Hold'em table

Opening with pocket aces on the button for value. A standard 2.5bb raise builds the pot while offering good playability.

63 offsuit is too weak to defend against a 2.5bb button raise from the small blind, especially with the big blind still to act. Folding avoids investing more with poor equity and positional disadvantage.

JTo in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open with SB folded: getting 400:150 pot odds, this is a standard defend; 3-betting is an option but calling keeps the pot manageable with a playable but non-premium hand.

I have an open-ended straight draw (JT on 6-9-7) with overcards, out of position against the preflop raiser; checking to the aggressor keeps the pot manageable and lets me call or check-raise a continuation bet.

C-betting for value and protection on a wet board against draws and weaker pairs.

Gutshot to the nut straight plus two overcards versus a button c-bet; calling 300 into 850 with decent implied odds and position-less but reasonable equity, keeping the pot controlled.

Top pair with a jack kicker plus an open-ended straight draw on a wet board; leading for value and protection against flush draws, overcards, and 8x while keeping the pot manageable out of position.

Calling in position with pocket aces and an inside straight draw against a turn donk bet, keeping worse hands in their range.

Top pair with a jack kicker on a river that completes the flush and many straights; betting is too thin for value and folds out worse while getting raised by better. Check to control the pot and evaluate the villain's action.

The board has four to a straight and three clubs, and we hold an unsuited overpair. Checking back secures showdown value without exposing ourselves to a check-raise.

73 offsuit is too weak to profitably open on the button without evidence that the blinds fold excessively. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity and playability.

Button folded, so it's blind vs blind with 8d4d suited; a small raise takes initiative and often wins the pot outright, and the hand plays fine postflop with position disadvantage mitigated by fold equity.

In a blind-versus-blind situation getting 2:1 immediate pot odds with position postflop, QJo is a clear call against a 3x open.

Middle pair with weak kicker on a very coordinated board that favors the big blind's calling range; checking out of position controls the pot and avoids getting raised off a marginal hand.

I flopped the nut straight on a wet and coordinated board; betting for value and protection against various draws and made hands.

Middle pair with a 4 kicker on a very wet T98 two-tone board, out of position facing a 2/3 pot lead from the BB whose range is full of straights, two pairs, and strong draws; not enough equity or playability to continue.

T3 offsuit on the button is a clear fold in 3-handed play; too weak to open profitably against two blinds with 100bb stacks.

In a blind-versus-blind situation after the button folds, J8o has decent playability and high card value to open-raise for initiative.

Calling costs 200 into a 400-chip pot, and Q6 offsuit is a reasonable defense against a small-blind opening range. Position postflop helps realize equity, while the hand is too weak for a routine value raise.

We missed the flop completely with low backdoor equity, so checking out of position to control the pot.

A small bet extracts value from weaker pairs and some ace-high hands while denying free equity to overcards. Top pair is strong enough to bet against the small blind's wide range, but the weak kicker favors keeping the sizing modest.

I completely missed the flop with Jack-high and no meaningful draws, so folding to the bet is standard.

AQo is a premier holding on the button in 3-handed play; raising to 2.5bb builds the pot and applies positional pressure.

76 offsuit is too weak to defend from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise with the big blind still to act. Poor equity realization out of position makes folding preferable to calling or bluff-raising.

Q7 suited in the big blind facing a 2.5x button open with 150 to call into 400 pot gives good pot odds; suited queen plays fine heads-up in position-disadvantaged but priced-in spot.

Middle pair with Q kicker on a dry board out of position; checking to the preflop raiser is standard, planning to call a c-bet and reassess.

The 8-7-2 rainbow board connects well with the big blind's defending range, so checking back with Ace-high preserves our showdown value and realizes equity in position.

Middle pair with a Q kicker on an ace-high turn; opponent checked back flop so likely weak, but betting invites raises from aces and folds out worse. Checking keeps the pot controlled and lets me showdown cheaply or call a small bet.

I turned top pair with a strong Queen kicker after checking back the flop, and betting for value against weaker Ax and second pairs makes sense now that the opponent checked twice.

Second pair with a queen kicker on an ace turn after villain checked flop; getting ~29% pot odds, villain's range includes many ace-scare-card bluffs and missed hands, so calling once and reevaluating river is fine.

Third pair with a Q kicker on an Ace-high board is a bluff-catcher at best; betting gets called only by better, so check and evaluate against a river bet.

We hold top pair with a strong Queen kicker on a runout where the opponent called on the turn Ace. Sizing a value bet at half pot targets weaker Aces and pairs while folding comfortably to a check-raise.

Half-pot river bet gives ~25% pot odds; my pair of sevens with Q kicker is a bluff-catcher against a wide button opening range that checked the flop and only started betting when the ace arrived, which includes many missed broadway bluffs.

63 offsuit is too weak to profitably open on the button without evidence that the blinds overfold. Folding avoids investing in a hand with poor equity and playability.

Button folded, so it's SB vs BB heads-up; T9o is a solid hand to raise from the SB, taking initiative against a single opponent.

T3s is too weak to defend against a 3x open from the small blind.

3c5c suited on the button in a 3-handed game is marginal; it's playable as a raise in some ranges but folding is fine and low variance against unknown opponents. Actually a small raise could be standard, but 53s is near the bottom of a button opening range and folding avoids tough postflop spots.

94o is too weak to complete or raise from the small blind out of position.