Hold'em table

K2 suited on the button is a marginal hand, but calling 100 to see a cheap flop with position is reasonable in a 3-handed game.

97o is a weak hand, especially out of position against the button who limped. Completing the small blind offers good pot odds but postflop playability is poor, and raising would risk too much with little equity if called.

Button limped and SB folded; 8d5d suited is a fine hand to see a free flop with from the big blind, and raising a limper out of position with a marginal hand isn't necessary.

Flush draw plus gutshot (any 7 gives a straight) with ~12-15 outs on a dry-ish board versus a limper; betting small for value/fold equity while keeping the pot manageable out of position.

I have a spade flush draw plus king high, and calling 150 into a 550 pot gives about 27% pot odds, which a draw with two cards to come clears. Raising risks more chips against a player who may have a stronger made hand.

Turned a flush with 5d8d on a four-diamond board (ace-high flush, only beaten by two-diamond hands with J/Q/K). Bet for value against a limper who called the flop.

I hold only King-high with no pair and no realistic flush draw, and facing a 400 turn raise into a 950 pot I'd need about 30% equity to call, which a King-high hand does not have against a range that likes Ax hands.

Button open with a speculative hand to apply pressure and take down the pot preflop or play in position postflop.

Q8 suited is a marginal but playable hand against a 2.5x button open; calling 200 into a 400 pot from the small blind gives reasonable odds and a suited queen plays okay postflop. 3-betting would be too thin and folding too tight given pot odds.

Getting about 4-to-1 from the 600-chip pot for 150 chips, and 6-4 offsuit has roughly enough three-way equity to justify a call from the big blind.

Middle pair with a queen kicker on a coordinated 7-8-9 two-tone board, out of position against two players; checking keeps the pot small and lets me evaluate the preflop raiser's action before committing chips.

With 6-4 on 8-9-7 I have a straight draw with several outs but no made hand, so I take the free card rather than bloat the pot out of position.

I have bottom pair with a gutshot on a wet, connected board. Both opponents checked, so I'll take a free card to try to improve on the turn.

Middle pair of eights with a queen kicker on a coordinated board that just turned a king; betting into two opponents is thin, so I check to control the pot and evaluate their action.

I have only a 6-high straight draw (needs a 5 or T) with no made hand, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids investing more chips without showdown value.

I have middle pair with a gutshot straight draw on a wet board, and both opponents have shown weakness. Checking keeps the pot small and gives me a free card to improve.

Middle pair with Q kicker has showdown value, but any 6, JT, 9x, or Kx beats us and few worse hands call a river bet; checking keeps the pot small and avoids getting check-raised.

I hold a straight (4-5-6-7-8) and can check for free on the river, keeping the pot small against possible better hands that may call a bet.

River checked around, indicating weakness; my two pair (7s and 5s) is likely ahead on this board with no completed straight visible. Betting for value around 80% pot to get called by worse pairs or draws that missed.

Middle pair with Q kicker on a checked-down board; button checked twice then stabs river, which includes plenty of air. Need ~31% equity to call and we beat missed draws and high-card hands.

I hold a made straight, 5 through 9, which only loses to a few hands like 6-T or T-J, and the river bet looks like a stab I can raise for value.

My bottom two pair is likely behind a straight or set given the check-raise on the river, and the pot odds don't justify a call.

Second pair with Q kicker on a 5-card straight board faces a river check-raise into two players; seat_1's range here is heavily weighted to straights, two pair and sets, so a pair of eights is well under the ~24% equity needed.

J9o on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb takes initiative and pressures the blinds.

Six-high offsuit with a jack kicker is weak, and facing a 250 raise from the button with 200 to call out of the small blind, folding is the disciplined play at a 3-handed table.

9s6c is a weak hand out of position against a button raise; folding preserves chips for better spots.

With 86 offsuit on the button, calling 100 to see a cheap flop is reasonable in a 3-handed game, since folding gives up the blinds' dead money and the hand has some straight and suited potential.

J9o is a marginal hand, but getting 5:1 pot odds to complete from the small blind is too good to pass up. Raising risks too much against an unknown big blind and a button limper who could be trapping.

5s4s is a speculative hand that plays well multiway with position-less but cheap flop; limped pot, checking to see a free flop is standard rather than raising into two callers.

I have no pair and no draw on this low connected board, so checking avoids building a pot out of position with a weak hand.

Top pair with an open-ended straight draw (any A or 6) on a coordinated board; betting 2/3 pot builds the pot, charges flush draws and overcards, and denies free cards in a limped multiway pot.

I have 8-6 with only a gutshot straight draw and a weak backdoor flush draw, facing a 200 bet into a 500 pot with a third player still in, so the pot odds don't justify calling.

I have jack-high with no flush or straight draw on a low, connected board, and the big blind's flop bet represents a pair or better. Folding avoids chasing with little equity.

T5s is a very weak hand with poor equity, and with two blinds to act behind, it's not profitable to play from the button. Folding preserves chips.

Button folded, so it's blind vs blind; K3o is a standard open-raise from the small blind heads-up to take initiative and often win the pot preflop.

King-jack offsuit is a playable hand facing only a small raise from the small blind, and I getting 3-to-1 pot odds to call 200 into a 400 pot makes calling better than folding or bloating the pot out of position.

Top pair on a paired, dry-ish board heads-up as the preflop aggressor; a small c-bet for value and protection against flush/straight draws while keeping the pot manageable with a weak kicker.

Top pair of kings with a jack kicker is strong enough to continue against a single flop bet, and calling keeps the pot manageable without risking a raise into a possible set.

Top pair on a paired board versus a BB flop-caller whose range is heavy with flush draws, straight draws, and weaker pairs; a half-pot barrel charges draws and gets value from worse Kx/8x-less hands while keeping the pot manageable with my weak kicker.

Top pair of kings with a jack kicker is strong against this aggressive line, and calling 650 into a 1950 pot is a reasonable price. I prefer calling to folding and avoid raising into a range that may hold sets or two pair.

Top pair with a weak kicker on a board where the third spade completed flushes; after two streets of calls, villain's range is heavy with Kx (chops), 8x, and flush draws that got there. Thin value isn't there, so check and evaluate.

We have top-two-pair (kings and jacks) on a paired board, and checking is free and keeps the pot controlled against a seat that just checked the river.

2c3d offsuit is one of the worst starting hands; even on the button with 100bb it's a clear fold rather than paying to see a flop out of position-neutral spot.

Heads-up against the big blind with A-3 offsuit, completing the 50-chip small blind is a cheap way to see a flop with a playable but weak hand.

With 53s in the big blind and seat 1 limping, I have a weak hand and no reason to raise. Checking lets me see a cheap flop.

I have only ace-high with a 3c and no made hand on this K-Q-J board, and seat_2 checked to me, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids bloating it out of position.

I have a flush draw with 5s3s on a KcQsJs board. Seat 1 checked, so I'll take the free card to try to hit my flush on the turn.

I hold A-high with no pair on a K-Q-J-J board, and the check is free, so I'll take the free card rather than bloat a pot where I'm unlikely to be ahead.

I have a flush draw and the board is coordinated, but my hand has no showdown value. The opponent has checked twice, showing weakness, so a semi-bluff bet of 150 into a 200 pot can fold out many better hands and I still have equity if called.

I have only ace-high with one straight out (a ten), about 4 outs with one card to come, which is well short of the roughly 30% equity needed to call 150 into a 350 pot.