Hold'em table

Opening suited 5-3 on the button can profit from stealing the blinds and playing in position. A small raise limits risk while retaining postflop flexibility.

Seven-three offsuit is too weak to defend against a button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing further with poor equity realization out of position.

Q5 offsuit is a weak hand out of position against a button open; folding avoids playing a dominated hand without initiative, even with decent pot odds.

With only the blinds behind and no rake, K3 offsuit is a reasonable marginal button steal. A minimum raise leverages position and the king blocker while limiting investment with a weak kicker.

KTs is a strong hand in the SB versus a button min-raise; 3-betting to 800 takes initiative and punishes the small open rather than playing out of position passively.

J5 offsuit is too weak to continue against a small-blind three-bet with the original raiser still to act. Folding avoids investing more chips with poor equity and playability.

K3 offsuit is too weak to defend against a four-times three-bet, even in position. Its frequent domination and poor playability make calling unattractive, and there is no evidence to justify a four-bet bluff.

T4 suited on the button in a 3-handed game is a reasonable steal/open; raising to 2.5bb gives fold equity against the blinds and plays well in position with suited playability.

76 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise, especially with the big blind still to act. Its poor equity realization out of position makes folding preferable to calling or bluff-raising.

Calling costs 150 to contest a final pot of 550, giving favorable odds against a typically wide button opening range. With no rake, 97 offsuit has enough equity and straight potential to defend the big blind.

This ace-high flop favors the preflop raiser, and I have only nine-high with a gutshot straight draw. Checking avoids building the pot out of position and lets me evaluate the opponent’s bet size.

I raised preflop as the button and the big blind just checked to me on an ace-high dry board; a small continuation bet with my range advantage should fold out many hands that missed, and my T4 has little showdown value otherwise.

I have only nine-high and a four-out gutshot, with no backdoor flush draw. Facing this sizing out of position, the pot odds and equity realization do not justify continuing.

85 offsuit is too weak for a standard button open against two blinds at 100bb. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity and limited playability.

T8 offsuit is playable blind-versus-blind, and completing costs only 50 chips into a 150-chip pot. Limping keeps the pot small with a middling hand that will play out of position.

Q6o in the big blind facing a small blind limp; checking the option is standard with a marginal hand and position postflop.

T8 has little showdown value and no immediate straight or flush draw on this paired board. Checking out of position keeps the pot small without investing in a low-equity bluff.

Heads-up limped pot, SB checked to me on a paired board; a small bet with queen-high and a gutshot (Ten) takes down the pot often against a capped range, and I have position-less but cheap fold equity.

T8 has no immediate straight or flush draw and little showdown value on this paired board. Facing a half-pot bet out of position, folding is preferable to a speculative call or bluff-raise.

Unopened on the button, K4 offsuit is a reasonable marginal steal in a three-handed, rake-free game. A small raise leverages position and the king blocker while limiting the cost if a blind reraises.

J8 offsuit in the small blind facing a button open is a standard fold; it plays poorly out of position against two opponents and is dominated by much of a button opening range.

Calling costs 125 chips to contest a 500-chip pot, giving sufficient odds to defend A2 offsuit against a wide button opening range. Raising would unnecessarily inflate the pot out of position with a weak ace.

This king-queen-high flop favors the preflop raiser, and my ace-high has little drawing potential. Checking avoids building a pot out of position with a weak hand.

A small continuation bet can get value from queens, sevens, and straight draws while denying equity to weaker hands. The modest sizing suits top pair with a weak kicker on this relatively dry board.

Ace-high with a weak kicker and no meaningful draw is a poor continuation on this king-queen-high board. Despite the small bet, playing out of position makes realizing enough equity difficult.

Pocket threes on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raise to 2.5bb to take initiative and play in position.

62 offsuit is too weak to defend against a button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing further with poor equity and positional disadvantage.

J2 offsuit is too weak to defend against a 2.5bb button raise, with poor playability and frequent domination out of position. Folding avoids investing more chips with a low-equity-realization hand.