Hold'em table

On the button with QTo, calling 100 to see a flop in position against two blinds is cheap and keeps the pot small with a marginal hand. Folding is too tight at 2.5:1 pot odds, and raising QTo lacks value.

94o is extremely weak and plays poorly out of position, so folding is clearly the highest EV decision.

With a weak offsuit hand and no additional cost, checking keeps the pot small and lets me see the flop.

I have no made hand on this ace-high board, and checking keeps the pot small while preserving my chance to improve to a wheel straight.

I hold queen-high with no draw on a J-A-2 board heads up; checking back keeps the pot small and avoids building a hand I likely can't win at showdown.

I have no made hand and only a gutshot to a wheel straight, so I’ll take the free river rather than bluff into a board that likely connected with my opponent.

I hold second pair (tens) heads-up against an opponent who has checked flop and turn, so a small value bet can charge draws and worse pairs while keeping the pot small against ace-high hands.

I have only a gutshot to a wheel and need to call 200 into a 450-chip pot, which is far too expensive for the chance to improve on the river.

K7o is on the bottom of the button opening range in 3-handed play; folding avoids playing a weak offsuit hand postflop.

Q4 suited has reasonable heads-up equity, and completing costs only 50 chips into a 150-chip pot. I’ll take the inexpensive flop rather than build the pot out of position.

I'm in the big blind with 6c8s against a limper; checking keeps the pot small with a weak suited connector and lets me see a free flop.

With Q-high and no immediate draw on this coordinated flop, checking keeps the pot small and preserves the chance to improve.

I hold 68o with only a gutshot to the 7 on a T93 board, and the SB checked through, so there is no reason to bluff into a checked pot. I take the free card and hope to spike a 7.

I have an open-ended straight draw, but with no pair and a modest pot, I’ll take the free card rather than build the pot out of position.

I have an open-ended straight draw (any 7 or Q) with two live players and a checked-through board, so a half-pot semi-bluff folds out weak hands and builds the pot when called with good equity.

The open-ended straight draw has only about 17% river equity before accounting for dirty outs, below the 25% pot odds required to call.

T7 offsuit is a weak hand from first to act preflop, and calling risks entering a pot out of position against both blinds.

KQs is a strong heads-up hand from the SB against only the BB; raising for value and fold equity is standard.

K3o is too weak to defend against a 2.5bb open from the small blind.

74o is a very weak hand even from the button against two players; folding preserves chips for better spots.

JTo is strong enough to raise for value and initiative in a blind-versus-blind confrontation after the button folds.

K-high has enough equity against a wide small-blind raise to continue at these pot odds, though raising would be too ambitious out of position.

We flopped middle pair with a gutshot straight draw out of position; checking allows us to control the pot and realize our equity.

K-high has some showdown value and a backdoor club draw, but the J-Q-8 board can connect with the preflop raiser. I’ll take the free turn rather than bluff into a range that may have a pair or strong draws.

I have second pair with a gutshot straight draw on a paired board, so checking to pot control and realize equity is preferred out of position.

I have only king-high with no meaningful draw, so checking behind preserves showdown value without building a pot.

We hold second pair with decent showdown value. Checking allows us to realize our equity without risking a raise or getting called only by better hands.

K-high has some showdown value against missed draws, and the checked-through streets make a bluff unnecessary when better hands may still call.

97 offsuit is too weak to open from the button even in 3-handed play, making fold the standard play.

Pocket fives are strong enough to raise blind-versus-blind for value and initiative. Raising to 300 applies pressure while keeping the sizing modest.

Queen-two offsuit is far too weak to defend against a 3x raise even from the small blind; calling 200 to win 400 with a dominated hand has poor equity and no implied odds.

On the button, J8 offsuit is playable as an open raise; raising pressures the blinds and gives me initiative.

42o from the small blind has almost no equity against a 2.5x button raise, and calling 200 into a 400 pot requires far too much. Folding is clearly best.

K8o has enough equity against a standard 3-handed button opening range to defend the big blind getting 2.7 to 1 odds.

I flopped an open-ended straight draw out of position and check to the preflop aggressor.

With J-high and only a gutshot to a ten, a check preserves the pot and lets me realize my equity without bluffing into a board that can connect with the caller’s range.

I have king-high with minimal equity, so checking to see the river for free is the best line.

The turn check gives me a good opportunity to represent the ace, and my open-ended straight draw provides backup equity if called. A modest 300-chip bet pressures the opponent without risking too much.

I only have king-high with no draw on an ace-high turn, making this an easy fold facing a bet.