Hold'em table

In a 3-handed game with no rake, opening Q5s on the button is profitable to put pressure on the blinds.

4♦2♠ is too weak to continue out of position against the button's raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

9-2 offsuit is too weak to defend the big blind against a button open, so folding is the highest-EV option.

Q4 offsuit is weak, but on the button three-handed it is a reasonable steal-raise with position if called.

J2o is too weak to continue from the small blind against a button open; folding avoids putting more chips in with a dominated, poorly connected hand.

96o is too weak to defend out of position against a button raise.

Jack-deuce offsuit is too weak to open even on the button in three-handed play, so folding avoids a dominated, poorly playable hand.

In blind-versus-blind play, A3s is a strong suited ace that should be opened for a standard raise of 3 bb.

ATo is strong against a wide small-blind opening range, so I’m 3-betting for value and initiative. A raise to 900 is a substantial but controlled size.

A3s has good playability, nut-flush, and wheel potential, getting 2:1 pot odds to defend against the BB 3-bet.

We flopped the nut flush draw out of position against the preflop 3-bettor, making a check standard to see how they act.

Top pair with the ace kicker is strong, but the connected two-spade board has many draws. A half-pot bet gets value and charges those draws.

I have the nut flush draw and an overcard with sufficient direct pot odds (calling 900 into 2700 requires 25% equity) and strong implied odds.

Check to the preflop aggressor on the turn while holding the nut flush draw to see their action and realize our equity.

Top pair with the ace kicker is likely ahead, and a 1800-chip turn bet gets value while charging draws on a wet board.

I hold the nut flush draw with one card to come. Getting 3 to 1 pot odds with substantial implied odds against the opponent's strong range makes calling profitable.

Holding the nut flush on a three-spade board with an SPR under 1, checking induces bluffs from opponent's missed barrels and lets strong hands value bet into us.

I have a reasonable showdown hand with a pair of tens, but the river queen and completed spade flush make a value bet too risky after the opponent called twice.

T4s is too weak to open profitably from the button in a 3-handed game.

T9 offsuit is playable heads-up, but completing keeps the pot small while I’m out of position against the big blind.

84o is too weak to raise, and checking is free with no bet to call.

I have no made hand and only weak backdoor straight potential, so checking avoids building the pot without equity.

Bottom pair with a weak kicker is not strong enough to bet for value on a queen-high board, and seat 2 has already checked. Checking keeps the pot small and realizes equity for free.

The turn gives me a pair of nines after the flop checked through. A small bet can get value from weaker pairs and charge draws while limiting the cost if called.

Bottom pair with a weak kicker and no draw is not worth calling a half-pot turn bet, even in position; pot odds do not offset the reverse implied odds.

As the button in a three-handed game, 9-8 offsuit is a reasonable open; raising applies pressure and takes initiative.

K9 suited is playable against a button open to 2.5bb. Calling keeps the pot small and realizes suited-king equity rather than 3-betting out of position.

Getting 4 to 1 direct pot odds closing preflop action with Ts9s, calling is clearly profitable multiway.

King-high with no pair or draw on a multiway flop; checking is free and better than betting into two opponents.

We hold a powerful combo draw with a flush draw and gutshot straight draw; checking to the preflop aggressor in multiway action allows us to see their action and potentially check-raise or realize our equity.

I have only a gutshot straight draw and no pair in a three-way pot. I’ll take the free turn card rather than bluff into two opponents.

King-high with no pair or draw on a three-spade turn is too weak to bet into two opponents out of position, so I take the free card.

We made a flush with an open-ended straight flush redraw. With four spades on board, betting protects against single high spade draws and extracts value from weaker holdings.

I have a strong combo draw: a river spade can make a flush and a ten can complete my straight. The price is close, but the draw and implied value justify calling, despite some flush outs being vulnerable to a higher spade.

King-high with no pair and no draw on a three-spade board is too weak to continue against a turn bet and a call. Folding avoids putting more chips in with almost no equity.

With no board pairs, no full house is possible. We hold a Queen-high flush, blocking straight flushes. We can comfortably value bet against straights, sets, and two pairs.

I have a queen-high straight, strong enough to call the river bet. A king-high straight is possible, so raising risks putting in more against a better hand.

Pocket tens is a strong button hand, so I raise to 300 to build the pot and take the initiative before the flop.

Facing a 3bb button open out of position with the big blind still to act, low pocket pairs like 33 have poor playability and insufficient implied odds to justify calling.

A9 offsuit is strong enough to defend the big blind against a button open, and calling keeps weaker hands in while avoiding an unnecessary large 3-bet.

With ace-high and no immediate draw, checking preserves the pot and lets the preflop raiser continuation-bet with weaker hands. I can reassess based on the turn and their action.

Pocket tens are ahead of seat_2's calling range on this dry 5-4-8 board, so I c-bet about half pot for value and protection.

A-high has some showdown value against a wide continuation bet, with an overcard and backdoor heart-flush potential. The price is reasonable, so I’ll continue rather than fold or raise.

A-high has little value for betting, but checking takes a free river with some chance to improve and preserves showdown value.

I have an overpair and the opponent checked the turn, so I bet about half the pot for value and to charge straight and flush draws on this connected board.

A-high has no pair or useful draw on this connected board, and calling 700 would require too much equity against the turn barrel.