Hold'em table

A7 offsuit is strong enough to open from the button in a three-handed game. A modest raise applies pressure to the blinds while keeping weaker hands in the pot.

Holding strong suited connectors in the small blind against a button open, 3-betting is standard to take initiative and avoid playing multiway out of position.

Facing a large 3-bet to 950 out of position with 9Ts, a marginal suited connector. Calling 850 to play a speculative hand OOP against a strong range is -EV; folding preserves chips for better spots.

The unusually large 3-bet makes calling with offsuit A-7 unattractive, especially against a range likely to contain stronger aces and pairs. A bluff 4-bet risks too much with a hand that plays poorly when called.

Ten-three offsuit is well outside any reasonable 3-handed button opening range, making this an easy fold.

Heads-up from the small blind, J7o is near the bottom of a standard opening range; a cheap min-raise generates fold equity instead of limping out of position.

QJo is strong enough to defend against a small blind min-raise, and the price is favorable. I’ll call and avoid inflating the pot out of position.

I completely missed the A-K-3 flop with J-high and no draws worth betting; against a BB check-call range full of aces and kings, a c-bet has poor fold equity, so I check and give up to save chips.

A small stab can fold out some weaker hands after the preflop raiser checks, and Q-J has a gutshot to the nuts if called. The modest sizing limits the cost when this ace-high board connects with their range.

I hold jack-high with no draw on an A-K-3 board against a donk bet; calling has no equity edge and bluff-raising has little fold equity, so folding is cheapest.

Ten-five offsuit is weak, but on the button three-handed I have position and fold equity, so a cheap 2.5x steal attempt is profitable even if called.

8-4 offsuit is too weak to continue against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

K9s is a standard defend against a button 2.5x open getting 2.7:1 pot odds closing the action.

Flopped middle pair second kicker out of position against the preflop raiser; standard check to control the pot.

As the preflop raiser on a dry-ish flop, a small continuation bet leverages fold equity against the big blind's capped calling range; I can give up cheaply if called.

I have middle pair with a King kicker and getting over 3-to-1 pot odds against a standard button continuation bet.

Check to control the pot with second pair and no flush draw on a three-flush turn.

I only hold T-high with a weak one-card club draw (5c) on a three-club board, so betting has little fold equity against an opponent who called a flop bet; checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the river cheaply or fold to aggression.

We hold third pair with a king kicker on a board with multiple overcards and three clubs; checking allows us to get to showdown cheaply against missed holdings.

I hold Q-high with no showdown value, so my only way to win is a bluff. Opponent's flop call followed by turn and river checks looks like a missed draw or weak pair, so a ~57% pot bet should often fold them out.

Third pair with no flush blocker is too weak to call a half-pot river bet after both an overcard and a third club have arrived.

Q6 suited is a reasonable button open in a three-handed game, and a small raise applies pressure while preserving positional advantage.

94o is extremely weak and completely unplayable from the small blind against a button open.

King-three offsuit is dominated by most of a button's raising range, and calling 150 more to chase a weak kicker has thin equity at best. Folding preserves chips for better spots.

Opening from the button with Q9o to exploit position in 3-handed play.

J2 offsuit is far too weak to defend against a button min-raise out of position with a raise behind me still to act. Folding loses only the 50 chip blind.

A8 offsuit is strong enough to defend the big blind against a small button raise, but calling avoids inflating the pot with a hand that plays modestly out of position.

Top pair with a modest kicker is strong enough to continue, but checking out of position keeps the pot manageable and lets the preflop raiser bluff or bet worse hands.

I have second pair with a mediocre kicker on an ace-high board; checking back controls the pot size and realizes showdown value in position.

I have two pair on the turn and can get value from weaker aces, queens, and draws while charging hands with outs. A modest bet keeps worse hands in the pot.

We checked behind on the flop with second pair for pot control; folding turn to a single bet would overfold our check-back range.

I have two pair and the river is unlikely to have improved many hands that called the turn. A modest value bet can get called by weaker aces or queens without risking too much against stronger hands.

Facing a river barrel after calling turn with second pair, weak kicker on an ace-high board, our hand is near the bottom of our calling range and mostly beats only missed bluffs.

9d4h is a very weak hand even from the button in 3-handed play; folding preserves chips for better spots.

5♦3♦ is weak, but completing costs only 50 chips into a 150-chip pot and gives a suited hand a reasonable price to see the flop.

Checking our option in the big blind with a weak unsuited hand to see a free flop.

I have a weak bottom pair on a coordinated flop, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids building it against stronger hands.

Checking back with nine-high and no significant draw to see a free turn.

I have modest showdown value with the pair of threes, but the paired queen and club draw make a bet vulnerable to stronger hands and calls. I’ll take the free river.

Holding nine-high with no draw on a paired three-flush board, checking behind to see a free river is standard.

I have modest showdown value with queens and threes, but better two-pair hands are plausible and worse hands are unlikely to call a bet. I’ll check and take the free showdown.

I have nine-high with zero showdown value, but bluffing into a limped pot that checked all the way often runs into stubborn ace-high or weak pair calls.