Hold'em table

Suited connector on the button in a 3-handed game is playable for initiative; raising applies pressure on the blinds and lets me control the pot with position.

K2 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 3x button raise with the big blind still to act.

Defending J8s in the big blind against a button open getting acceptable pot odds closing the preflop action.

As the preflop caller out of position on a paired dry board, standard strategy is to check to the aggressor with J-high.

Continuation-bet a dry paired board to fold out overcards and smaller pairs, while my hand still has backdoor straight/flush equity; I will shut down if raised.

I have Jack-high with no flush or straight draws on a paired board out of position, making an easy fold against the continuation bet.

A9 suited is strong enough to open on the button. Raising to 250 builds value while keeping the pot manageable.

Holding Ten-Two offsuit in the small blind facing a button open is an easy standard fold.

Getting 2.7:1 in the big blind against a button open, J9o is strong enough to defend and see a flop rather than fold immediately.

I have a marginal middle pair out of position on a coordinated board. Checking controls the pot and lets me evaluate the button's action before committing more chips.

A small continuation bet can win the pot now against weak holdings. Ace-high also has some backdoor potential if called.

I have middle pair with a backdoor straight draw and am getting good odds (180 into 730) against a small continuation bet. Raising risks isolating against stronger Qx/sets, so calling keeps worse bluffs/draws in and controls the pot.

I have two pair (jacks and sevens) but the paired board and the button's preflop/flop aggression mean I could be behind to a queen or better. Checking controls the pot and induces bluffs while avoiding building a large pot out of position.

Ace-high has some showdown value, while a turn bet is unlikely to fold out many better hands after the flop call. Checking preserves the option to evaluate the river in position.

I have two pair (jacks and sevens) and opponent checked the turn, so I bet for value from Qx and worse pairs.

Ace-high has little showdown value against a river bet, and this hand lacks a strong reason to bluff-raise.

Opening J9o from the button in 3-handed play is standard to apply pressure on the blinds and realize position.

Q5o is a weak offsuit hand out of position against a button raise; folding avoids investing more chips with poor playability.

The button’s minimum raise costs only 100 more chips to call, with the small blind’s chips already in the pot. Despite having a weak hand, the price is good enough to defend the big blind.

I have a weak pair and a gutshot on a monotone flop, so I prefer to check rather than build the pot out of position.

Check behind with position and a Jack-high flush draw to realize our equity on a monotone board.

With a weak pair and no diamond on a four-diamond board, betting is unlikely to get called by worse. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me assess the opponent's action.

We have a Jack-high flush on a four-diamond board, but higher diamonds are well within the opponent's range, so checking behind controls the pot size.

My pair of fours has some showdown value, but a bet is unlikely to get called by worse hands on this four-diamond board.

I hold the Jack-high flush on a four-flush board. Villain checked three streets, capping their range, so a small value bet of 200 targets calls from lower flush cards.

The small river bet needs to be a bluff less than a quarter of the time to make a call profitable. After checking both the flop and turn, the button can have enough unpaired hands for my pair of fours to call.

On the button with K8o, raising applies pressure on the blinds and takes initiative with position. A small raise to 250 is enough to fold out weak hands while controlling risk.

4♦2♦ is too weak to defend from the small blind against a button raise, especially with the big blind still to act.

Defending the big blind with a pocket pair getting favorable pot odds against a button open.

I hold a low underpair out of position against the preflop aggressor, making an easy check to control the pot.

I have K-high with backdoor straight potential on a dry Q-high flop. A small continuation bet can fold out better unpaired hands and take down the pot, while I can shut down if called or raised.

Holding an underpair below the board with only two outs to improve and out of position, folding to the flop continuation bet is standard.

K7 suited is strong enough to open from the button in a three-handed game. Raising to 2.5 big blinds applies pressure while keeping the pot manageable.

A8s is well ahead of a wide 3-handed button opening range, so 3-betting from the small blind puts pressure on the opener and helps take the initiative.

QJo is dominated by a button open and small-blind 3-bet, and calling 850 out of position with the button still to act is not profitable.

K7 suited is too weak to defend against this sizable three-bet without information that the small blind is raising unusually wide.

Opening from the button with an Ace in 3-handed play is standard to apply pressure on the blinds.

With pocket fours in the small blind, calling the button's 2.5x open is cheap and keeps the big blind in, giving good implied odds to flop a set in a multiway pot.

A6 suited has enough potential to call 150 into a 600-chip pot, but it is not strong enough to squeeze against both opponents.

With pocket fours on a K-J-high flop and two opponents, my hand has little showdown value and no need to bloat the pot; checking keeps the pot small and lets me evaluate their actions.

Ace-high has little immediate value on this three-way flop, and a bet is unlikely to fold out two opponents often enough. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves the chance to improve.

In a three-way pot on a coordinated broadway board, checking behind with Ace-high and backdoor draws is prudent to control the pot size and realize equity.

With a weak pair of fours on a coordinated K-J-9 board and three players still in, I prefer to check and keep the pot small rather than bet into opponents who could easily have a higher pair or strong draw.

Ace-high has little chance to improve on this board, and a bluff into two opponents is unlikely to be profitable.

Holding Ace-high with position, checking behind controls the pot and realizes equity to potentially hit an Ace or bluff on favorable river runouts.

With a weak pair of fours on a coordinated board and two opponents, checking preserves showdown value and avoids building a pot where I am likely behind.

Ace-high has some showdown value against missed draws. Bluffing into two opponents is unlikely to fold enough pairs to justify the bet.

Rivered fourth pair with an Ace kicker in a multiway pot where everyone checked all streets; checking back realizes showdown value without risking a raise.