Hold'em table

QJ offsuit is a strong button hand in 3-handed play, so I raise to take initiative and build value in position.

52 suited is too weak to continue profitably against a button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more with poor equity realization out of position.

Facing a 2.5bb button raise with 1.5bb to call from the big blind, K7 offsuit has enough playability and the price justifies defending.

I have King-high with no pair on a board paired with aces, and I can check for free, so checking keeps the pot small and avoids investing more chips with a weak hand.

As the preflop raiser I have a strong range advantage on the paired-ace board, and QJ has little showdown value. A small continuation bet can fold many non-ace hands from the big blind.

I have King-high with no pair on an A-A-4 board, so I am almost certainly behind a made ace-high hand and should fold to the 200 bet.

Despite having the button, 5-4 offsuit is too weak for a standard open against two unknown blinds. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity realization.

Three-eight suited is one of the weakest hands, and calling 50 more to see a flop out of the small blind is not profitable enough to justify playing it.

Calling 100 chips from the button with 7-4 offsuit is a cheap speculative play in a 3-handed game, and folding would give up a small, reasonable position.

J6 offsuit is too weak to play out of position against two opponents; even for 50 chips the postflop disadvantage outweighs the pot odds.

T7 offsuit is too weak to routinely isolate a button limper from out of position. Checking realizes its equity without investing more chips.

Middle pair with a weak kicker has showdown value but gains little from building the pot out of position. Checking keeps weaker hands in and lets us assess the button’s action.

Seat 2 checked the flop out of position, so a bet of about 80% pot in position can win the pot immediately with no showdown value needed. If called or raised, I can give up on later streets.

Middle pair has enough showdown value to defend against a button stab in a limped pot, where the bettor can have draws and unpaired hands. Calling keeps those weaker hands in without inflating the pot with a weak kicker.

Second pair with a weak kicker has showdown value but little reason to build the pot out of position. Checking keeps the opponent's bluffs in and lets us reassess against their turn sizing.

I hold 4-7 with no pair and no realistic draw on a T-Q-2-3 board, and checking is free, so checking keeps the hand cheap.

My two pair has showdown value, but betting is unlikely to get called by many worse hands. Checking keeps the opponent's missed draws and potential bluffs in play without inflating the pot against a queen or better.

I hold 4-7 with no pair or made straight on a paired T-Q-3-2-2 board, so I have little showdown value. Checking is free and keeps the pot small rather than bluffing into a player who has shown strength by calling the flop raise.

Q4 offsuit is below a profitable button opening range against two blinds; raising risks 250 to win 150 with poor equity when called and domination by better queens.

T3 offsuit is a weak, disconnected hand with poor postflop playability out of position. Without evidence that the big blind overfolds, folding is preferable to completing or raising.

97 suited is a profitable button open three-handed, with position and good postflop playability. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while keeping the investment modest.

Facing a 200-chip call into a 400 pot, I'm getting about 2:1 with J-8 offsuit, which is a playable hand in a three-way pot against a button open.

Closing the action in the big blind, calling 150 into 600 gives good pot odds with king-high despite a weak kicker, and a raise would bloat the pot with a marginal hand.

I have an open-ended straight draw with 8-high, but in a three-way pot it is cheaper to check and keep the hand inexpensive than to bet into two opponents.

I have a king-high flush draw with an overcard on a Q-7-6 board. Checking to the preflop raiser preserves pot control and lets me realize draw equity at a better price than donk-betting into two opponents.

Middle pair has showdown value but is too weak to bet comfortably into two opponents on this draw-heavy board. Checking back controls the pot and lets us reassess on the turn in position.

I hold J-8 offsuit with only a weak straight draw against a board pairing queens, so I have little showdown value. Checking is free and keeps the pot small, and I can see whether the other seats show strength before committing chips.

With only king-high on a paired queen board in a three-way pot, I have no value bet and a bluff into two checked opponents risks a slow-played queen or two-pair call. Checking keeps the pot controlled and realizes my showdown equity for free.

Our pair has showdown value, but betting into two opponents risks isolating us against better hands. Checking behind keeps the pot controlled and lets us reassess on the river.

I have only Jack-high with no pair on a paired Q-7-6-K board, and checking is free with no bet to call, so checking keeps the pot small.

After flop and turn checked through, my kings-over-queens two pair is likely best on the river. A moderate value bet can get calls from pocket pairs, a 7, or weaker showdown hands while limiting exposure to a queen.

My sevens are a weak bluff-catcher against a two-thirds-pot river bet into two opponents, with another player still to act. Without evidence of excessive bluffing, calling is unlikely to meet the required 28.6% equity.

I have only King-high with a Jack kicker on a paired Queen-high board, so calling 500 into a 1250 pot needs about 29% equity that I don't have against a river raise. Folding is the disciplined choice.

Pocket fives are a playable pair in a 3-way pot with two blinds to attack, so raising to 300 builds the pot and takes initiative while keeping strong playability.

9-4 offsuit is very weak facing a button raise to 300; calling 250 from the small blind out of position has negative expectation.

Q7 offsuit is a weak, frequently dominated hand against a 3bb button open. Folding avoids a marginal defense out of position with poor postflop playability.