Hold'em table

4-9 offsuit is very weak even on the button in 3-handed play; calling 100 chips has negative expectation.

Pocket pair in the small blind against the big blind after the button folded is a standard opening raise for value and fold equity.

K8 offsuit is strong enough to defend against a small-blind opening range, especially with position postflop. Calling costs 200 to contest a 600-chip pot and avoids unnecessarily inflating the pot with a marginal king.

Flopped bottom set on a fairly dry J-high board; a small continuation bet of 1/3 pot extracts value from gutshots, pairs, and floats while building the pot.

K-high has only one overcard and no meaningful backdoor draws on this flop. Even facing a small bet in position, this is a weak candidate to continue compared with pairs, stronger high cards, and draws.

On the button in 3-handed play, Q6s is well within standard opening range to steal blinds and play in position.

83 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more chips with poor equity and positional disadvantage.

Getting good pot odds heads-up against a wide button open, my suited one-gapper has enough raw equity and implied odds to defend the big blind rather than fold.

Bottom pair with weak kicker on a J-9-5 two-diamond board is too weak to lead into the preflop raiser; check and evaluate versus a continuation bet.

Holding Queen-high with minimal equity on a wet J-9-5 two-tone board, checking behind to see a free turn is prudent.

With bottom pair of 5s on a J-9-K board with two flush draws, checking keeps the pot small and avoids building it against a preflop raiser who can have many better pairs and draws.

The turn King favors our preflop raising range, and our opponent has checked twice. We have a gutshot straight draw with the Queen and can comfortably semi-bluff to fold out weak pairs and floats.

Bottom pair of 5s with only about five outs faces a 350 turn bet after a checked flop; equity is well below the ~29% pot odds needed to call.

QJo is a strong enough hand to open on the button three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while retaining positional advantage if called.

64s is too weak to call out of position against a button raise with the big blind still behind; realization will be poor despite suitedness.

Getting attractive pot odds of 150 to win 400 against a button open, defending QTo in the big blind is standard in 3-max.

I have missed this low, connected flop completely with QTo out of position, making an easy check to the preflop raiser.

This connected, two-club flop favors the big blind’s calling range, and QJ has no strong draw or club blocker. Checking back realizes our overcard equity without risking a check-raise.

Holding Queen-high with no draw on a connected board, checking to see the river or evaluate Seat 3's action is standard.

This connected low board favors the big blind’s defending range, and QJ has no meaningful draw or useful straight blockers. Checking preserves the chance to pair an overcard without risking chips on a low-equity bluff.

With Queen-high and no club blocker on a coordinated board, bluffing is risky as opponent may call with Ace-high or any pair; checking to realize any slim showdown value or fold to a bet.

Q-high has little showdown value, and the big blind's repeated checks leave many unpaired hands in range. A modest bluff targets ace-high and king-high while risking only slightly more than half the pot.

I only have Queen-high with no showdown value on a coordinated paired board, making this an easy fold against the river bet.

KJo is a strong button hand in 3-handed play, well ahead of blind ranges. Raising takes initiative and builds value versus weaker calls.

Holding pocket eights in the small blind against a button open in 3-handed play, three-betting to 900 allows us to take initiative, thin the field, and isolate the wide button opening range.

83 offsuit is far too weak to continue against an open and a three-bet, especially with the original raiser still to act. Folding avoids committing more chips with poor equity and playability.

KJo in position against a SB 3-bet in 3-handed play has enough equity for 650 into 1250, and playing in position lets me realize equity postflop rather than folding too tight or 4-betting.

I hold an underpair with a gutshot straight draw on a coordinated flop out of position in a 3-bet pot; checking controls the pot size and allows me to evaluate the turn.

Opponent 3-bet preflop then checked a T-high flop, showing weakness. In position with two overcards and the Kh blocker, a small bet can take the 1900 pot now and we can still improve on the turn.

I hold a pocket pair with a gutshot straight draw and heart backdoor on a draw-heavy flop, getting excellent pot odds against button's probe bet.

We hold an underpair to the top card on a paired board with showdown value; checking is standard out of position.

With king-high, no pair and no real draw on a paired board, checking takes a free river after opponent check-called the flop, avoiding bluffing into a strong 3-bet range.

I hold two pair (eights and sevens with a ten kicker). Checking to realize showdown value since worse hands won't call a bet and better hands won't fold.

I have only king-high against a paired board and lose to ace-high and most showdown hands, but opponent checked three streets after calling the flop. A sizable river bluff representing trips or a straight gives the best chance to win the 3300 pot.

Holding an underpair to the board on a runout of T-7-4-7-9 with two eights in hand heavily blocks villain's potential straight draw bluffs, and villain's sizable river bet is heavily weighted toward value that beats two pair eights and sevens.

Holding 7c 2d, the worst starting hand in hold'em, folding on the button is standard.

Q7 suited is strong enough to open small blind versus big blind after the button folds. Raising to 3bb pressures the big blind’s weaker hands while retaining reasonable equity when called.

9-6 offsuit is too weak to defend the big blind against a 3x small-blind raise, even heads-up and in position postflop.

A9 offsuit is a clear button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while retaining positional advantage if called.

AKo is a premium 3-handed; 3-betting the button open from the small blind builds value and isolates while denying the big blind cheap entry.

Facing a button open and a 3-bet from the small blind, J6o is an easy fold out of the big blind.

A9 offsuit is a marginal continue against a substantial small-blind three-bet, with frequent domination and limited playability even in position. Without evidence of excessive three-betting, folding is preferable to calling or bluffing.