small blind and big blind. Q5o is a reasonable hand here, and calling 50 more into a 150 pot gets good odds (3:1), so I'll complete rather than fold or bloat the pot.

A-T offsuit is strong against a small-blind limp. Raising to 400 builds the pot while I have position postflop.

Q5 offsuit is weak, and calling 300 more out of position against a 4x big blind raise is a losing spot with a hand that plays poorly postflop.

2-6 offsuit is one of the weakest hands, and I'm out of position postflop against two opponents after calling 100 as the button, so folding is best.

Calling 50 closes the action preflop at a good price. Eight-five offsuit is too weak to raise for value.

Check our option with A2o in the big blind to see a free flop in position.

I have eight-high on an ace-high paired flop with little chance to improve. Checking avoids investing more chips with a weak hand.

I flopped top pair with a weak kicker on a dry paired board; checking back controls the pot size and allows the opponent to bluff or catch up on later streets.

With 8-5 on a paired, high-card board, I have little showdown value, but the queen may have improved my opponent. Checking avoids investing more in a low-equity bluff.

I hold two pair with Aces and Jacks with a board-counterfeited weak kicker. Checking behind controls the pot and realizes showdown value safely against the small blind's check.

Eight-high has little showdown value. A 150-chip river bet risks a modest amount to fold out better unpaired hands and some weak pairs.

Hero holds two pair, Aces and Jacks with a Queen kicker, in a checked-down limped pot. Calling 150 into a 350 chip pot is easily profitable against missed draws and bluffs.

Pocket queens are a strong preflop hand, so I’m raising for value on the button.

Holding premium AKo in the small blind facing a button open, standard play is a 3-bet for value and initiative out of position.

6-2 offsuit is the worst hand and facing a 3-bet plus a cold caller's raise, calling 1000 more is clearly unprofitable, so fold.

Pocket queens are strong against a small-blind three-bet in a three-handed game. A four-bet builds value while leaving room to play against a shove.

With AKo out of position facing a 4-bet, a 5-bet jam maximizes fold equity and realizes our equity cleanly without playing a low SPR pot postflop.

Pocket queens have enough equity against a plausible shove range that includes AK and some weaker pairs. Calling 7,500 to contest the 20,100-chip final pot requires about 37% equity.

74s is too weak to open profitably from the button in 3-handed play.

5-2 offsuit is the weakest starting hand; calling out of the small blind and playing out of position is a losing play, so I give up the 50 chips already posted.

K2 offsuit is a weak hand out of position postflop against two opponents, so I fold the button rather than pay 100 to see a flop with a poor hand.

With the button folded, completing the small blind costs only 50 chips against the big blind. I’ll see a flop rather than build a larger pot out of position with 9-5 offsuit.

Raising QTs in position against a blind-versus-blind limp to build a pot with strong equity and positional advantage.

Nine-five offsuit is too weak to call a 4-big-blind raise out of position.

Q3 offsuit is a marginal button open, but a minimum raise risks little while giving me position after the flop.

Holding an unplayable 8s 2h in the small blind against a button open makes folding standard and trivial.

Getting 350 to 100 (about 3.5:1) from the big blind against a button min-raise, so T3s has enough equity and position-independent pot odds to see a flop; a 3-bet with this weak hand is unnecessary.

Heads-up on a paired, dry 9-4-4 flop, I have ten-high with a backdoor flush draw and the button's range is wide, so a small stab of about a third of the pot can win the pot now or pick up some equity. Checking is the alternative, but the button has position and would likely bet anyway.

Q3 offsuit has little chance to improve on this paired flop and no meaningful draw. Facing a bet, folding preserves chips.