Hold'em table

Pocket sevens on the button are a strong multiway hand, so I raise to isolate and build the pot before the blinds act.

JTo is strong enough to defend against a button open, but calling keeps the pot manageable with a hand that plays poorly against a 4-bet. I’ll see a flop while accounting for the big blind still being able to act.

K9 suited is a decent hand in a 3-handed pot, and I get 3.5:1 pot odds (200 to win 700) with position disadvantage but good equity. Calling is better than folding or bloating the pot with a 3-bet.

With only a pair of tens on an ace-high, connected flop, betting into two opponents is unlikely to get enough worse hands to continue. I’ll take the free card and keep the pot small.

I have a king-high gutshot (K-9 on Q-T-A) with a straight draw to the J. The pot is 3-way and the button, who raised preflop, still has to act. A bet would get called or raised by better hands, so I'll check and see what the button does.

A pair of sevens on an A-Q-T flop is weak and likely behind, so I'll check to control the pot and see whether a cheap showdown is available.

My pair of tens has some showdown value, but the ace-high board and three-way pot make a value bet or protection bet unattractive. I’ll check and keep the pot controlled.

I have King-high with a gutshot to Broadway (J needed) on a Q-T-A-2 board. Betting would risk chips with little hope of getting better hands to fold, so I'll check and take a free card, since the button is still to act behind me.

With 7-7 on a Q-T-A-2 board I have no made pair above the queen, so I take the free card rather than bet or fold into a checked pot.

I have two pair, queens and tens, but with three players and no river action there is little value in betting; checking preserves showdown value without risking a raise.

Board Qs Th Ah 2s Qd; I have K-high with a king kicker, and everyone checked through. Small value/bluff bet is reasonable but marginal; K-high can win sometimes, and a small bet folds out worse.

Our pair of sevens is weak on a board with queens and an ace, and the river raise to 500 likely means a queen or ace is ahead, so folding avoids a losing call.

I have two pair, queens and tens, with an ace kicker, which is strong enough to bluff-catch at these pot odds. The checked flop and turn leave room for a river bluff or a weaker value bet.

K♦5♠ is a reasonable button open in a three-handed game. Raising to 250 applies pressure while keeping the open size modest.

K4o out of position in the small blind facing a button open of 2.5bb with the big blind still to act behind is a weak hand, so I fold rather than pay 200 more to play it.

Calling 150 into a 400 pot gives good pot odds, and J5 suited has enough playability against a button raiser's wide range to see a flop.

I have a flush draw with three hearts on the flop and no cost to see the turn, so checking keeps the hand cheap while I see the next card.

With only king-high and limited backdoor potential on a low, connected board that favors the big blind's calling range, I’ll take the free card rather than bluff into it.

I have J-high with only a backdoor flush draw on a four-card board, so checking is the cheapest way to see the river.

K-high has little equity to support a turn bluff, and checking preserves the chance to win at showdown while keeping the pot small.

I have Jh 5h on a board with a paired 3 and no made flush or straight, so I have little showdown value. Checking is free and keeps the pot small.

With king-high, I have some showdown value against missed hands and little reason to bluff into a checked-through pot. Checking avoids risking chips when called by pairs or ace-high.

QJs on the button in a 3-handed game is a strong hand, so I raise to 3x the big blind to take the initiative and play in position.

Facing a 250-chip call from the small blind with 4-10 offsuit, the hand is weak and playable poorly out of position against a button raise, so folding is the disciplined choice.

J9 offsuit is a reasonable big-blind defend against a button open, and calling offers playable pot odds without inflating the pot out of position.

Top two pair is strong, but checking lets the preflop raiser continuation-bet and keeps their weaker hands and bluffs in the pot.

Top pair with a queen kicker and a backdoor flush draw, in position against a checking big blind. A bet of about 60% of the pot gets value from worse jacks and draws and protects against overcards.

Top two pair is strong, but the connected flop offers many straight draws. Raise for value and protection against draws and weaker Jx hands.

Top pair with a good kicker plus a backdoor flush draw. Seat 2's check-raise could be a set, two pair or a draw, so I call 800 to win 2250 rather than raise and risk stacks against a stronger hand.

I have top two pair, but the turn adds straight-draw possibilities and my flop check-raise was called. Checking controls the pot while retaining a strong hand for the river.

Top pair with a queen-high open-ended straight draw (Q-J-9-7 needs a 10 or 8 for straight), which is a strong hand. Seat 2 check-raised the flop but checked the turn, so betting for value and protection with plenty of equity is good, around half pot.}

Top two pair is strong enough to continue, but the connected turn completes several straight draws and a raise would risk isolating against stronger hands. Call and reassess on the river.

Top two pair is strong enough to seek thin value from worse Jx and overpairs, but the river completes several straight draws. A modest bet limits the cost against a slow-played or completed stronger hand.

