Hold'em table

A6o on the button in a 3-handed game is a clear open-raise; 2.5bb puts pressure on both blinds.

Kd7d is a playable suited king getting a reasonable price from the small blind in a three-way pot, and calling keeps weaker hands in.

Nine-six offsuit plays poorly out of position in a three-way raised pot. Despite the price, it is unlikely to realize enough equity to justify calling.

I have top pair with a modest kicker in a heads-up raised pot. Checking keeps the opponent's range wide and allows me to respond to a continuation bet.

On the button with A-high and a backdoor nut flush draw on a dry K-high board. A small c-bet of about a third of the pot folds out many hands from the small blind and uses our range advantage.

Top pair is likely ahead of the button's small continuation bet on this dry board. Raising for value and protection targets worse kings, jacks, and draws while building the pot.

A6o with ace-high and no draw on K-J-4 is facing a check-raise from the small blind. Calling needs about 24% equity and we have far less than that against a check-raising range, so folding is best.

3-4 offsuit is too weak to open profitably from the button in this format.

Pocket fours are strong enough to raise heads-up against the big blind, taking the initiative and giving me a chance to win the pot preflop.

BB vs SB 3x open: calling 200 into 400 gives good odds, and J9o plays well in position against a wide SB range.

My pocket fours have an open-ended straight draw and some showdown value. A small bet can get value from draws and overcards while denying them a free card.

Getting about 3.4:1 against a small c-bet, I have two overcards, a backdoor flush draw and position. Calling as a float is better than folding, and raising doesn't fit this hand.

The turn completes the flush draw, and my pocket fours have limited showdown value despite a straight draw. Checking keeps the pot manageable and lets me see how my opponent responds.

Opponent checked the turn after c-betting, which signals weakness, so I'm semi-bluffing my flush draw. The bet can fold out medium-strength hands, and I still have about 9 outs if called.

The call gives me a reasonable price with eight straight-making river cards, and my pair may occasionally still be ahead of a bluff.

My pair of fours has some showdown value, but betting is unlikely to get called by many worse hands. I’ll check and evaluate a river bet.

J-high has almost no showdown value. After villain checks the river, a strong bet repping the flush I barreled on the turn can fold out their pairs and weak holdings, and my 9s blocks some of their flushes.

The river bet is large, and my pair of fours loses to most likely value hands, including an eight, a five, or a flush. There are too few plausible missed draws to justify calling.

Seven-deuce offsuit is too weak to play from the button at 100 big blinds, even with position.

A9s is a strong hand blind vs blind, so I'm raising to 3bb for value and initiative.

Defending the big blind heads-up against a small blind min-raise with suited-connected 7-6 is profitable given the price and positional disadvantage postflop.

As the preflop raiser out of position on a dry J-high board, a small c-bet with the ace-high backdoor heart draw and wheel gutshot equity folds out better hands and denies equity.

We have a gutshot to the five with additional backdoor possibilities and are getting a favorable price against a small continuation bet.

Ace-high with a gutshot to the nut wheel and an overcard makes a good semi-bluff barrel on a turn card that favors the preflop raiser's range. A bet of about half pot applies pressure while keeping the risk moderate.

I have a made seven-high straight on this connected board. Raising for value targets worse straights, two pair, and sets while charging draws.

Ace-high with only a wheel gutshot, about 9% equity, is facing a big turn check-raise. That falls well short of the roughly 27% needed to call, and bluffing into this line looks bad.

52o is too weak to open from the button in 3-handed play with two players still to act behind, so folding is the standard play.

With AKo heads-up from the small blind after the button folds, I raise for value and initiative. A 3bb total open is a standard sizing.

T4 offsuit is marginal, but getting 2-to-1 against a small-blind raise and having position postflop makes a call reasonable.

Top pair with top kicker plus the nut-heart flush draw is strong enough to bet for value and protection. A moderate sizing builds the pot while keeping weaker aces and draws involved.

With no pair, flush draw, or useful straight draw, calling the flop bet is unlikely to be profitable.

Pocket fives are a profitable button open in this three-handed spot. Raising to 3bb builds initiative while keeping weaker hands in.

Six-deuce suited is too weak to defend the small blind against a three-big-blind button raise with the big blind still to act.

Getting 200 to win 650 against a button open in 3-handed play, Q7s is a clear defend from the big blind. Calling is better than 3-betting here.

Top pair with a weak kicker out of position against the preflop raiser; checking controls the pot and lets the raiser keep betting their bluffs, and I can check-call a reasonable bet.

A small continuation bet leverages our preflop range advantage on this high-card board while protecting our pair against overcards and denying free equity.

Top pair with a weak kicker facing a small c-bet from the button (220 into 650) is an easy call. Raising would mostly fold out worse hands and get called by better ones.

Middle pair lost value when the ace came on the turn. The button's range contains plenty of aces and broadways, so checking controls the pot and keeps our showdown value.

With a marginal pair on an ace turn after being called on the flop, checking back preserves showdown value and avoids betting into a stronger calling range.

Our top pair has weak kicker and little showdown value on a board with a completed straight (K9, any K) and a flush draw that arrived; checking to showdown is best since betting only gets called by better hands.

Our pair of fives has little showdown value on this ace-high coordinated board, but a bluff is unlikely to fold out an ace or king after the opponent called the flop. Checking realizes our remaining showdown equity.

A pocket pair is strong enough to open on the button three-handed. A 2.5 big blind raise gives me initiative without committing much of my stack.

K4o out of the small blind facing a button open, with the big blind still left to act, is a clear fold. Calling out of position with a dominated hand loses money.

Defend the big blind against the button min-raise with a suited king; the price is favorable heads-up and this hand retains playable postflop equity.

With only king-high and limited backdoor potential on an ace-high flop, checking preserves equity and avoids inflating the pot out of position.

A small continuation bet uses my preflop range advantage on the ace-high board and may fold out overcards that have equity against my pair.

I have a king-high spade flush draw and good price versus the small continuation bet. Calling preserves flexibility while retaining strong turn equity.

We have a weak pair with little value against the button's continuing range on this ace-high board. Checking keeps the pot controlled and preserves the option to respond to the river.

Pocket deuces have little showdown value. After the big blind checks twice, a turn bet can fold out some weak pairs and missed draws.

I have a pair with a strong kicker and the price is reasonable against possible draws and continued bluffs from the button.

With only a pair of sixes on a coordinated river after the opponent barreled twice, checking keeps the pot controlled and avoids turning a marginal showdown hand into a bluff.

After calling bets on both the flop and turn, the opponent is likely to have a pair or a draw that completed on this river. My pocket deuces are a poor value bet, and a bluff is unlikely to get enough folds.