Hold'em table

J2 offsuit is a marginal hand, but calling the 100-chip big blind from the button is a cheap way to see a flop in a three-handed pot.

A5 offsuit is worth completing for 50 chips, but raising from the small blind would build a larger pot out of position with a marginal hand.

Raise for value and to isolate limpers with a strong suited ace.

I'm getting about 3-to-1 on a 300-chip call into a 900-chip pot, and J2 offsuit has enough playability in a multiway pot to continue.

A5 offsuit plays poorly out of position in a raised three-way pot, and calling risks making a dominated ace.

I flopped top pair with top kicker on a dry board. Betting for value and protection against draws is best.

I have a flush draw with three diamonds including the 9d, and calling 600 into a 2100 pot needs about 22% equity, which the nine-out draw roughly meets. Folding would give up a profitable call.

I have two pair (nines and threes) with an ace kicker, which is likely best against the button's calling range. Betting for value and protection against draws and overcards.

With Jack-high and no pair on a paired board, I need about 29% equity to call 1500 into a 3600 pot, and seat_3's sustained aggression likely means a made hand, so folding is the better play.

QJo is a profitable button open in three-handed play. A 2.5-big-blind raise applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

A4s has enough equity to call the button's 2.5x open given the 3:1 pot odds, and I keep the pot manageable while out of position.

I'm already invested 100 as big blind and need only 150 more to see a flop in a 600 pot, about 4:1, which justifies calling with a weak but playable suited 2-8 against two opponents' wide ranges.

With only ace-high and no strong draw on a coordinated board, checking out of position in a multiway pot controls the pot and avoids getting raised.

I have no pair and only a weak draw on this Ts-3c-9d board, and checking is free, so I keep the pot small and see the next card.

I have an open-ended straight draw and two overcards. With both opponents checking, a moderate bet can win the pot now or build it when I improve.

Ace-high with no pair or strong draw is unlikely to improve enough against a button raise and flop continuation bet, and calling out of position with only about 24% equity is unprofitable.

I have 8-2 with no pair and only a weak backdoor draw on a Ts-3c-9d board, facing a 450 bet into a 1200 pot, so folding avoids putting more chips in with little equity.

Holding 2s6h on the button, the hand is too weak to call a raise and raise as a bluff is unnecessary early.

King-eight offsuit is a playable hand heads-up against the big blind after the button folded, and completing the small blind for 50 is a cheap way to see the flop.

With 6-3 offsuit against a small-blind limp, I can see the flop for free rather than build the pot with a weak hand.

I have King-high with an open-ended 8 straight draw on a 5-6-7 board, but I'm not strong enough to bet for value, and checking keeps the pot small while I see the turn.

Middle pair and a gutshot are worth a small bet for value and protection against overcards and draws.

I hold King-high with an open-ended straight draw (8 outs), which is roughly 17% equity to improve. Calling 130 into a 330 pot needs about 28%, so folding is the better play.

T7 offsuit is marginal, but calling 100 from the button is cheap in a 3-handed pot with two blinds to act behind me.

Calling 50 with Q4 suited gives me favorable pot odds against a button limp, while keeping the pot small out of position.

J5o is a weak offsuit hand, and both limpers have already matched the big blind. I can see a free flop and avoid bloating the pot out of position.

I have a strong flush draw but no made hand. Checking keeps the pot manageable out of position in a three-way pot.

My hand has little equity on this king-high board and no real draw, so I prefer to check and see a free turn rather than bluff into two opponents.

I have a weak pair of sevens with a ten kicker on a board with a king and nine, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids bloating it without a strong hand.

I have a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw, but no made hand. Checking can give me a free river card in this three-way pot.

With jack-high and only a weak gutshot, checking the turn in a multiway limped pot avoids building a pot out of position with little equity.

Two pair (tens and sevens) is strong on this board, and both opponents have checked twice, so a value bet of about two-thirds pot should get called by weaker pairs and draws.

The flush draw and gutshot give me enough potential to call this small turn bet, with a chance to win more if I improve on the river.

We have an 8-out straight draw (any 8 or Q) and are closing the turn for 200 into 700. With implied odds, calling is profitable; raising into a bet and a call is too risky with J-high.

My queen-high missed its draws, and both opponents called the turn bet. Bluffing into two players is unlikely to be profitable, so I check.

I only have a weak pair of fives on a coordinated board, and both opponents have shown enough interest to call a turn bet. Checking controls the pot and gets me to showdown cheaply.

Two pair, tens and sevens, is likely best against checks that show weakness, so a half-pot value bet should get called by worse hands.

My missed flush draw leaves only queen-high. Facing a river bet with another player still to act, calling is unlikely to be profitable.

I have only a pair of fives on a coordinated board, and seat_1 has shown strength on turn and river. Facing a 450 bet into 1350, my hand is too weak to continue.

On the button in an unopened three-handed pot, I can open this suited hand cheaply and play in position postflop.

K2o is too weak to defend out of position against a button raise, even with the small blind discount. Folding avoids playing a dominated hand with poor postflop playability.

Holding 89 suited, a playable connector, and getting a good price to call 100 into a 350 pot heads-up against the button's raise.

Two pair, nines and eights, is strong on this board, so I bet about two-thirds pot for value against the preflop raiser.

I have no pair or immediate draw, and calling a 300-chip bet with this hand is unlikely to be profitable.

With pocket eights on the button in a 3-handed game, raising is best to take initiative and isolate the blinds. A standard 3x raise applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

Jack-six offsuit is a weak hand to call a 300 button raise out of position with only 250 to call. Folding preserves chips against a likely strong range.

A6 suited has enough equity to defend the big blind against a button raise, and calling keeps the pot manageable.

Out of position on a paired board, I prefer to check with ace-high and the nut flush draw, keeping weaker hands and bluffs in the pot.

Continuation bet on a paired board to fold out overcards and take down the pot; I will fold to a raise.

The nut flush draw has enough equity to call this small flop bet. Raising on a paired board risks building a large pot against a king or full house.

Checking keeps the pot manageable with ace-high and a flush draw on a paired board, while preserving the chance to see the river cheaply.

With second pair on a paired board and opponent showing strength by calling my flop bet, I prefer to check behind on the turn to control the pot and realize my equity.

My ace gives me the best kicker with the three kings on board, but a queen, a two, or a pocket pair makes a full house. Betting is unlikely to get called by many worse hands, so I’ll check.

I have a full house (kings full of eights), and the opponent has checked every postflop street. Betting 600 extracts value from worse hands like Qx or 22 while avoiding an oversized pot if I'm behind.

Trip kings with an ace kicker beat missed draws and weaker unpaired hands. The small river bet offers sufficient pot odds to call, but raising would mainly get action from full houses or better.