Hold'em table

Opening on the button with K3s, which has good suited playability and equity against the blinds in 3-handed play.

A♣T♠ is a solid defend against a button raise, but calling keeps the pot manageable out of position and avoids building a large pot against a potentially stronger continuing range.

T3o is too weak to continue multiway against a button raise and a small-blind call; the price is not good enough to justify the hand.

With ace-high and a gutshot to Broadway, checking keeps the pot small while preserving the chance to improve or respond to a bet.

I have top pair with a weak kicker in position; checking back controls the pot size and under-reps my hand.

With ace-high and a gutshot to the nuts, I have some showdown value and can realize my equity without building the pot. A turn bet is unlikely to get enough better hands to fold.

I have top pair and opponent has checked twice; betting a bit over half pot extracts value and protects against straight and flush draws.

I have only ace-high with a gutshot-style draw: a queen or nine can improve me, but the direct odds to call are insufficient and the bettor can have a made hand.

With a small pair on the button in a three-handed game, raising is a profitable open and applies pressure to the blinds. A modest 2.5× raise keeps weaker hands in while limiting risk.

Q9o is too weak to call a button open out of position with the big blind still to act, and it is a poor three-bet bluff. Folding saves chips.

T5s is too weak to defend out of position against a 2.5bb button open.

J2 offsuit is too weak to open from the button even three-handed; it is dominated often and has poor playability, so folding is the highest-EV line.

KTo is strong blind versus blind after the button folded; raising to 3bb applies pressure and builds the pot with an equity advantage.

Calling gets a reasonable price with a connected hand against a likely wide small-blind opening range. Raising would risk too much with 8-high offsuit.}

As the preflop aggressor on an Ace-high dry board, a small 1/3 pot continuation bet leverages our range advantage.

The small bet gives favorable pot odds, and I have backdoor straight and diamond-flush possibilities. I’ll call in position rather than raise with no made hand.

I fired preflop and on the flop with King-high, but after being called on an Ace-high board and picking up no equity on the turn, it is best to give up and check.

The turn gives me a weak pair, but the preflop raiser can still have many stronger hands. I’ll check and preserve showdown value rather than inflate the pot.

We missed everything and hold King-high with zero showdown value, but opponent called flop and could easily have a weak pair that won't fold to a single river bet.

A pair of sevens with an eight kicker has some showdown value, but a river bet is unlikely to get called by worse often enough. I’ll take the free showdown.

87 offsuit is on the bottom edge of the button opening range; folding is a disciplined and safe play.

With the button folded, completing the small blind with suited 9-3 is reasonable at the favorable price; raising would overplay a weak hand.

J8 offsuit is too weak to raise out of position against a limper, and checking is free.

I have no pair or meaningful draw on an ace-high flop, so I’ll check rather than invest chips without equity.

J8 high has no pair and no draw on Q-A-2, so a flop stab has little equity if called. Checking back keeps the pot small and avoids spewing into a range that often has an ace or a pair.

I have no meaningful draw or showdown value, and checking keeps the pot small without risking chips.

J8 has no pair, draw, or meaningful blockers on A-Q-2-2, so there is no value in betting. Checking keeps the pot small against a range that has already checked twice.

I have no showdown value, so I’ll make a small river bluff into the 200-chip pot, targeting hands that checked twice and missed. The sizing risks little while pressuring weak holdings.

I have jacks and deuces and only need to call 100 into 300. The small river bet is cheap enough that bluffs and worse hands justify a call, while raising would only fold out hands I beat.

8-3 offsuit is too weak to continue from the button facing the big blind; calling has poor equity and raising risks too much with a weak hand.

Button folded, so this is heads-up versus the big blind with KQo, a clear raise. Raising to 300 builds the pot and denies a cheap flop.

Holding 72 offsuit, the weakest starting hand, folding to a raise from the small blind is an easy decision.

Suited connectors on the button are worth a standard open; raising to 3bb builds the pot in position and can take the blinds.

A2o plays poorly out of position against a 3x button open, making it a clear fold from the small blind.

The button’s raise is large, but the pot odds and suited hand give enough potential against a wide three-handed opening range to defend the big blind.

I have no pair or meaningful draw on a connected flop, so there is little value in leading into the preflop raiser. I’ll take the free card.

I have middle pair plus a gutshot on a checked flop, so a small c-bet takes the initiative and can get value or folds from worse hands.

I have no pair or meaningful draw, and the bet gives insufficient odds to continue with only remote runner-runner possibilities.