Hold'em table

Ace-three offsuit is a marginal but playable button open in three-handed poker; a small raise takes the initiative and can win the blinds.

A9s suited has decent playability against a 2.5x open in a 3-max game; calling keeps the pot small with position on the raiser.

Holding 65 offsuit out of position against a raise and a call, this hand lacks the playability and equity to justify calling even with decent pot odds.

I only have ace-high on a paired 5-5-4 board against the preflop raiser, so betting is a pure bluff that rarely folds out better hands. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves a free card if an ace or nine comes.

Ace-high with no pair or draw on a paired board has little value, and seat_2's flop check does not justify a bluff. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves a free turn.

Seat_1's raise-then-check-check line is capped and passive, so a half-pot stab with ace-high plus six outs takes it down often and keeps equity when called; I fold to a raise.

Ace-high with no pair or draw on a paired board; calling a half-pot turn bet is unprofitable against a range that often has a five, a ten, or a real pair.

Ten-three offsuit is dominated trash even from the button; folding loses the minimum rather than fighting two committed blinds with a weak hand.

A7s is a strong hand in a blind-versus-blind confrontation, making a standard 3bb open raise standard to build value and take initiative.

84 suited is too weak to continue out of position against a small-blind raise after the button folded, and postflop realization is poor.

Opening with pocket queens on the button is a standard value raise.

42 suited is too weak to continue out of position against a button raise to 2.5bb; folding saves the remaining 200 chips.

84 offsuit is one of the worst hands to defend out of position against a 2.5x button raise; despite marginal pot odds, it flops poorly and I'd be playing a dominated hand postflop.

Nine-five offsuit is too weak to open even on the button in a three-handed game, so folding avoids putting chips in with a dominated hand.

Heads-up against the big blind, T6o has far more than the ~25% equity needed to call 50 into a 150 pot, so folding is too tight and limping keeps the pot small with a marginal hand.

I hold pocket threes in position after the small blind limped. Checking to see a free flop keeps the pot small and allows easy set-mining.

I only hold ace-high with a ten kicker on an A-Q-8 board, so I have little showdown value and no draws. Checking keeps the pot small heads-up; I can fold to a bet rather than bluff into the big blind's checked range.

I have a weak underpair on an Ace-Queen high board. Checking back to take a free card and keep the pot small is the standard play.

I only have T-high with a double gutshot (any nine or king makes a straight), out of position in a tiny 2bb pot. Checking realizes my free equity, while betting would just fold out junk and lose to the aces and pairs still in the big blind's range.

With bottom pair and no draw on a heavily coordinated high-card board, checking behind to see a free river is best.

Our hand only plays the board, giving us at best a chopped pot at showdown. A small bet targets weaker hands or an inactive opponent to win the entire pot uncontested.

My hand is exactly the board (A-Q-J-8-8), so the best possible outcome is splitting the pot — I can never outright win. Calling only profits if seat_3 is playing the board over half the time, but a river bet here is more likely any ace, queen, jack, eight, pocket pair, or completed flush, all of which beat me.

9h6c offsuit is a weak hand from the button facing a 100-chip call with two players yet to act behind. Folding preserves chips for better spots in this 3-handed game.

Holding 6h 3s out of position blind-versus-blind is far too weak to complete or raise.

Opening with a pocket pair on the button is standard in 3-handed play.

92 offsuit is too weak to continue against a button open; folding saves chips.

J5o is a weak hand facing a 2.5x raise from the button with the small blind already folded. Calling out of position with a dominated, disconnected hand has poor implied odds, so folding preserves chips for better spots.