Hold'em table

4-8 offsuit is one of the weakest hands. Out of position postflop against two opponents, it is not worth calling 100 to see a flop. Folding costs nothing.

Pocket fives are strong enough to raise heads-up against the big blind, giving me a chance to win the pot now or play with the initiative.

K6o is too weak to defend profitably against a standard 3x open from the small blind.

On the button in a three-handed game, 97 offsuit is playable as an opening raise. Position and the chance to win the blinds make a modest raise preferable to calling.

A3o plays poorly out of position facing a button open, making fold the standard play.

9s3s is a weak hand. Calling 150 into a pot of 400 out of position against a button raise would be a marginal, losing play, so I fold.

6d 4s is too weak of an offsuit hand to open from the button, even in 3-handed play.

Heads-up against the big blind after the button folded, A5o is a strong enough hand to raise from the small blind for value and to take the initiative. A raise to 3bb also denies the big blind a cheap price.

J8 suited is strong enough to defend the big blind against a small-blind raise, especially with position after the flop.

Ace-high with a backdoor flush draw and a wet-ish paired board; I raised preflop and act first heads-up, so a small continuation bet of half pot takes the pot often while risking little against a BB calling range that mostly missed.

Trips are strong enough to continue, but calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in the pot while avoiding an unnecessarily large pot against better trips or a full house.

Ace-high with a backdoor-free board, but I showed strength preflop and on the flop. The opponent just called twice, so a small bet gets value from worse hands like 9x or Tx and can fold out some floats. If raised, I can give up cheaply.Actually the hand has little showdown value against a caller, so a modest bet is a semi-bluff with A-high outs to a wheel draw and a possible fold from weak pairs.

Trip eights with a jack kicker are strong enough to raise for value against overpairs, weaker trips, and draws. Raising also charges the diamond and club draws on this turn.

Ace-high with a weak 5 on an 8-8-3-T board is rarely best against a big turn check-raise. I need about 27% equity to call 1300 into 3500 and I likely have less, so I fold.

AJo on the button in a 3-handed game is a strong hand, so raising to 3bb for value and position is better than a flat call.

5-4 offsuit is too weak to call a 3bb button raise from the small blind with the big blind still to act.

Defending big blind with QTo against a button open getting over 2:1 pot odds.

Flopped top two pair on Q-T-5 rainbow; checking to the preflop aggressor to let them continuation-bet so we can check-raise.

Ace-high with a gutshot (K needed for Broadway) and a backdoor draw on Q-5-T heads-up in position; the big blind checked, so a small continuation bet of about 60% pot takes the pot often and builds equity when called.

I flopped top two pair on a wet board and want to raise for value and protection against straight draws and weaker pairs.

Ace-high with a gutshot (K needed for the broadway straight) and backdoor outs. Facing a check-raise to 1200 into a pot of 2250, I need about 26% equity, and the gutshot plus overcard outs make a call reasonable. Raising would risk too much with a marginal hand.

The King on the turn completes potential straights with a Jack and counterfeits or surpasses some two-pair combinations, so checking to control the pot is the safest line.

I have the nut straight (A-K-Q-J-T) on the turn, and the opponent's check-raise on the flop suggests a strong hand. I'll bet about 60% of the pot to build it against worse made hands and draws.

I hold two pair (Queens and Tens) on a board of Q-5-T-K. While the King improves potential straights like AJ or J9, seat 1's betting range also contains hands we beat such as AA, AK, and semi-bluffs, giving sufficient equity to call the 1800 bet getting nearly 2.7:1 pot odds.

Two pair has showdown value but the board contains several straight and higher two-pair possibilities, making checking standard to see a showdown.

Ace-high with a Jd gives an open-ended-turned-missed straight draw (A-K-Q-J-T needs the 10, and the board has Tc, so I actually hold A-K-Q-J-T: Ah Jd with Qs Ks Tc makes a broadway straight). This is the nuts, so I should bet for value.

T6 offsuit is a weak, easily dominated opening hand, even on the button. Folding avoids committing chips with limited postflop playability.

Pocket nines is a premium hand in a blind-versus-blind confrontation; raising to 300 builds the pot and exerts pressure on the big blind.

A8o is a decent hand heads-up in the big blind against a small blind 3x open, and the price is only 200 more to win a 400 pot. Calling is cheap and avoids bloating the pot out of position with a marginal hand.

C-betting one-third pot on a dry paired board where we hold an overpair to the low card and range advantage, charging overcards and lower pocket pairs.

Ace-high on a paired J-2-J board has some showdown value and blocks some bluffs. The price is 200 to win 800, so it is a cheap call against a small continuation bet, and raising would mostly get called or folded out by better hands.

With a pair of nines on a board with two overcards (Queen and paired Jacks), checking is optimal to control the pot size and realize showdown value.

Ace-high on a paired J-J board with a club draw is a weak showdown hand. Seat 3 checked the turn after betting the flop, so I take the free card instead of bluffing or building a pot I can't win.

Pocket nines have decent showdown value against missed draws and weak pocket pairs, so checking to realize equity makes sense.

Board is Jd 2h Jc Qc 8h and I have a pair of eights with an ace kicker, which beats most missed draws. Seat_3 checked the river after betting the flop, so a small value bet of 400 into the 1000 pot should get called by worse pairs and Q-x or 8-x hands.

Getting better than 3.5:1 pot odds against a small 40% pot river bet. We hold two nines, heavily blocking straight completions with T9, making our hand a solid bluff-catcher.

Open-raising with Q9s on the button is standard in 3-handed play to exert positional advantage.

T7 offsuit is weak out of position in the small blind, facing a button open with the big blind still to act. Calling 200 more is not profitable, so I fold.

KTo is strong enough to defend the big blind against a button raise, and calling keeps the pot manageable out of position.

With top pair and a moderate kicker on a dry board, checking out of position keeps the opponent's weaker hands and bluffs in the pot.

As the preflop aggressor in position on a King-high board, a small continuation bet of ~36% pot applies pressure with our gutshot straight draw and backdoor equity.

Top pair with a ten kicker is comfortably strong enough to continue against a small flop bet. Calling keeps weaker hands in without inflating the pot against stronger kings.

Top pair with a medium kicker is strong enough to continue, but checking to the preflop raiser keeps weaker hands and bluffs in the pot.

The Jack on the turn is an excellent barrel card for my range and gives me a nut straight draw with four tens. Betting two-thirds pot applies pressure on second pair and weak flop-calling hands while retaining solid equity if called.

Top pair with a ten kicker and a gutshot has enough equity to continue against this turn bet. Calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in while avoiding a large pot against stronger hands.

Top pair with a ten kicker has showdown value, but the river completes several possible straights. Checking avoids building a larger pot against stronger hands and leaves room to evaluate a bet.

I only have queen-high on this board and villain has called two barrels on a coordinated board with no missed flush draws. Villain's range is heavily concentrated in made hands that will not fold to a third barrel, so checking is higher EV than bluffing.