Advanced Poker Strategy Articles

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Building Bluffing Ranges Like the Pros: A Guide to Smarter 3-Bets

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Today, solid preflop strategies are part of the tournament poker zeitgeist. (Don’t worry—set-mining doesn’t make you a fish.) That said,…

How to Play Flush Turns After Check-Raising (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B.

As you probably know, having a well-balanced check-raising range makes you a really tough opponent to play against. The reason…

5 Advanced Poker Strategies & Tips To Supercharge Your Poker Wins

By Dan B.

Ready for some advanced nuggets of poker wisdom that will help your game? For today’s article, I dug through Upswing’s…

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3 Concepts That Should Shape Your Postflop Strategy

By Dan B.

Are you familiar with positional, range, and nut advantages in poker? These concepts will help you shape your postflop strategy…

From Satellite to Chip Leader: A Day 1 Among the Poker Elite in a $26,000 Event

By Leo Song-Carrillo

I am a mid-stakes MTT player. Frankly, I have no business going toe to toe with the poker elite. But…

3 Reasons Solvers Check Top Pair Out of Position in Tournaments

By Leo Song-Carrillo

You flopped a pair. In fact, the strongest kind. Even the highest ranking. Now it’s time to work out exactly…

Mastering Preflop 3-Bets: Value, Bluffs, and Exploits

By Dan B.

3-betting preflop is a fundamental strategy for winning at poker. Getting it right is also easier than ever, thanks to…

Slowplaying in MTTs: Three Spots Where It Prints Chips

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Slowplaying a big hand isn’t optimal… usually. When you have a big hand, you want to make the pot big.…

MTT Survival Guide: The Right Way to Defend Against Turn Probes

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Well, you checked back the flop like an intelligent, disciplined, strong poker player. But now they’re reaching for chips… They’re…

PR0DIGY vs Riggedeck: A $35,000 Hand Breakdown from the Cash Game World Championship

By Dan B.

As we steam ahead with the 2025 Cash Game World Championship (CGWC), I am going to break down a hand…

LLinusLLove vs Kevin Paqué in a CGWC High-Stakes Showdown

By Dan B.

We got a blast from the past in this article. Well, it’s not quite so far back in the past,…

Check-Raised the Flop? Here’s What to Do When the Turn Pairs

By Dan B.

In the previous part of this series, we looked at how to approach unpaired brick turns. Now it’s time to…

We’re Cutting Prices for Cyber Monday (25% Off Everything)

By Mike Brady

The 2025 Black Friday / Cyber Monday Sale is over. We’ll see you 2026 with more sales and more killer…

5 Situations Where C-Betting Will Burn You

By Dan B.

C-betting is a fundamental part of playing good, solid, winning poker. There are many situations where c-betting frequently is the…

Unleash Your Potential with Lucid Poker

By Duncan Smith

This will change your poker game for the better. Lucid Poker Version 3.0 launches on November 10, offering a faster,…

5 Solver Strategies That Crush in Theory (and Crash in Real Life)

By Duncan Smith

If you’ve spent any time studying with solvers, you know how powerful they are. Tools like Upswing’s Lucid Poker can…

Outplaying the Reckless Player: Mastering Turn Probes After Missed C-Bets

By Dan B.

In the first part of the series, I covered the most common opponent type – the risk-averse player profile. In…

The Hidden Mechanics of C-Betting: Lessons from Phemo

By Leo Song-Carrillo

What Is a C-Bet? A continuation bet, or c-bet, is a follow-up bet made by the player who took the…

What to Do After You Check-Raise the Flop and the Turn Bricks Out

By Dan B.

In this part of the series, we’re going to cover how to play on blank turns. We’ll start with the…

MTT Preflop Strategy: Turning Flat-Calls from Leak to Weapon

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Most losing players aren’t bleeding money because of massive, obvious mistakes. It’s the small, repeated errors that make or break…

Your Opponent Checked Back—Here’s How to Capitalize (Part I)

By Dan B.

Over the years, I’ve mostly focused on how to play as the aggressor, particularly on the flop. That stage is…

Check or Bet? How to Build Strong Flop Check-Back Strategies in Tournaments

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Let’s face it. Checking back stinks, doesn’t it? It can feel even worse than folding — the most cowardly act…

Edge-Passing in Poker: When Folding Profitable Hands Is the Right Play

By Leo Song-Carrillo

“Gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.” – Kenny Rogers Folding AKo to cold 4bet 5-handed…

Deep vs Shallow Study: The Key to Rapid Poker Improvement

By Uri Peleg

Uri Peleg is arguably the best poker coach in the world. He just released a game-changing course called Upswing Lab…

How To Play Overcard Turns After Check-Raising the Flop (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B.

I’ve covered flush-closing and straight-closing turns so far in this series. Now it’s time to shift focus to overcards. While…

(Sneak Peek) Lab 2.0 is Your Path to Poker Mastery

By Duncan Smith

Ready to destroy weaker recreational players and come out on top against your fellow regulars? Upswing Lab 2.0 (coming September…

The Population Leak You Can’t Ignore: Overfolding vs Raises in 3-Bet Pots

By Dan B.

In-Position Raising In 3-Bet Pots as the Preflop Caller (Part II) Part II – Practical Applications As I mentioned in…

Building Bluffing Ranges Like the Pros: A Guide to Smarter 3-Bets

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Today, solid preflop strategies are part of the tournament poker zeitgeist. (Don’t worry—set-mining doesn’t make you a fish.) That said,…

LLinusLLove vs. AbsoluteTopUp: A Masterclass in Flush Draw Dynamics

By Dan B.

