Hold'em table

Pocket sevens are a strong three-handed button open. Raise to 2.5 big blinds to take initiative while keeping weaker hands in the range.

Jack-ten suited is a playable hand in a three-way pot, and calling the 200-chip raise to 250 gives good implied odds without committing more chips than necessary.

K9 suited in the big blind, getting 600+150 into 150 (about 4:1 pot odds) against a button open and a small blind call in a 3-handed pot. Calling is clearly profitable, and a 3-bet is not warranted with this hand.

I have a pair of tens with a jack kicker on an ace-high board, which is a weak made hand, and checking is free so I keep the pot small and see the next card.

I have king-high with a gutshot (Broadway draw) and a backdoor club draw on a Q-T-A board against two opponents, one of whom was the preflop raiser. Checking is reasonable, since I can take a free card and still complete the straight with a Jack.

With two opponents on an ace-high, connected flop, pocket sevens have limited showdown value and little reason to bet for value. I’ll take the free turn and avoid bluffing into multiple players.

I have a pair of tens with a backdoor-ish gutshot to a broadway straight, but no strong made hand, and checking keeps the pot small while we see whether the field bets.

I hold king-high with a gutshot to Broadway (J needed) on a Q-T-A-2 board, and there is a backdoor club draw only. Two players are still to act behind me, and the check-around on the flop suggests there is little to gain from betting, so I take a free card.

With pocket sevens on an ace-high, connected board, my hand has little value for betting and few useful draws. I’ll take the free river after both opponents checked.

There is no bet to call, and my hand is only a pair of queens on the board with jack-ten high, so checking to showdown is the sensible line.

Board Qs Th Ah 2s Qd, I hold K-high with Kc 9c, which is not a clear value hand but plays as a marginal showdown holder. Everyone checked every street, so the opponents' ranges look weak. With the button still to act, a small bet of about half the pot is a reasonable bluff or thin-value play. I could also check to realize showdown value, but a small bet will win often against capped ranges.}

Seventy-sevens are a weak bluff-catcher on this ace-high, paired board, and the big blind can credibly value-bet Ax, Qx, or a rivered straight. With another player still in the hand, I fold rather than pay off with little showdown strength.

I hold a pair of queens with an ace kicker, which beats many bluffs and weaker queens, and calling 400 into a 1150 pot gives good odds against a river bet.

Facing a 100-chip call from the big blind on the button with 5-K offsuit, calling is a cheap, reasonable price to see a flop in a three-handed pot.

K4 offsuit is a marginal hand, but calling 50 more into a 250 pot gives about 5-to-1 odds in a 3-handed game. The King has some showdown value, so I'll take a cheap flop rather than fold or raise.

J5 suited is too weak for a value raise against two limpers; check the option and see a flop without investing more.

Flop is 7-3-2 rainbow, a dry board, and I hold king-high with a backdoor gutshot-ish draw. I'm first to act in a three-way pot, so a small stab of about half the pot can win now against likely weak ranges and costs little if it fails.

J-high has no useful immediate draw on this low, dry flop, and the small blind’s bet into multiple players likely represents a made hand. The backdoor flush and overcard equity are not enough to justify calling with the button still to act.

King-high with no pair and no strong draw is weak against a half-pot flop bet, and calling 150 to win about 600 needs roughly 25% equity, which this hand doesn't have.

QJs on the button in a 3-handed game is a strong hand, so a 3x open raise puts pressure on both blinds and builds the pot with a positional advantage.

T4 suited is too weak to continue against a 3bb button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act and poor postflop position.

Calling 200 into a 450 pot with J9 offsuit from the big blind gets a good price against a button raise to 300, and this hand is playable in a 3-handed pot.

Holding two pair (jacks and nines) on a J-9-7 board, I want value from the preflop raiser's range, so I bet about 60% of the pot.

Top pair with a queen kicker and a backdoor spade draw is well ahead of a donk-bet range. Calling 400 into a 1050 pot keeps worse hands in and I keep position, so I don't need to raise.

Jacks and nines is strong two pair on this board, so I'm betting about two-thirds pot for value against a caller who may hold weaker pairs or draws.

Top pair with a queen kicker plus a gutshot (Q-J-9-7 needs a ten for a straight with 8 or T... actually 8 makes Q-J-9-8-7 no, T makes straight) gives decent equity; the price is 950 to win a 3350 pot (about 22% needed), so calling is clearly profitable versus a wide betting range.

Holding Jacks and nines is a strong two pair on a paired-looking board with a possible straight for the opponent, so checking keeps the pot manageable and avoids bloating it when they could have a better hand.

Board is J-9-7-6-5 with no flush possible. I hold top pair, J-Q, but a 10 or 8 makes a straight, and Seat 2's turn raise followed by a river check suggests either a hand with some showdown value or a missed draw. A bet of about 45% of the pot should get called by worse pairs and also pushes out some hands that beat me. Checking back would also be reasonable, but betting seems better value.. .

I hold top two pair (Jacks and Nines), which beats many bluffs and some value bets, and calling 1500 into a 4850 pot needs only about 24% equity. Folding would give up a strong showdown hand against a wide betting range.

Q♣8♣ is playable on the button in a three-handed game, so I’ll open-raise while keeping the sizing moderate.

Holding 4-6 offsuit, a weak unconnected hand facing a 250 open from the button with 200 to call out of the small blind, so folding is the disciplined choice.

K5 offsuit is weak. Calling 150 to win 400 gives about 27% pot odds, but I would be out of position against a button raiser's wide range, and the hand would play poorly, so I fold.

Eight-four offsuit is one of the weakest hands in the deck and playing it out of position for 100 chips has negative expected value, so folding is the disciplined choice.

6c5c is a decent suited connector in a 3-handed pot. Completing from the small blind costs only 50 more to win a 300 pot, so the price is good and the hand has playability.

With a weak suited hand and no additional cost to see the flop, checking is preferable to raising the limper.

Flop 2h 6d 3h with 6c 5c gives me top pair and a gutshot (4 makes a straight). Heads-up in a limped pot, I bet small for value and protection, with the straight draw as backup. (Min raise_to is 100, which is a 100-chip bet.)

Bottom pair has enough showdown value to continue against a small bet, but raising would risk building a pot with a weak hand on a two-heart board.

I have a flopped straight (6-5 with A-2-3 on board makes a wheel: A-2-3-5-6? Actually I need a 4 for the wheel), so I hold an open-ended-ish draw: 6c5c with 2-3-6-A gives a gutshot to a 4 for a straight, plus a pair of sixes, which is top-pair-like value against a wide range. Betting small for value and protection with a pair plus a straight draw is reasonable.

A small pair with a weak kicker has little showdown value on the ace turn, and the sizable bet after flop aggression likely represents a stronger hand. Calling would require too much equity.

2-8 offsuit is one of the weakest hands, and I'd be out of position postflop against two opponents after calling, so I fold rather than pay 100 to play it.

Q6 offsuit is weak, so avoid inflating the pot out of position; completing the small blind gets a favorable price heads-up.

I have the option to check in the big blind at no cost, and 5-3 offsuit is too weak to justify raising into the pot.

A small half-pot bet gets value and protection from overcards and club draws while keeping the pot manageable with my modest pair.

With 5-3 on a 7-2-6 board I only have a gutshot to the 4, about 17% equity over the next two cards, but calling 100 into 300 needs about 25%, so folding is correct.