Hold'em table

Opening small on the button can win the blinds while using position to realize this suited one-gapper’s equity when called. The modest sizing limits risk with a marginal opening hand.

7-3 offsuit is a trash hand out of position in the small blind facing a button raise; folding is clearly correct.

Q5 offsuit is a marginal defend against a button raise and plays poorly out of position, with frequent domination when it pairs. Without evidence that the opener is unusually loose, folding is preferable.

K3 offsuit on the button in a 3-handed game is marginal; it's playable as a steal in some spots, but it's dominated often and plays poorly postflop, so folding is a reasonable, low-variance choice.

KTs is a strong suited hand heads-up against the big blind. Raising to 3 big blinds builds value and pressures weaker hands to fold while accounting for our positional disadvantage.

J5 offsuit is too weak to profitably defend against a 3bb raise without evidence of an unusually loose opponent. Its poor connectivity and domination risk outweigh the positional advantage.

T4 suited is a reasonable button steal in a three-handed, rake-free game. A small raise pressures the blinds while limiting investment with a marginal hand.

76 offsuit is too weak to defend profitably from the small blind against a button raise, with poor equity realization out of position and the big blind still to act.

Button min-ish raise to 2.25bb, SB folded; I'm getting 375:125 (3:1) in the big blind with 97o, which plays fine postflop heads-up and is a standard defend at these odds.

I have a gutshot (6 for a straight) and 9-high on an ace-high board as the preflop caller out of position; checking to the raiser is standard and lets me see a cheap continuation bet or a free card.

This ace-high, rainbow flop favors my preflop raising range, making a small continuation bet an efficient bluff against the big blind. I have little showdown value but retain backdoor diamond and straight possibilities if called.

Gutshot (any 6) facing a small 30%-pot c-bet; direct odds plus implied odds justify a cheap call, and we retain bluff options on later streets.

I have a pair of 7s with a gutshot (6 gives straight) on a board with an ace and flush draw; out of position against the preflop raiser who c-bet, checking to see what they do is prudent rather than betting into a likely stronger range.

The turn gives me a flush draw and a gutshot with essentially no showdown value, making this a strong semi-bluff candidate. A three-quarter-pot bet pressures weaker pairs while retaining meaningful equity when called.

Middle pair with a gutshot facing a 75% pot turn barrel on an ace-high two-tone board; ~9 outs at best with 30% pot odds needed, and many outs are tainted by flush/Ax combos, so folding is the disciplined play.

85 offsuit is too weak for a standard button open with two players behind. Without evidence that the blinds overfold, folding is preferable to limping or attempting a marginal steal.

Button folded, so it's SB vs BB heads-up; T8o is a fine hand to open-raise from the small blind to pressure the big blind and take initiative rather than limping or folding.

Against a small-blind open, Q6 offsuit is strong enough to defend at 2-to-1 pot odds. Position postflop and no rake make calling preferable to folding or inflating the pot with a raise.

As the preflop raiser on a paired K-J-J board that favors my range, a small continuation bet with T8 (gutshot to the Q) is a cheap bluff that folds out many worse holdings; the board is dry so a 1/3 pot bet gets plenty of folds.

Queen-high has little showdown value against the preflop raiser on this board, with no direct straight or flush draw. Even against the small bet, weak improvement prospects and likely future pressure make folding preferable.

K4o on the button in a 3-handed game is a standard open; raising to 2.5bb attacks the blinds with position and a hand that plays fine postflop.

J8 offsuit is too weak to continue against a 2.5bb button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more with poor playability out of position.

Calling costs 150 into a 400-chip pot, giving favorable odds against a typically wide button-opening range. A2 offsuit is sufficient to defend here without inflating the pot out of position.

This king-queen-high flop favors the preflop raiser, and A2 has little equity when called. Checking avoids an unprofitable lead while retaining some ace-high showdown value.

Top pair with a weak kicker on a K-Q-7 board after BB checks; a c-bet for value and protection against straight draws (JT, etc.) and weaker pairs is standard heads-up as the preflop raiser.

Ace-high with a weak kicker and no direct draw is too weak to continue against this bet out of position. The king-queen-high flop favors the preflop raiser, and our equity realization is poor.

Pocket threes are a profitable opening hand on the button three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while retaining position and set potential when called.

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

J2 offsuit is a weak hand out of position against a button open; folding avoids playing a dominated hand postflop even with decent pot odds.