Hold'em table

Pocket aces on the button with action folded to me. A standard 2.5bb open builds the pot while keeping the blinds' weaker hands in.

QJo is strong enough to defend against a button's modest open, and calling keeps the pot manageable while out of position. A 3-bet risks building a large pot with a hand that plays awkwardly against resistance.

KTo is strong enough to defend the big blind against a button open and small-blind call, needing only 20% equity at this price. Calling closes the action and avoids inflating the pot out of position with a potentially dominated hand.

Check with queen-high in a multiway pot; the flop misses my hand, and checking preserves the option to continue if I improve.

With only king-high and a backdoor heart draw in a three-way pot, checking preserves chips and lets the preflop raiser act. Betting offers little value and risks running into stronger hands.

Pocket aces are an overpair on a dry paired board, and both opponents checked to me. A small one-third-pot bet gets value from 9x, draws and weak pairs while keeping their bluffs in.

Q-J high has no pair or meaningful draw on this paired, two-heart flop. Facing a bet with another player still to act, folding avoids continuing too weakly.

King-high with no direct draw is a weak out-of-position continuation against a bet into two opponents. The overcard outs are unreliable, and a backdoor flush draw alone does not justify calling.

62 offsuit is too weak to open from the button, and calling invites a multiway pot with poor equity. I’ll preserve my stack.

T9 offsuit is playable heads-up, and completing costs only 50 chips with 3-to-1 pot odds. Limping keeps the pot small while out of position against the big blind.

34o is weak, and I get a free flop in the big blind against a small-blind limp. Checking keeps the pot small and lets me realize equity.

Ten-high has no meaningful draw on this ace-high flop. Checking avoids building a pot out of position with a weak hand.

A middle pair of threes plus a wheel draw is a decent hand in a limped pot after the small blind checked. A small bet gets value from worse hands and denies equity to overcards.

Ten-high has no pair or meaningful draw on this ace-high flop. Facing a 65% pot bet out of position, continuing would be unprofitable.

Six-three offsuit is too weak to profitably open on the button without evidence that the blinds overfold. Folding avoids investing chips with poor equity and playability.

Blind vs blind with a playable suited-connector-like hand; raising to 3bb applies pressure and takes the initiative, and 54o does reasonably well raising in SvB.

A♠6♠ is a solid suited hand to defend the big blind against a small-blind raise, and calling keeps weaker hands in while realizing equity at a reasonable price.

Pure air with no backdoor equity on a connected broadway board that hits the BB's calling range well. I'll check and give up unless they check it back.

Check back with ace-high and useful backdoor spade equity, taking a free card rather than bluffing into a connected flop that favors the preflop raiser.

With 5-4 high and no draw on a very connected K-Q-T-8 board, I have almost no equity. The big blind's flop check-back range still holds many pairs and straight draws that will not fold, so I'm checking and giving up.

I have an ace-high hand with a gutshot to the Broadway straight, and both opponents have shown weakness by checking. A modest turn bet can win the pot now while retaining some equity when called.

5-4 offsuit has no pair and no draw on K-Q-T-8, where any J makes a straight for others, and the board favors the big blind's calling range. A 300 bet into 600 needs 25% equity and we have far less, so folding is correct.

9-4 offsuit is too weak to open profitably from the button in a 3-handed game with deep stacks, so folding is the standard play.

K♣8♣ is a playable hand heads-up from the small blind, so I raise for value and initiative rather than giving the big blind a free flop.

QJs is a strong suited broadway hand against a small-blind opening range, and calling costs 200 to contest a 600-chip pot. Position and good postflop playability make calling attractive without inflating the pot against a stronger continuing range.

K-high has little immediate showdown value and no strong draw on a board that connects with the caller's range. Check back and realize the backdoor club-flush equity without building the pot.

Top pair with a strong kicker is worth betting for value against weaker jacks, tens, and straight draws. A little over half-pot also denies equity to overcards while keeping worse hands in.

K-high has no immediate draw on this flop, and the backdoor-club possibility is too weak to justify calling the sizable raise.

K8 offsuit is a profitable button open in a three-handed game. A 2.5x raise applies pressure to the blinds while keeping the pot manageable.

KQo is strong enough to three-bet against a button opening range, with useful blockers to premium hands. The larger out-of-position sizing pressures the big blind to fold and discourages cheap calls.

J6s is too weak facing a button open and a big small-blind 3-bet, especially with the opener still left to act behind me. Calling 1000 out of position is clearly unprofitable.

K8 offsuit is too weak to continue against a sizable three-bet from the small blind; calling would often leave me dominated and out of position postflop.

Opening modestly from the button uses position and gives us a chance to win the blinds immediately. The connected cards also offer some postflop playability when called.

Q2o from the small blind facing a button open is too weak to continue out of position, and the big blind is still left to act behind me.

AK offsuit is a strong value hand against a button open. A substantial 3-bet builds the pot and applies pressure while retaining room to play postflop.

Eight-seven offsuit is too weak to profitably continue against this three-bet, even in position. It has poor equity realization and no useful blockers for a four-bet bluff.