Hold'em table

Q6o is too weak to open profitably even on the button in 3-handed play.

Button folded, so I only need 50 more to see a flop heads-up against the big blind. J8o is not strong enough to raise out of position, but the price is too good to fold.

85 offsuit is weak, but checking from the big blind is free and the small blind only limped, so I get a cheap flop with a live pot. I can fold cheaply later if the flop misses or aggression comes.

Jack-high with no draw on a paired ace flop has little showdown value, so I take the free card rather than bluff into the big blind.

My 8-5 has almost no showdown value on this AA2 board, and seat_2's limp-check line suggests a passive range that won't fold enough to make a bluff profitable. I'll take a free turn and fold to any aggression.

I have aces and jacks in a limped pot, so a half-pot bet gets value from worse one-pair hands while keeping the pot small on a paired board where an ace has me crushed.

My 5s8d only plays the board's pair of aces with 8-5 kickers, so I lose at showdown to nearly every hand that would bet the turn, and bluff-raising with zero equity won't generate enough folds. Folding saves the remaining stack for better spots.

73o is too weak to open from the button in three-handed play; folding avoids putting chips in with a hand that has poor equity and playability.

Suited connector 6-8 completes for just 25 more against a single limped/called pot, giving good implied odds to flop a draw or monster.

Check back with an offsuit weak ace in position to see a free flop against the small blind limp.

I only have bottom pair (6s) with a weak kicker on a J-T-6 board, and I act first postflop. Checking keeps the pot small; betting gets called mostly by hands that beat me, and I can reassess cheaply if the big blind bets.

I have Ace-high with modest showdown value and no draw on a coordinated board; checking behind takes a free turn card.

I only have bottom pair (6s) on a J-T-4 board with no draws, so betting has little value and invites a raise I'd have to fold to. Checking keeps the pot small and preserves cheap showdown equity heads-up.

I have bottom pair with top kicker in a limped blind-versus-blind pot. Checking behind preserves showdown value without bloating the pot.

I only hold bottom pair (sixes) with an ace on board, which loses to nearly anything that would call a bet. Checking back through showdown minimizes losses since both opponents showed weakness all along.

We made two pair on the river with As4c on an Ad-high runout after checking down. Value betting 150 into a 200 pot against an opponent who might call with a pair.

My deuces-worth of showdown strength (pair of sixes) beats all unpaired hands and busted draws, and a small 150 stab after three streets of checks looks more like a probe than value. Getting nearly 3.3:1, calling is cheap versus a range containing plenty of air.

A8o on the button 3-handed is a standard open; raising to 2.5x builds the pot with position and applies fold equity on the blinds.

Holding 4s 2s in the small blind facing a button open is an easy fold out of position.

J4o is too weak to defend the big blind against a button open; folding avoids putting more chips in with a dominated, poorly connected hand.

Opening standard 2.5bb on the button with suited one-gapper J9s in 3-handed play.

43 offsuit is too weak to continue out of position against a button open, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding preserves chips for better spots.

Calling 150 into a 400 pot with A7o closes preflop action at a good price, and I avoid bloating the pot out of position with a marginal ace that could be dominated.

I hold only ace-high with backdoor straight/flush potential on 9-8-3, so donking into the preflop raiser has little value. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me evaluate a continuation bet or consider a check-raise.

I flopped top pair with a good kicker and backdoor flush draw. Betting half the pot for value and protection against various draws.

J9o is a standard button open in three-handed play, so I raise to 3bb rather than limp or fold.

97s out of position against a 3x open is too weak to continue; folding preserves chips.

Holding AsKs in the big blind against a button open, raising for value is the standard play.

J9o is too weak to continue against a BB 3-bet to 11bb; calling 800 into 1450 is unprofitable and a 4-bet bluff is unnecessary.

Holding 32o out of position against the big blind is an automatic fold even getting pot odds.