I hold top pair (Js Qs) on a J-9-7-6-5 board, where a straight is possible. Seat 2 check-raised the flop and then bet the river, which looks strong. The pot is 8050 and I must call 1800, so I need about 18% equity. Seat 2 could be bluffing with missed draws, so a call is reasonable and a raise is not.}</br>

Queen-eight offsuit is a marginal hand, so calling the 100-chip big blind is a low-cost way to see a flop from the button without committing more chips.

Completing costs only 50 chips into a 250-chip pot, giving favorable immediate odds with a weak hand; I avoid escalating the pot and can fold to substantial pressure.

K5 offsuit is a marginal hand in a limped three-way pot. Checking the big blind option lets me see a free flop rather than build a pot out of position with a weak holding.

With a weak pair and a low kicker on a coordinated, two-heart flop, checking keeps the pot small and avoids building it out of position against two opponents.

King-high with no pair on a Qh 6h 2s board has little showdown value, and two opponents remain to act behind me. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the next card cheaply.

Top pair with a queen kicker is strong against two opponents who both checked, so a moderate value bet builds the pot while folding out draws.

The small bet offers favorable pot odds, and a pair of sixes can beat bluffs or weaker probes. I’ll call once and reassess on the turn.

Top pair with a king kicker is not a strong hand, but the pot offers 3.5-to-1 and the button's small bet could be a probe or bluff. Calling 200 to see the turn is fine, and raising risks getting called by better hands.

With only a weak pair of sixes on a coordinated board and no clear value bet, check and reassess if an opponent bets.

King-high with a weak backdoor-less hand has little showdown value against two opponents. Seat_1 raised the flop, so betting as a bluff is unlikely to work. Checking is the safest play.

Top pair of queens is a decent but vulnerable holding on a turn where both opponents checked, so taking the free card and keeping the pot small is the best line.

A weak pair of sixes is unlikely to get called by worse hands in a three-way pot after the flop bet was called by both opponents. Check and take the showdown.

King-high on a Q-6-2-9-3 board has almost no showdown value and rarely gets called by worse. Seat_1 bet the flop and then checked back the turn, so a bluff is unlikely to work. Checking is the safest play.

We hold a pair of queens on a board with no obvious flush or straight completion, and both opponents checked, so checking to showdown keeps the pot controlled and avoids bloating it with a bet that could be called by a better hand.

8-4 offsuit is too weak to open from the first preflop position, especially with both blinds yet to act.

Small blind with suited connectors 65s heads-up against the big blind; calling 50 more into a 150 pot gives 3-to-1 odds, which is a clear call.

I'm already in the big blind with no bet to call, and 5-3 suited is too weak to justify a raise, so checking is the cheapest way to see the flop.

Top pair (sixes) with a backdoor straight draw and a gutshot-ish 5 on a 2-3-6 board; heads-up in a limped pot, a small value bet of one big blind builds the pot and charges draws.

I hold a pair of threes with a backdoor flush draw, and facing a 100-chip bet into a 300-chip pot I get about 25% pot odds, so calling is reasonable without committing more chips.

I have a flopped straight (6-5 with A-2-3 on board makes 2-3-5-6 plus A... actually A-2-3-_-5 needs a 4; I hold 5 and 6 so I have an open-ended draw to a wheel with any 4 giving A-2-3-4-5). Betting small as a semi-bluff with a gutshot plus fold equity is reasonable, with a 4 completing the straight.}

A pair of threes with a one-card straight draw to the 4 gives decent equity against a turn raise, and calling 200 into a 600 pot is a reasonable price.

Middle pair is a marginal bluff-catcher out of position. Better hands like an ace would call a bet and worse hands would mostly fold, so I check to keep the pot small and see a showdown.

With a pair of threes, I have a showdown-value hand but little reason to bet into a player who just checked the river. Checking keeps the pot small and is free.

2-8 offsuit is one of the weakest hands, and calling out of position in a 3-way pot from the button has negative expected value, so I'm folding.

Calling the 50-chip completion gets 3-to-1 pot odds heads-up against the big blind, and 6-Q offsuit has enough equity to justify it over folding.

With 5♥3♦ and no raise to face, take the free flop rather than investing more from the big blind.

I have 6-high with no pair on a 7-2-6 flop, and checking is free and keeps the pot small while seat_2 is still to act behind me.

I have only a gutshot straight draw and no club, so taking the free card is preferable to bluffing into a checked pot.

With a pair of sixes on a board with an overcard king and no clear draw, I have only modest showdown value, so I'll check to keep the pot small and see whether seat_2 bets.

I have only a gutshot straight draw and can see the river for free, so checking avoids risking chips with little showdown value.

I hold a pair of sixes on a paired-nothing-big board, which is a weak showdown hand, and seat_2 has shown weakness by checking twice, so betting for value is unlikely to get called by worse. Checking keeps the pot small and gets me to showdown cheaply.

My pair of fives has some showdown value, but the checked-through line may include better pairs, while worse hands are unlikely to call a river bet. Check and take the showdown.}