Hold'em table

With a pocket pair on the button in a three-handed game, raising is a strong open that builds the pot and applies pressure to the blinds. A 2.5× big-blind sizing is appropriate.

Jack-ten suited is a playable hand, and calling the 200-chip completion from the small blind gives good pot odds against a button raise in a three-handed game.

K9 suited in the big blind is getting 600+150 pot odds (about 4:1 for 150 into 750), so a call is profitable even though the hand is out of position. A 3-bet with this hand would be marginal and bloats the pot.

I have a pair of tens with a backdoor-ish broadway gutshot on a Q-T-A board, which is a modest hand, so I check to control the pot and see whether the preflop raiser bets.

Kc9c on Q-T-A gives a king-high broadway gutshot (J makes the nut straight) plus a backdoor club draw. Seat 2 checked, so a modest bet of about 2/3 pot takes the initiative and can fold out weaker hands, and I have decent equity if called.

Pocket sevens have little showdown value on this ace-high, coordinated flop, and calling requires substantial equity against a bet into two opponents. I have no meaningful draw, so folding is best.

I hold a pair of tens facing a 500 raise into a 1250 pot, and my only real outs are a king for a straight, so calling is not profitable enough against a raising range.

K5 offsuit is marginal, but on the button against two blinds with only 100 to call, calling keeps me in with position and a cheap look at the flop.

K4o is a marginal hand in a 3-handed pot. Completing from the small blind costs only 50 more to win 300, so calling is reasonable and raising out of position with a weak kicker is not.

J5 suited is playable for free from the big blind, but raising into two limpers would build a pot with a weak hand. Check and see the flop.

King-high on a dry 7-3-2 board in a 3-way pot. I'm first to act, so checking keeps the pot small and lets me see what the others do; a bet could only get called by better hands.

With only J-high and a backdoor flush draw on a low, multiway flop, betting has little value; I’ll take the free card.

Seat 1 and seat 3 both checked, so I can bet into a 300 chip pot with a king-high hand and a possible bluff; a 300 chip bet is about 100 percent of the pot.

King-high with no pair and no real draw on a 7-3-2 board. The button bet 300 into a 600 pot after we both checked, and seat_1 still has to act behind me. Calling needs about 33% equity, and K-high does not have that, so folding is the best option.

A 300-chip call with J-high on this low, disconnected flop has very little equity; my backdoor draws are too weak to continue.

QJs on the button in a 3-handed game is a strong hand, so I raise to 3bb for value and to take position against the blinds.

T4 suited is too weak to continue out of position against a 3x button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Facing a 200 call into a 450 pot is about 2.25:1, so J9 offsuit has enough equity against a wide button raise to continue in the big blind.

Holding Jh9d on Jd9s7h gives two pair, which is strong on this board, so I bet for value to build the pot.

Top pair with a queen kicker plus a backdoor spade draw is a clear call against a small 400 bet into a 1050 pot. Calling keeps the BB's weaker holdings in the pot, and I'm in position on the button.

Holding two pair (jacks and nines) on a drawy board, so betting for value is reasonable; a check-raise line is less likely with me acting first on the turn.

Top pair with a queen kicker needs about 28% equity to call 900 into 2350. Opponent's range is mostly value but also includes bluffs and draws, and I have position, so calling is reasonable and a raise would mostly get called by better hands.

We hold two pair (jacks and nines) on a board that could make straights and the opponent has shown strength, so checking keeps the pot manageable and lets us reach showdown with a strong hand.

Top pair with a Q kicker is mostly a bluff-catcher on this connected board. Seat 2 bet flop and turn, then checked the river, so a bet would mostly be called by better hands and fold out worse ones. Checking keeps showdown value.

Q8 suited is a profitable button open three-handed. Raise to 2.5 big blinds to apply pressure to the blinds while keeping the sizing moderate.

Seven-two-style trash like 4-6 offsuit is a clear fold facing a 250 button open from out of position with 200 more to call. Folding avoids a weak, multiway-prone spot.

K5 offsuit is weak out of position against a button open. Calling 150 to win 400 is close on pot odds, but the hand plays poorly postflop, so I fold.

8-4 offsuit is a weak holding out of position with 100 chips to call, so folding preserves chips rather than investing into a likely dominated hand.

6c5c is a suited connector in the small blind. Completing costs only 50 more into a 150 pot, which is good odds against one big blind opponent, and the hand plays well postflop.

With a weak offsuit-equivalent holding (5♦3♦), take the free option rather than inflate the pot against the small blind’s limp.

I flopped an open-ended straight draw (6c5c with 2h 6d 3h, needing a 4 or 7) plus a pair of sixes, so I'm betting for value and protection. The pot is 200 and the bet is small, which should get calls from weaker hands while keeping me safe against raises.

Bottom pair is weak, but heads-up it has enough showdown value to call this modest bet at the offered pot odds. I’ll avoid raising and reassess on the turn.

I have a straight (A-2-3-5-6 wheel... actually 2,3,5,6 plus the Ace gives A-2-3-5 and needs a 4, so no). I hold 6c5c on 2h 6d 3h As: a pair of sixes with a gutshot to a straight (needs a 4 for 2-3-4-5-6, or a 4 for wheel). Betting for value and protection with top-ish pair and draw at about half pot is reasonable, since the opponent only called the flop bet.}

The turn raise puts me in a poor spot with a weak pair and only a few unreliable improvement cards. The pot odds do not justify calling against this aggression.

2-8 offsuit is one of the weakest starting hands. Even on the button, it doesn't justify calling or raising against two players still to act behind me.

Q6 offsuit is weak, but the small additional call gets a favorable price heads-up against the big blind. I’ll complete rather than build a pot with a marginal hand.

Seat_1 only completed the small blind, so checking my big blind option is free. 5-3 offsuit is too weak to raise profitably from here.

With a weak middle pair and no strong draw, checking keeps the pot small and avoids building it against better pairs or club draws.

I have 5-3 with only a gutter straight draw on a 7-2-6 board, and checking is free, so I take the free card rather than bet a weak hand.

With a weak pair on a king turn after both players checked the flop, I prefer to control the pot and avoid building it against stronger hands.

Our 5-3 has no pair and only a backdoor straight draw on this board, so we should take the free check rather than bloat the pot.

My pair of sixes with a queen kicker has some showdown value, but it is too weak for a thin river value bet after the checked-through streets. I’ll take the free showdown.

We hold a pair of fives on a board with a king, and the opponent has checked every street, so a bet risks getting called by a better hand. Checking to showdown keeps the pot small and is the lowest-risk play.