Hold'em table

8-4 offsuit is too weak to open profitably from the button against two players at 100 big blinds.

Pocket fives are strong blind-versus-blind; raising to 3bb builds the pot and exerts pressure.

K6o is a marginal hand, but in the big blind against a small blind 3x raise I get 2:1 pot odds (200 to win 500) and a wide opening range, so calling is reasonable. Three-betting would bloat the pot with a weak kicker.

Holding an underpair out of position on a wet board that connects well with the big blind's calling range, checking is the standard pot-control play.

Seat 2 checked the flop, which signals weakness. I have king-high with a backdoor club draw, so a small bet of half the pot can take the pot now, and I still have some equity if called.

Holding an underpair with no club redraw on an 8-T-2 two-tone board out of position against a half-pot bet, 55 does not have sufficient equity or playability to continue.

97 offsuit is too weak to open profitably from the button even in 3-handed play.

Ah3c is a decent hand heads-up from the small blind, since the button folded. It has an ace-high blocker and good playability, so raising for value and initiative is better than limping.

Nine-three suited is too weak to defend against a three-big-blind raise.

4-6 offsuit is a weak hand, and calling out of position against two players with no real equity edge loses chips over time, so I'm folding on the button.

A5 offsuit is strong enough to raise against the big blind after the button folds. Raising to 300 puts pressure on weaker hands while keeping the pot manageable out of position.

Defending the big blind in position against a small blind open with suited connectors/gappers like J8s is standard given the pot odds and postflop playability.

A small continuation bet can fold out some unpaired hands and protect ace-high while keeping the pot manageable.

Flopped trips with Jh8h on 8c8d3d; calling in position keeps their bluffing range wide and under-represents hand strength.

Ace-high has some showdown value, but betting again on this paired, draw-heavy board is unlikely to fold out many better hands. Checking controls the pot and preserves the option to respond to a bet.

We hold trip eights on a turn board with multiple draws and pair possibilities; betting 60% pot extracts value from flush draws, straight draws, and pocket pairs.

Ace-high with a weak kicker has little equity when behind, and calling this turn bet out of position would leave a difficult river decision.

AJo is a strong button hand three-handed, so I’m opening for value and position.

54o is a trash hand out of position facing a button open, making it an easy fold.

QTo is a decent hand in the big blind against a button min-raise to 250 in a 3-handed game. I need to call only 150 to win a pot of 400, so the price is good, and I'll play it cheaply instead of 3-betting.

Top pair with a good kicker (Q, T on Q-5-T rainbow-ish board) is very strong heads-up; I act first, so I bet about 70% of the pot for value and to deny equity to draws.

I have a gutshot to the nut straight and two overcards. Calling keeps the pot manageable and lets me use position on the turn.

Two pair (Queens and Tens) on a Q-T-K-5 board with a flush draw out there is a strong hand. Betting about 2/3 pot builds the pot and charges draws, and the opponent's flop call leaves plenty of worse hands that will pay.

I have the nut straight and want to build the pot against strong made hands while charging hands that can improve on the river.

Top pair with a ten kicker plus a gutshot to the straight (J would make a Q-high straight... actually AJ needed) is a decent bluff-catcher. The call needs 2300 to win 5450, about 30% equity required, and a re-raise from seat_1 could be a semi-bluff with spades, so calling is better than raising or folding.

I have a pair of queens with a ten kicker on a Q-5-T-K-3 board, which is a medium-strength hand. Seat_1 raised the turn big and I only called, so betting risks getting called by better hands and folding out worse ones. Checking keeps the pot small and gets me to showdown cheaply.

I have the nut straight on a river that does not complete a flush. The opponent's turn call suggests a strong enough range to target with an all-in value bet.

Calling 6150 to win 13900 needs about 31% equity. Two pair, queens and tens, beats missed spade draws, AQ, AK and other bluffs. It loses to sets, straights and K-x two pair, but the price justifies a call.

T6o is too weak to open profitably from the button even in 3-handed play.

Pocket nines is a strong hand in a 3-handed pot. Raising from the small blind against one big blind builds the pot with a hand that plays well heads-up.

A8 offsuit is strong enough to defend the big blind against a small-blind raise. Calling keeps weaker hands in and gives me position after the flop.

Pocket nines on a J-J-2 board is a strong overpair-like hand, since it beats most of the hands that would call. I bet about half the pot for value and to deny equity to overcards and other draws.

The half-pot bet is small enough to continue with ace-high against a wide small-blind opening range. Raising would risk turning a hand with showdown value into a bluff.

Pocket nines are likely best on a paired J-2-J-Q board, so I bet for value and to charge overcards and draws.

Ace-high has little chance to improve, and the queen favors the preflop raiser's range. Calling a second bet here is unlikely to be profitable.

Q9s on the button in a 3-handed game is a solid steal and raise hand, with good playability and position against the blinds.

T7 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 3x button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Getting attractive pot odds (200 to call into 450) in the big blind against a button open; KTo has sufficient equity to defend.

Flopped top pair with a decent kicker out of position against the preflop raiser; checking to let them continuation-bet.

Heads-up in position on a K-8-7 two-tone flop, I have Q-9 with a gutshot and a backdoor flush draw. Villain checked, so a small continuation bet of about half the pot can take the pot now and still leaves me outs when called.

I have top pair with a ten kicker on a coordinated board; calling the standard continuation bet is optimal to keep their range wide.

Check to control the pot size out of position with top pair, mediocre kicker and a gutshot.

I hold a Q-9 open-ended straight draw (needs a 10 for the nut straight) on 7-K-8-J, and the opponent checked the turn, showing weakness. A roughly half-pot bet of 700 gets folds from weak holdings and still leaves me with equity when called.

I have top pair and a gutshot straight draw with four outs to a nine, getting good pot odds against the button's double barrel.

I have top pair with a mediocre kicker on a connected river board, so checking to control the pot and see what the opponent does is optimal.

Board 7-K-8-J-6 gives me Q-high straight (9-J-Q? no) actually 9-8-7-6 plus J makes a J-high straight 7-8-9-J plus 6 is not it; I hold a 9-high straight 6-7-8-9 with J on board. Checking is safe but a value bet is also fine.