Hold'em table

Opening small on the button applies pressure to the blinds while limiting investment with a marginal suited hand. Position and suited connectivity provide some postflop playability if called.

95 suited is too weak to continue profitably against a button raise from the small blind, with poor position and the big blind still to act.

92o is too weak to defend from the big blind against a button raise; folding is the standard play.

A7 offsuit is a standard opening hand on the button in three-handed play. Raising to 2.5 big blinds applies pressure to the blinds while preserving positional advantage if called.

3c7s is a very weak hand, especially out of position in the small blind against a button raise. Folding avoids investing more with a hand that is unlikely to win.

Calling costs 150 to contest a final pot of 550. Suited connectors have sufficient equity and playability to defend against a button open at 100bb depth, despite being out of position.

This paired, high-card flop favors the preflop raiser, and 5♣4♣ has little equity beyond a backdoor flush draw. Check rather than lead a weak bluff out of position.

This paired, high-card flop favors my button opening range, so a small continuation bet can pressure the big blind's missed hands cheaply. Ace-high also benefits from denying equity to unpaired hands.

With five-high hole cards on this paired board, I have almost no showdown value and only a backdoor flush draw. Calling out of position is unprofitable, and this hand is a poor bluff-raise candidate.

Pocket sevens are a strong holding in a 3-handed game; raising as the button isolates the blinds and builds value preflop.

T6 suited is too weak to continue profitably from the small blind against a 2.5bb button raise with the big blind still to act. Its limited connectivity and poor out-of-position equity realization favor folding.

Q7 suited is a reasonable big-blind defense against a button open to 2.5 big blinds. Calling costs 150 into a 400-chip pot, and suitedness improves our equity realization despite being out of position.

With top pair and a weak kicker, checking to the preflop raiser keeps their bluffs in and avoids building a large pot against stronger queens. This dry flop offers little need for protection.

I have middle pair on a dry board. A continuation bet can fold out weaker hands and protect my equity.

Top pair is strong enough to call a 300-chip bet into a 550-chip pot against a wide button opening range. Raising would tend to fold out weaker hands while isolating stronger queens and better.

Top pair with a weak kicker is best kept in a controlled pot against the preflop raiser. Checking preserves showdown value and lets the opponent continue betting with bluffs and weaker hands.

I have a medium pair with showdown value. Checking back controls the pot and avoids getting check-raised off my hand, while allowing me to evaluate the river.

Second pair with a weak kicker has showdown value, but betting is unlikely to get called by many worse hands. Checking keeps the opponent's missed draws in range and avoids inflating the pot against stronger queens or rivered aces.

I have a pair of sevens with showdown value. Betting would likely only be called by better hands, so checking behind to see a free showdown is the best play.

86 offsuit is a marginal button open with weak high-card strength and limited postflop playability. Without evidence that the blinds overfold, folding is preferable.

Completing costs only 50 chips into a 150-chip pot, making Q3 offsuit worth playing against the big blind's unrestricted range. Limping keeps the pot small with a weak kicker and positional disadvantage.

AT offsuit is a strong hand heads-up against a small blind complete, which typically indicates a weak range. Raising here builds the pot with an equity advantage and allows me to take the initiative with position postflop.

Q3 offsuit is too weak to defend against this raise out of position. Its poor playability and risk of being dominated make calling unprofitable.

A6 suited is a profitable button open three-handed, with an ace blocker and flush potential. Raising to 2.5 big blinds pressures both blinds while preserving positional flexibility.

J9o is a marginal hand from the small blind facing a button raise. Without position and with the big blind behind, folding is the highest expected value play.

Calling costs 150 to contest a final pot of 550, requiring 27.3% equity before accounting for future betting. T8 offsuit is a reasonable big-blind defense against a wide button opening range, particularly with no rake.

T8 offsuit has no pair or meaningful draw on this dry queen-high flop. Checking out of position avoids investing in a weak hand against the preflop raiser's stronger range.

Middle pair has useful showdown value on this dry board, but betting is unlikely to get much value from worse hands. Checking keeps the pot manageable and preserves weaker hands in the opponent’s range.

Ten-high has no direct draw, and the king favors the preflop raiser's range. Checking avoids investing in a low-equity bluff on an unfavorable turn.

Third pair has showdown value, but betting would mostly fold worse hands and get called by better ones. Checking keeps the pot controlled and preserves the option to bluff-catch or improve on the river.

Ten-high has very little showdown value, and the button's two checks suggest a weakened range. A roughly two-thirds-pot bluff targets ace-high and weak pairs, needing folds about 41% of the time to break even.

Calling requires about 29% equity, and after both earlier streets checked through, this river lead can contain enough missed draws and unpaired hands. A6 has useful showdown value and leaves the missed heart draws unblocked.

K3o is a weak hand, especially first to act preflop in a 3-handed game. Folding avoids risky postflop situations and preserves my stack.

Four-deuce offsuit is near the bottom of my range and realizes equity poorly out of position. Without evidence that the big blind overfolds, folding is preferable to limping or raising.