[SlantNGo]

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1) First hand at the table– you have observed a pretty tight table waiting for the blinds, but have no real reads yet. You are dealt A 9 in the BB. UTG+2 open raises, folded to you.

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1. Call. You're getting 3.5 to 1 with a pretty good hand. There are lots of ways for you to win this hand.

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2) The very next hand in the SB you get 5 8. Hijack (MP3 for the uninitiated) open limps, folded to you.

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2. Complete. You're suited and have some connectedness. Pure suited junk like 93s I would fold.

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3) Loose table with mixed aggression: three loose passives limp, and a loose aggressive but thinking player raises on the button. You have 9 9 in the SB. BB is a reasonably good player who plays tight.

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3. Call, planning on seeing a multi-way flop and check-raising a favorable one. I don't like re-raising here because it would not get you heads-up, and you'd be out of position anyways.

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4) You are in the BB with A 5. Four loose passive limp, and a loose aggressive player raises on the button. SB (loose passive) calls.

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4. Fold. You have junk and are probably dominated if you flop top pair.

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5) UTG, a tight aggressive players raises, you get 2 cold callers from loose and passive types. You are in the SB with 9 8 BB is loose and passive. (Does your answer change if you have 3 cold callers?)

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5. Call. 2 cold callers is a borderline call, 3 is an easy call. You're getting 5:1 immediate odds and are in great position to pump a draw on the flop.

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6) Same situation as #5, only this time you have 5 5. (Does your answer change if you have 3 cold callers?)

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6. Call. Implied odds will make up for what seems to be a slightly immediately unprofitable play. Again, with 3 cold-callers, it's an easy call.

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7) UTG+2 open raises. He is loose, aggressive, but thinking player. You get 2 cold callers and the SB calls (all looser players). You have 6 5 in the BB.

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7. Call. Tremendous immediate odds with a suited connector.

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8) Same situation as #7, but this time you have T T.

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8. Call, planning on betting a favorable flop. At this point, a raise just bloats the pot. I don't think a 3-bet is bad, but I think our edge is small enough here to wait to see the flop first.

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9) You are in the SB with 2 2. Hijack open limps, folded to you. BB is crazy and unpredictable LA player.

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9. Fold. You can't play for set value, and 22 isn't a good hand to be playing OOP vs. an unpredictable player.

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10) You are in the BB with 8 8. Seven players limp (an assortment of muppets), the SB folds.

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10. Raise. With 7 limpers, we're probably doing well with 88. This pot is gonna be big on the flop anyways. By raising, we push an equity edge that we have now, and also give ourselves good odds to draw to our set if faced with a bet on the flop.

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11) Same as #10, only the button (LAG) raises.

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11. Call. We're not going to isolate the LAG, so we're playing this mostly for set value. Also, we allow ourselves a chance to check/raise the flop and blow away the field on an especially favorable flop if we decide to continue unimproved.