Hold'em table

3-9 offsuit is a very weak hand even on the button in 3-handed play; calling or raising risks chips with poor equity and playability.

KJo is a playable hand, and completing the small blind for 50 chips to see a flop heads-up against the big blind is a reasonable price.

I have 52o in the big blind facing a small blind limp, so checking to see a free flop in position is the standard, zero-cost play.

I have only King-high with a weak draw on a dry 9-8-2 flop, and checking is free and keeps the pot small.

Check back with bottom pair and a weak kicker to control the pot and see a safe turn.

I have King-high with no pair on a 9-8-2-A board and can check for free, so I take the free card rather than bloat the pot with a weak hand.

I have bottom pair with a weak kicker on a board with three spades and an ace, making checking behind to see a free river the best line.

I hold a pair of kings on an ace-high board, which is a showdown hand that can win if both opponents checked through, so checking to see the river card is the safest line.

I have bottom pair with a weak kicker; betting won't get called by worse hands, while checking allows me to realize showdown value against missed high-card floats.

Queen-jack offsuit is a playable hand in a 3-handed pot from the button, and calling the 100-chip big blind keeps the pot manageable with good postflop potential.

I hold AQs in the small blind facing a button limp; raising to 400 extracts value and builds the pot with a premium hand out of position.

4-2 offsuit is one of the weakest hands and facing a raise to 400 preflop, calling 300 more has poor equity and playability.

Queen-jack offsuit on the button is a playable hand, and calling 300 to see a flop is reasonable against a small blind raise to 400 without over-committing.

As the preflop aggressor on a King-high board favoring my range, I c-bet one-third pot with an inside straight draw, overcard, and backdoor flush draw.

A pair of jacks with a queen kicker is a decent made hand facing a one-third pot bet, so calling gets a good price while folding would give up too much equity.

We missed the turn with our gutshot and overcards; checking to control the pot and see a river card.

I hold a pair of jacks with a queen kicker, which is medium strength on this K-high board, and seat_3 has shown weakness by checking the turn. Checking keeps the pot controlled and avoids bloating it with a hand that could be behind a king.

Ace-high retains modest showdown value against missed straight draws after villain checked back the turn, making a check the lowest-risk line.

I have two pair, jacks and sevens with a king kicker, which is strong on this board. Seat_3 checked the river after betting the flop, so a value bet of about half the pot should get called by weaker pairs.

Holding just Ace-high on a board of Ks Jd 6c 7h 7d facing a substantial river bet after opponent called flop, folding is the standard play as our hand cannot beat any value pairs.

Q3s is at the very bottom of the button opening range in 3-handed play; folding avoids playing a low-equity, easily dominated hand.

Heads-up in the small blind after the button folded, J9o is well above average and plays well in position postflop, so raising builds value and applies pressure to the big blind.

Calling 150 into a 350 pot gives about 2.3 to 1, which is a fair price to defend the big blind against a small blind raise with a weak but playable hand.

With jack-high, no pair and only backdoor spade/straight draws on a Q-6-5 two-spade board that favors the big-blind caller, checking preserves equity and avoids building a pot when behind.

My 3d9h has no pair and no strong draw on a Q-6-5 board, and I can check for free after seat_1 checked, so checking keeps the hand cheaply without bloating the pot.

Semi-bluff out of position with the 9s flush draw; opponent checked the flop showing weakness, so a turn bet can fold better hands while I still have spade and overcard outs if called.

My 3d 9h has no pair or draw on a Q-6-5-4 board, so facing a 375 turn bet into an 875 pot I should fold.

4c2c is a very weak suited hand even on the button in 3-handed play, with poor equity and playability against the blinds. Folding preserves chips versus a marginal call or steal raise.

Queen-five offsuit is a weak hand to play out of the small blind against the big blind, so folding the 50 chips to call is the disciplined choice.

Queen-trey suited is a marginal hand, but calling 100 from the button into a three-way pot with position is cheap and keeps me in with a playable suited holding.

Q7 offsuit plays poorly out of position postflop even getting 5 to 1 to complete the small blind.

Pocket nines are well ahead of a button limp heads-up; raise to isolate, build value, and deny free equity with dead small-blind money in the pot.

Q-3 suited is a weak hand facing a raise to 400 from the big blind with 300 to call, and I'm out of position, so folding avoids a costly marginal call.

J7o is too weak to open profitably from the button even 3-handed, making fold the standard play.

QJo is a strong hand heads-up against the big blind after the button folded, so raising for value and to take initiative is best.

Heads-up against a small blind raise to 300, I need about 33% equity to call 200 into a 400 pot, and King-high with a 3 should get there against a wide raising range.

Dry low flop favors preflop raiser; QJ has two overcards and good fold equity with a small continuation bet.

I hold a pair of threes with a king kicker, and calling 200 into an 800 pot is a reasonable price to continue against a flop bet from a wide preflop raiser.

With Q-high, two overcards and a diamond draw on a paired board, checking out of position keeps the pot controlled and realizes equity cheaply rather than semi-bluffing into a calling range that likely contains pairs.

I hold a set of threes on a paired board, which is a strong made hand. Seat_1 checked the turn, so a value bet of about 60% pot builds the pot while still getting called by weaker pairs.

With Q-J overcards only, no pair or draw on a paired 3-2-7-3 board, calling 600 needs far more equity than my roughly six outs provide against a turn bet.