Hold'em table

4c7c is too weak to play profitably even on the button; without information on opponents, folding is best.

Completing costs only 50 chips into a 150-chip pot, making this suited hand worth playing blind versus blind. Calling keeps the pot small while out of position.

With 9-2 offsuit, checking takes a free flop in position without investing more in a very weak hand.

With nine-high, no direct draw, and only a backdoor club flush draw, this is a weak bluff candidate out of position. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves the chance to improve if the big blind checks back.

Bottom pair has some showdown value, and checking behind keeps the pot small against stronger pairs. The backdoor spade draw also provides a little additional upside without needing to bet.

The nine gives us modest showdown value, but betting risks getting called mostly by better pairs and draws with substantial equity. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves our option to bluff-catch against a small bet.

Turning two pair gives us a strong value bet against a twice-checked range. Betting three-quarters pot extracts value from aces, queens, and draws while charging hands that can outdraw us.

Third pair is a reasonable bluff-catcher against a delayed bet in this heads-up limped pot, and my hand does not block missed spade draws. Calling costs 150 to contest a final pot of 500, with river action still available to reassess.

My pair of nines has some showdown value, but a river bet is unlikely to get called by worse. With no spade blocker and both flushes and straights completing, checking is preferable to turning this hand into a bluff.

Our two pair has solid showdown value, but the river completes both spade flushes and JT straights. Checking avoids a thin value bet that may be called disproportionately by better hands.

A7 offsuit is a standard button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while leveraging position and the ace blocker.

Seven-three 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.

With 54s in the big blind facing a button raise to 2.5x, calling is standard. We have enough equity against a wide button range and implied odds with a suited connector, while 3-betting would over-represent our hand and risk getting 4-bet off our equity.

My hand is complete air with no draw and weak high card, so donk betting into the preflop raiser on a paired broadway board would be suicidal. I'll check and likely fold to any bet.

Ace-high has showdown value, but without a heart or useful backdoor draw it is a weak candidate for building the pot. Checking back realizes equity in position and keeps the opponent's weaker hands in.

Bluffing to represent a king after both players checked the flop, aiming to fold out weaker hands and take the 550 pot without showdown.

Ace-high with no meaningful draw is too weak to continue against this sizable turn bet. We have limited improvement potential against value hands and better hands available to defend.

Pocket sevens are a clear button open three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds builds value, pressures the blinds, and preserves positional advantage when called.

Th6s is too weak to call out of position against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act behind.

Q7 suited is a reasonable big-blind defense against a button open, with only 150 to call into a 400 pot. Calling preserves its suited equity without inflating the pot out of position.

Top pair with a weak kicker is a natural check out of position against the preflop raiser on this dry board. Checking keeps weaker hands and bluffs in while avoiding unnecessarily building a pot against better queens.

Pocket sevens have showdown value but get limited value from worse hands on this board. Checking back keeps the pot manageable and preserves equity without exposing us to a check-raise.

After the button checks back the flop, top pair can value-bet against 9x, smaller pairs, and draws. This sizing also charges overcards while keeping the pot manageable with a weak kicker.

Calling costs 300 to contest a final pot of 1,150, requiring about 26% equity. After the flop checked through, the big blind can probe with draws and unpaired hands often enough to continue with this pocket pair.

Our weak queen has showdown value, but the river ace improves some of the opponent's turn calls and makes value betting thin. Checking avoids inflating the pot against better hands and leaves missed draws room to bluff.

Sevens retain showdown value against missed draws and weaker turn stabs. Betting would mostly fold worse hands while risking a call from queens, nines, or aces, so I take the free showdown.

In position on the button, raising to steal the blinds with a speculative hand.

Q3 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 3bb button raise, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing further with poor playability out of position.

A ten offsuit is strong enough to defend the big blind against a button open. Calling keeps weaker hands in the pot and avoids inflating it out of position against a stronger continuing range.

Ace-ten has some showdown value and two overcards on this dry flop. Checking out of position to the preflop raiser protects our checking range and avoids building a pot with an unimproved hand.

I take a stab at this dry flop from the button after the big blind checks, betting about half pot to fold out missed hands with my air.

Ace-ten has reasonable showdown value against a button continuation-bet range, plus two overcards and a backdoor wheel draw. Calling 300 to contest a final pot of 1,250 is preferable to folding this strong ace-high or turning it into a bluff.

Ace-high retains some showdown value and has a gutshot to the wheel. Checking to the preflop raiser keeps the pot manageable without turning a potentially useful hand into an unnecessary bluff.

The opponent checked, indicating weakness. I have an open-ended straight draw with 8 outs. A semi-bluff bet of 800 into 1250 builds the pot when I hit and applies pressure to fold out marginal hands.

Ace-high with a gutshot has insufficient equity to call 800 into 2050 against a second barrel. Our potential pair outs are unreliable, and there is no strong reason to turn this hand into a check-raise bluff.

A6 suited is a clear button open three-handed, with an ace blocker and nut-flush potential. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while keeping the pot manageable in position.

J9 offsuit is too weak to defend profitably from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids playing a frequently dominated hand out of position.

Getting almost 3:1 on a call from the big blind with T8o against a button raise; it's a marginal but profitable defend given the price.

My hand is weak with Th 8s on a Q-high flop. I'll check and see what the button does.

Middle pair with an ace kicker has useful showdown value on this dry board. Checking back controls the pot and keeps weaker hands in the opponent’s range without exposing us to a check-raise.

My hand misses the board and has almost no equity, but the turn King is a scare card and opponent checked back flop, so a bluff bet here can take down the pot against his likely weak range.

Calling costs 300 to contest a final pot of 1,150, requiring about 26% equity. Our pair can beat turn probes and draws, and holding no hearts leaves the opponent's heart-draw bluffs unblocked; position lets us reassess on the river.

Our Ten-high has no showdown value and the board is highly coordinated. Checking allows us to see a free showdown or fold to a bet, avoiding risking additional chips on a bluff that is unlikely to succeed against an opponent who called the turn.

Our pair of sixes has showdown value against missed draws and turn bluffs. Betting is unlikely to get called by worse or reliably fold out better pairs, so checking preserves that value.

A small button raise uses position and king-high blocker value to contest the blinds cheaply. K3 offsuit is marginal, so the minimum raise limits risk while preserving steal equity.

2s4c is a very weak hand from the small blind with no potential; folding avoids losing chips out of position.

Calling costs 100 into a 350-chip pot, making a wide big-blind defense reasonable against a button min-raise with no rake. J4 offsuit is marginal but has enough equity against a typical button opening range to continue cautiously.

J4 has little equity on this paired flop, with no flush draw or immediate straight draw. Checking out of position avoids investing in a weak bluff against the preflop raiser.

A small continuation bet leverages my preflop range advantage on this paired board and can fold out hands with live equity against king-high. Betting one-third pot keeps the bluff inexpensive.

J4 offsuit has little showdown value and no strong draw on this paired board. Even against a small bet, continuing out of position is unlikely to be profitable.