Hold'em table

JTo is a clear open from the button in 3-handed play; a 2.5x raise lets me take the blinds or play in position.

A7o has an ace blocker and decent equity versus a wide button open, but calling from the small blind leaves me out of position with the big blind still to act. A 3-bet applies pressure and often takes the pot preflop.

Facing a 3-bet to 850 with weak 86s offering poor equity and no position; folding preserves chips for better spots.

JTo on the button facing a 3-bet from the small blind, with position and 100bb deep. Calling 600 into 1200 gives good odds (33% equity needed), and this hand plays well in position against a 3-bet range that is wide in 3-handed play.

As the preflop 3-bettor I have range advantage on the paired King flop, and Ace-high may already be best. A small one-third pot bet pressures medium pairs and unpaired hands while keeping the bluff cheap.

Ten-jack high has only backdoor draws on a K-K-3 board and is well behind the 3-bettor's range of overpairs, AK and AQ. The 20% equity the pot odds require isn't there, especially since I'm out of position on later streets, so I fold.

KTo is a strong hand 3-handed on the button; raising builds value and takes initiative in position.

T3 offsuit facing a 3bb raise with another player left to act is not worth defending from the small blind.

Getting 200 to win 650 (about 24% equity needed) against a button open, Q6 suited is a profitable defend from the big blind. Re-raising with it would be too loose.

Top pair with a weak kicker out of position against the preflop raiser on a wet board; checking controls the pot and lets the button keep bluffing with hands we beat.

In position after preflop raising, I have a gutshot to the nut straight plus an overcard on a Q-high board. A half-pot continuation bet can fold weaker pairs and draws while building equity if called.

Top pair with a weak kicker on a wet board facing a small c-bet from the button's wide range. Calling keeps their bluffs in and controls the pot size.

Trip queens with a weak kicker are usually ahead of the button's range. A half-pot lead gets value from 9x and pairs and charges single-spade and straight draws, while keeping the pot controlled against better queens and flushes.

King-high with only a gutshot to a jack on a paired, three-spade board has far less than the ~25% equity needed to call 650, and the donk lead after check-calling signals a queen, flush, or two pair.

TJo is a reasonable button steal hand against two blinds; raising to 300 applies pressure and builds a pot with decent equity.

82o in the small blind facing a button open with the big blind still to act is a clear fold; it plays too poorly out of position to justify calling 250.

QJo has good equity against a wide button 3x open and I am getting favorable pot odds closing the action in the big blind, so calling is better than folding or 3-betting out of position.

With QJ on T-9-5 I have an open-ended straight draw plus two overcards, giving strong semi-bluff equity heads-up. Leading 400 into 650 applies fold pressure while building a pot for my many outs.

Top pair with an open-ended straight draw is strong here; raising to build the pot and apply pressure while retaining fold equity.

With QJ on T-9-5 I have an open-ended straight draw plus two overcards, giving enough equity and implied odds to call 900 into 2350 against the flop raise.

With QdJs I have a flush draw plus open-ended straight draw for about 15 outs but only queen high, so checking out of position preserves equity and lets me call a reasonably sized bet rather than risk a raise against a strong flop-raising range.

I have top pair tens with a strong kicker; betting for value on the turn against a passive checker.

With QdJs I have a flush draw plus 8 and K straight outs, about 16 outs for ~35% river equity, which exceeds the 28.8% pot odds on a 2200 call with implied odds remaining.

With only queen-high on the river after missing straight and diamond draws, bluff-shoving into opponent's flop raise and turn bet has low fold equity against a likely pair or better; checking preserves stack and lets me fold to a bet.

Top pair with a strong kicker is likely good against a passive calling line; a moderate value bet extracts value from weaker hands while limiting exposure if villain is slowplaying a monster.

River missed my diamond and straight draws, leaving only queen-high against a triple-barrel bet. I lack the ~24% equity needed to call and an all-in bluff would be priced in for any pair.

T8o on the button in 3-handed play is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb puts pressure on the blinds.

2d4c is one of the weakest hands, facing a button raise to 2.5bb with the big blind still to act; calling out of position is unprofitable.

5d8d offsuit from the big blind facing a raise with only one opponent left is too weak to continue; folding is cheap and avoids building a pot out of position with a marginal hand.

J8o is a playable button open in 3-handed play with position postflop. Raising to 2.5bb pressures the blinds and avoids giving a cheap limp pot.

QJ offsuit is playable for a call versus a standard button open, keeping the pot manageable with position disadvantage postflop.

AQo is well ahead of a wide 3-handed button open and the small blind's capped flatting range, so a squeeze gains fold equity and builds the pot with a strong hand while I'm out of position.

J8 offsuit is too weak to continue against a large BB 3-bet after a SB call, with poor equity and domination risk despite position.

Facing a big 3-bet out of position with QJs; not strong enough to continue profitably given the aggression and dominated hand equity concerns.

Q7 suited from the button in a 3-handed game is good enough to raise and try to pick up the blinds or take position into the flop.

72s from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act, is a clear fold out of position.

8-4 offsuit is very weak facing a button 3x raise; calling 200 from the big blind has poor equity and playability.