Hold'em table

We are on the button with a marginal hand; raising to 250 applies pressure to the blinds and may take the pot down immediately, leveraging our position to start the hand with initiative.

J8 offsuit has sufficient equity to defend against a button open at this price, especially with no rake. Calling keeps the pot manageable despite playing out of position.

Getting 150 to win 750 (about 17% equity needed) in a multiway pot from the big blind, 85o has enough playability to call. Reraising has little fold equity against two players.

With only jack-high on an paired ace board in a three-way pot, checking is preferable to attempting a low-equity bluff.

With 85o on an A-A-2 board I have only a gutshot to a wheel, and the preflop raiser is still to act behind me. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me realize my equity.

I have two pair on a paired board and can value-bet worse jacks, pocket pairs, and draws while charging random overcards.

With 8-high and no draw on an A-A-J-2 board, I have almost no equity against a turn bet, and a player behind is still to act.

I only have queen-high with no real draw on a paired ace board, and facing a turn bet I am likely behind. Folding preserves chips for better spots.

7-3 offsuit is a very weak button opening hand in a three-handed game and is not worth investing with.

Heads-up in the small blind versus the big blind, 86o is a reasonable open. Raising to 3bb puts pressure on the big blind and avoids playing a limped pot out of position.

I have an ace and am getting good pot odds to defend my big blind heads-up, so calling is profitable. I'll play the flop carefully out of position.

Bottom pair with only backdoor straight potential on a connected J-T board is weak out of position, so checking controls the pot and keeps some showdown value.

I have only ace-high with no strong draw, and the opponent checked to me. Taking the free card is the best way to realize my limited equity without risking chips.

Bottom pair with no real draw has showdown value but gets little value from betting and plays poorly against a check-raise. Checking keeps the pot small out of position.

Opponent checked both flop and turn, suggesting weakness. I bet about half pot to take the pot now and protect my pair of fours against overcards.

With bottom pair and 5 outs to improve, I only need 25% equity against this small turn bet after the flop checked through. A call keeps the bluffs in their range.

Bottom pair of sixes has some showdown value against missed draws, and the ace river is a bad card to bluff into a player who bet the turn. Checking to realize equity is best.

A8o on the button in 3-handed play is a clear open-raise; a standard 2.5bb open pressures both blinds.

4s2s is a very weak hand facing a raise, and I'm out of position with the big blind still to act behind me. Folding preserves chips for better spots.

J4 offsuit is too weak to defend against a button raise at this sizing heads-up.

J9s is strong enough to raise from the button, applying pressure on the blinds and often taking the pot preflop.

43 offsuit is too weak to defend the small blind against a button open with the big blind still behind.

A7o in the big blind against a button open to 2.5bb is a clear defend at 150 to win 400 (about 27% equity needed). Calling keeps the opener's weaker hands in, and A7o is not strong enough to 3-bet for value.

Ace-high with a backdoor straight draw out of position in a single-raised pot; checking to the preflop raiser keeps the pot small and lets me realize equity.

I have top pair with a decent kicker on a draw-heavy board, so I bet for value and protection.

The pot offers about 3.6 to 1 on a smallish c-bet, and A7 has an overcard ace plus backdoor straight potential. That's enough equity against a wide button range to continue.

I have ace-high with a gutshot (a 6 gives me 5-6-7-8-9) and I'm out of position against a button c-bet. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me realize my equity, and I can decide on a turn bet if they fire.

Betting for value with top pair and a strong kicker, while also charging any spade draws or straight draws. If I get raised, I can reevaluate on the river.

Ace-high with no real draw facing a second barrel of 800 into 2050 lacks the roughly 28% equity needed to call against a range that bets the turn this strongly. Folding avoids bleeding more chips.

J9 offsuit is a reasonable button opening hand in three-handed play, and a 2.5bb raise pressures the blinds while keeping the pot manageable.

97s from the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still to act, is a marginal spot and would be out of position postflop. Folding is the standard low-risk play; a 3-bet bluff is possible but not needed here.

AKs is a premium hand and I have position on the raiser after the small blind folded, so I want to build the pot and apply pressure preflop. A 3-bet to 800 should isolate the button while keeping the pot manageable if I miss the flop.

J9 offsuit is too weak to continue against a large big-blind 3-bet, especially out of position postflop.

Three-handed on the button, J2s is a reasonable steal: it has position and flush potential, and I only have two blinds left to act behind me.

32o is a very weak hand and facing a raise out of position, so calling or raising has poor expected value. Folding preserves chips for a better spot.

Q2 offsuit is too weak to defend against a button raise, especially out of position.