Hold'em table

Pocket deuces are worth opening on the button three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds gives us a chance to win the blinds immediately while retaining position and set potential when called.

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

A7o with an ace blocker is well ahead of a wide button opening range heads-up, and calling 150 into 400 offers good pot odds from the big blind.

Bottom pair with ace kicker on a K-Q-7 board is too weak to donk into the preflop raiser; check to control the pot and evaluate his action.

This dry king-queen-high board favors my preflop raising range, making a small continuation bet effective. It can deny equity to unpaired hands while risking little with my vulnerable pocket pair.

Bottom pair with ace kicker is too strong to fold heads-up to a small one-third pot flop bet from a wide button raising range; price requires under 20% equity.

I have a pair of sevens with the nut heart draw and an ace, giving good equity but not enough strength to lead into the preflop raiser. Checking lets me realize equity cheaply and call a reasonable turn bet.

Pocket deuces retain some showdown value against missed draws, but have little equity when a turn bet gets called. Checking preserves chips and takes a free river rather than bluffing with poor blockers.

Two pair Kings and 7s with Ace kicker is a medium showdown hand on a paired King river; checking avoids folding out worse hands or being raised by Qx/Kx and lets me evaluate a river bet.

Pocket deuces retain some showdown value against missed straight draws. A river bluff would risk additional chips against a range still containing plenty of queens and kings, so I take the free showdown.

Nine-eight offsuit is playable from the button three-handed, and a small raise uses position to pressure the blinds.

J7 offsuit is too weak to call a button raise out of position in the small blind, with poor playability postflop.

T4 offsuit is too weak to defend against a 2.5bb button raise. Its poor connectivity and weak kicker make realizing equity out of position difficult.

Q7o on the button in 3-handed play is ahead of blind ranges and profits from position and fold equity, so I open-raise rather than limp or fold.

AQ suited is a strong value three-bet against a button open. A larger sizing compensates for being out of position and discourages the big blind from entering cheaply.

T3 suited is too weak to defend against a large three-bet, especially with the original raiser still to act.

Q7o is too weak to continue against a large small-blind 3-bet to 1100; calling 850 would play a dominated hand out of position in effective terms and lose EV.

65 suited is a profitable button open three-handed at 100bb, with position and good postflop playability. Raising to 2.5bb gives us a chance to steal the blinds without overinvesting.

Q6 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Getting good pot odds in the big blind against a wide button open, T7o has enough equity to defend despite being out of position.

Out of position with a ten-high spade draw on a three-spade flop, checking controls the pot against a possible made flush or higher spade draw while hoping for a cheap turn.

With only a gutshot and no spade, this hand has limited equity against a continuing range on the monotone flop. Checking behind takes a free card and avoids exposing a weak draw to a check-raise.

With the ten of spades I have a flush draw plus an open-ended straight draw for 15 outs, and the preflop raiser checked back a monotone flop showing weakness. Betting 400 into 550 gives fold equity while building a pot for my strong combo draw.

My double-gutshot draw has insufficient equity for a call requiring about 30%, and spade outs may complete an opponent’s flush. With no spade blocker, this is also a poor bluff-raising candidate.

J2 offsuit is too weak to open profitably from the button against two players.

76o plays well heads-up against the big blind and calling 50 chips to see a flop for a 200 pot is cheap with decent connectivity.

84 offsuit is too weak to routinely raise against a small-blind limp. Checking takes a free flop and preserves the advantage of acting last postflop.

With 7-high and no direct draw on a dry 9-2-4 board, checking keeps the pot small and realizes my pair outs for free heads-up.

Second pair is often ahead of the small blind’s wide limping range. A half-pot bet denies equity to overcards and can get called by weaker pairs and draws.

7-6 has no pair, no straight or flush draw on 9-2-4, only weak pair outs that lose to a 9. Calling 100 lacks the equity needed against the big blind's bet.

QTo is a strong button open in 3-handed play, well ahead of the blinds' ranges, so raise for value and to take initiative.

A6 suited is a reasonable three-bet against a wide button opening range, with an ace blocker and suited playability. The larger out-of-position sizing pressures marginal hands and discourages the big blind from entering cheaply.

T9 offsuit is too weak to continue against this large three-bet, especially with the button still to act.

QTo is dominated by a large SB 3-bet range and does not have the equity needed to call 850 in position, so folding preserves the stack.