Hold'em table

As the button in a three-handed game, 8-6 offsuit is playable as a wide opening raise. Raising applies pressure to the blinds and lets me use position postflop.

J3 suited is too weak to continue from the small blind facing a button open, especially out of position with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids paying 200 into a dominated, low-equity spot.

T8o lacks sufficient playability and equity out of position facing a 2.5x button open.

K4s is playable as a button open in three-handed poker, and raising builds the pot with initiative rather than limping.

T2o is an unplayable hand from the small blind against a button open. Easy fold.

9♥8♣ is a playable blind defense against a button min-raise, and the pot odds make calling preferable to folding. I’ll avoid inflating the pot with a 3-bet.

I have an open-ended straight draw but no made hand, so I’ll check and retain the option to continue if the button bets.

King-high with only a backdoor spade has little showdown value, so I take a small c-bet on this dry flop after the big blind checks.

I have an open-ended straight draw with eight outs and am getting a reasonable price to continue. Calling preserves the chance to improve without inflating the pot with a draw.

I have an open-ended straight draw but little showdown value, so I’ll take the free card and avoid building the pot out of position.

King-high with no pair or draw on Tc-5-7-2, and the opponent already called a flop bet, so a turn bluff has poor fold equity. Checking is free and avoids spewing into a likely made hand.

I have a straight and can value-bet against one-pair hands, while a moderate size may still get calls on this connected river. An opponent holding 8-9 can tie, so I avoid an oversized bet.

King-high with no pair or draw on this river loses to any pair or ace, and calling 500 into a 1410 pot is not justified. Folding is the only sensible option.

J4 offsuit is too weak to open profitably even on the button in 3-handed play.

With the button folded, A2 offsuit is a reasonable heads-up raise from the small blind to take initiative and apply pressure to the big blind.

Queen-ten suited is strong enough to continue heads-up against a small-blind open, and calling 200 into 400 keeps the pot controlled with a hand that plays well postflop.

I have a weak pair on a board that can connect with the caller’s range, so I’ll keep the pot small and see how they respond.

I have top pair with a queen kicker on a dry flop, and the preflop raiser checked. A small value bet can get called by worse pairs and ace-highs while keeping the pot manageable.

I have a pair with the ace kicker and am getting a favorable price against a small bet. Calling keeps weaker hands and bluffs in without inflating the pot.

I have two pair on the turn and should value-bet against Ax and weaker hands while charging possible draws. A 700-chip bet is a substantial but controlled size into the 1100-chip pot.

Second pair with a queen kicker is too weak to continue once the ace hits and the preflop raiser leads the turn. There are few natural bluffs on this dry board, so calling 700 is unlikely to be profitable.

A♦3♦ is a strong button opening hand three-handed, and raising applies pressure while keeping the sizing modest.

Pocket sevens is ahead of a typical button open, and a small three-bet from the small blind builds the pot while denying the big blind a cheap flop.

K4o is very weak facing an open and a 3-bet, making it an easy fold.

A♦3♦ has useful suited-ace potential and position, making a call reasonable despite the sizable 3-bet. I’ll avoid inflating the pot with a marginal 4-bet hand.

I flopped a set of sevens and want to build the pot against a preflop caller who often has a king or overpair. A roughly two-thirds pot bet gets value while keeping worse hands in.

A-high has little showdown value on this board, and the call price is too large without a meaningful draw. The bettor’s 3-bet range is likely to contain plenty of Kx and stronger hands.

J2 offsuit is too weak to call or open even on the button, so folding avoids a dominated, low-playability spot.

Ten-deuce suited is too weak to contest out of position against the big blind after the button folds.

Holding Ah Qh on the button 3-handed is a premium holding; making a standard 2.5bb open raise.

3♦2♠ is a very weak offsuit hand, and calling 200 more out of position against a sizeable button raise would require too much equity.

35 offsuit is too weak to continue against a button open, even for a cheap call from the big blind. Folding avoids playing a dominated, disconnected hand out of position.