Hold'em table

Ace-six suited on the button in a 3-handed game is well ahead of blind ranges, so raising to build the pot in position is profitable.

94 suited is too weak to continue against a button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more chips in a hand with poor playability out of position.

KTs is strong enough to defend the big blind against a 2.5x button raise. Calling keeps weaker hands in while avoiding a large out-of-position pot.

King-ten high has little immediate equity on this low, connected flop. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me assess the button's action.

In position as preflop raiser with Ac6c on 5-7-8, I have an open-ended straight draw plus an ace overcard. A half-pot semi-bluff can win immediately and still has strong equity if called.

Two overcards, a backdoor heart draw, and some straight potential make a call reasonable against this flop bet.

The turn gives me a king-high flush draw, but I am still out of position with no made hand. Checking lets me see how the preflop raiser responds before committing more chips.

With Ace-high and an open-ended straight draw on a paired board, checking in position takes a free card and avoids building a pot against the flop-calling range of pairs and trips that will rarely fold to one turn bet.

My heart draw missed, leaving only king-high. After the opponent checked back the turn, a river bet can fold out some ace-high hands and weak pairs.

I only have the board pair of sevens with an ace kicker, which loses to all of the bettor's value range including trips, two pair, straights and full houses. The missed draws are too few relative to that value range to meet the roughly 28% equity needed to call 750.

T2 offsuit is too weak for a standard button open with both blinds still to act. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor playability and frequent domination.

K5 suited is strong enough to raise heads-up against the big blind, giving me a chance to win the pot now or play with initiative.

Q3 offsuit is too weak to defend against a 3x small-blind raise, with poor kicker and dominated queen potential despite in-position play postflop.

AJs is a strong button hand, so I raise for value and to take advantage of position.

JTs suited has strong equity against a wide button open and good playability; calling for 200 into 400 keeps the pot manageable out of position rather than building a large 3-bet pot.

Calling costs 150 to contest a 750-chip pot, requiring 20% equity. With no rake and the action closing, T8 offsuit has enough equity and straight potential to defend at this price.

With jack-high, no pair and no real draw on an ace-high board against two opponents, checking preserves chips and avoids bluffing into the preflop raiser's ace-heavy range.

Ten-high has little equity on this ace-high flop against two opponents, and the preflop raiser is still to act. Checking avoids an unprofitable bluff and preserves the chance to improve for free.

Top pair with a strong kicker is likely ahead after both opponents check. A moderate bet gets value from weaker aces and draws while protecting the hand.

Jack-high with only backdoor draws on an ace-high board has insufficient equity to call 425 against the preflop raiser's flop bet.

Ten-high has no pair or immediate straight or flush draw on this ace-high flop. Facing a substantial bet out of position, calling is unprofitable and this hand is a poor bluff-raise candidate.

J5 offsuit is too weak to open or limp from the button in 3-handed play, even in position; folding avoids negative-EV postflop spots.

Completing costs only 50 into a 150-chip pot, and Q7 offsuit has enough equity against the big blind's unrestricted range. Limping keeps the pot small while playing out of position.

With 9-4 offsuit against a small-blind limp, I can see the flop for free rather than build a pot with a weak hand.

With queen-high, no direct draw, and only a weak backdoor flush possibility, checking preserves chips out of position. This hand has little reason to build the pot on a two-diamond flop.

With nine-high and no strong draw, I’ll take the free card in position rather than build the pot.

The third diamond is a useful bluffing card after the flop checked through, and a modest bet can fold out many better high-card hands. My diamond draw and gutshot provide backup equity when called.

The open-ended straight draw has eight river outs, but the call needs more equity than the draw provides. The three-diamond board also makes some of those outs unreliable.

A9 offsuit is strong enough to open on the button three-handed. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures the blinds while preserving positional advantage if called.

54 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

2-7 offsuit is the weakest starting hand and facing a 2.5bb button raise from the big blind, calling 150 more is unprofitable.

Pocket aces are the strongest starting hand. Raising to 300 builds the pot while keeping weaker hands in.

7-9 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 3x button raise, especially out of position with the big blind still to act.

J5 offsuit is too weak to defend profitably against a 3-big-blind button raise. Its poor playability and domination risk out of position favor folding.