Hold'em table

Holding 9h 4s on the button, this hand is too weak to enter the pot even from late position. Folding is standard.

Calling 50 more keeps the pot small with a playable but marginal heads-up hand.

TsJs is a strong suited broadway hand, and raising isolates the limping small blind while taking the initiative with position postflop.

Nine-seven offsuit is too weak to continue against a raise to four big blinds, especially out of position.

Eight-seven offsuit is playable on the button three-handed. A modest raise can win the blinds and preserves position if called.

J6o is a weak offsuit hand out of position facing a button raise; folding avoids playing a dominated hand with poor equity.

Getting 2.67-to-1 pot odds against a button open, T7s has sufficient playability and equity to defend from the big blind.

Flopped top pair with no heart on a monotone board out of position; checking to the preflop aggressor is standard.

Top pair benefits from a small protection bet against overcards and single-heart draws while keeping the pot manageable on a monotone flop.

I flop top pair on a monotone board and face a small continuation bet of roughly one-third pot, giving me favorable pot odds to call at least one street.

With second pair and no heart on a four-to-a-flush board, checking out of position is standard.

With a weak pair and no heart on a four-heart board, betting is unlikely to get called by worse hands. Checking controls the pot and preserves showdown value.

The board has five hearts, giving both players at least a king-high flush. Checking costs nothing and takes a free showdown to chop if opponent holds no heart.

The board gives me a king-high flush, but any opponent holding a heart beats it. Checking preserves my chance to split the pot without risking more chips on a bluff.

On the button with J9o in a 3-handed game, raising applies pressure on the blinds and uses position. A standard 3x raise is better than calling or folding with a playable but marginal hand.

Holding 4d 2h in the small blind facing a button open raise is an easy and standard fold.

A3 offsuit has enough equity to defend the big blind against a button raise, especially with the small blind’s chips already in the pot. Calling avoids building a large pot out of position with a marginal hand.

With ace-high and a gutshot but no diamond on a coordinated monotone flop, I prefer to check out of position.

I flopped a straight (9-J-Q-K-T) but the board is monotone diamonds, so I bet for value and to charge flush draws. Checking would give a free card to a diamond draw.

I have only a gutshot and no diamond on a coordinated flop. Calling 500 out of position offers insufficient odds, especially with possible flushes.

K7s is a strong opening candidate on the button 3-handed; raising to 2.5bb to steal the blinds or play in position.

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

J4o is too weak to defend against a button raise out of position, even with the small blind discount; folding preserves chips.

Nine-deuce offsuit is too weak to open from the button three-handed.

Button folded, leaving a heads-up small blind vs big blind. Q7o has enough equity against the big blind's wide range, and calling 50 into 150 gives 3:1 odds without bloating the pot out of position with a marginal hand.

I have T3 suited in the big blind facing an SB limp; checking to see a free flop in position is standard.

Bet small on a dry flop to take down the limped pot; opponent likely missed and will fold often enough to be profitable.

Flopped top two pair against the small blind's limped range; raising for value and to protect against straight draws.

My flop stab with queen-high was raised, and I have no pair or strong draw on this dry board. Folding avoids putting more chips in with a weak hand out of position.

A7o on the button is strong enough to raise for initiative and pressure the blinds; a 3bb raise is standard and can win the pot preflop.

Holding 9s 2s in the small blind against a button open is an easy fold due to weak high-card value and poor playability out of position.

Offsuit 6-5 is a marginal defend against a 3x button raise, especially out of position. Folding avoids a difficult postflop spot.