I’ve got a hand straight from the Cash Game World Championship hosted by CoinPoker. This one features Linus “LLinusLL0ve” Loeliger…

The Forgotten Line: How to Maximize Profit as the Preflop Caller in 3-Bet Pots

By Dan B.

In-Position Raising In 3-Bet Pots as the Preflop Caller Part I – Theory Primer: The Forgotten Line That sounded mysterious…

Top Pair, Bad Kicker? Here’s the Right Way to Play It

By Dan B.

This article shares strategic advice from Uri Peleg on how to play top pairs with a weak kicker. The insights…

Beyond the Flop Overbet: Elite-Level Turn Play Explained (Part 1)

By Dan B.

The flop overbet c-bet is a highly advanced strategy that only a small number of players have implemented, and even…

Beyond Raw Equity: Unlocking the True Value of Your Poker Hands

By Dan B.

If you’ve been reading my strategy articles for a while, you may have noticed that I often talk about realized…

Where does the EV come from in poker?

By Dan B. | July 11, 2025

Continuing on the idea from the article I wrote recently (Should You Play Like a Nit Preflop?), in this article,…

3 Preflop Exploits That Work in Live Championship Events

By Leo Song-Carrillo | July 4, 2025

The biggest live tournament of the year is underway. Whether you’re in the mix or just railing the action, there’s…

How To Play Straight Turns After Check-Raising the Flop (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B. | June 27, 2025

In case you’ve missed the first article of the series, I am teaching you how to play after you’ve check-raised…

Big Stack Advantage on the Stone Bubble: Why the Rich Get Richer

By Leo Song-Carrillo | June 20, 2025

This is it. The final part of what started as a three (now four) part series on soft and stone…

From Screen to Felt: 6 Adjustments for Live MTT Success

By Leo Song-Carrillo | June 13, 2025

Summer tournament season is in full swing, with marquee events all up and down the Las Vegas Strip drawing thousands…

High-Stakes Showdown: DavyJones922 vs Barak Wisbrod in a $46,100 NLHE Pot

By Dan B. | June 6, 2025

I’ve got some online nosebleed action to break down for you in this article. The main characters in this showdown…

How Short Stacks Navigate the Stone Bubble

By Leo Song-Carrillo | May 30, 2025

Whether you’re a short stack forced all-in and dealt to lose, or one of the big stacks getting coolered for…

Money Bubble Tactics: Maximize Your Edge as the Pressure Builds

By Leo Song-Carrillo | May 2, 2025

Make no mistake: pre-money play is a lot more dynamic than simply running everyone over as the big stack or…

How to Play Flush Turns After Check-Raising (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B. | April 25, 2025

As you probably know, having a well-balanced check-raising range makes you a really tough opponent to play against. The reason…

Soft Bubble Strategy: How to Survive & Thrive with Any Stack Size

By Leo Song-Carrillo | April 11, 2025

Dominate? Survive? Is it time to gamble? As you approach the money in poker tournaments, the best approach will depend…

Flush on the Board? Turn These Tricky Spots Into Profit

By Dan B. | March 28, 2025

Buckle up, poker strategy nerds. This one’s for you. 5-to-a-flush boards (like AdQd9d6d2d) are rare but fascinating from a theoretical…

Mastering the Donk Bet (3 Pro Tips for Max EV)

By Dan B. | February 28, 2025

Let’s kick this off with an analogy… If poker had a formal education system, donk betting would be the class…

Epic Showdown at the Cash Game World Championship (Linus vs. PR0DIGY)

By Dan B. | February 18, 2025

Let’s dive into a hand from the Cash Game World Championship, which took place on Coin Poker over the past…

3 Profit-Creating Tips for Delayed C-Betting (via Lucid Poker)

By Dan B. | January 28, 2025

When solvers first erupted onto the scene, they showed us that the optimal c-betting strategy is generally aggressive. Because of…

3 Tips For Playing Paired Boards (via Lucid Poker)

By Patrick Harvey | November 1, 2024

Paired boards are interesting as they present unique characteristics that may throw off even seasoned players. This article delves into…

3 Tips to Help You Profit With Draws (Via Lucid GTO)

By Dan B. | August 23, 2024

Learning to play draws aggressively is one of the most important concepts that new poker players can learn. When you’re…

3 Pro Tips for Overbetting On The Flop (ft. Lucid GTO)

By Dan B. | April 12, 2024

The overbet (betting more than the size of the pot) is a powerful play. If you use this tactic at…

The Wild Tactic Poker Pros Use to Make More Money in Cash Games

By Dan B. | March 29, 2024

New poker strategies are always emerging. One wild tactic that has risen in prominence is 4-betting all-in in cash games…

How to Practice Ranging Your Opponents (Cash Game Example)

By Geoffrey Fisk | March 8, 2024

Putting your opponent on an accurate range of hands is arguably the most valuable skill in poker. In this video/article,…

Millionaire Poker Pro Gets Tricky With Pocket Aces in $116,668 Pot (Analysis)

By Dan B. | March 5, 2024

There’s not much better than watching two of the world’s best poker players battle it out at high stakes. The…

Doug Polk’s Wild Poker Session is a Whirlwind of Emotions

By Geoffrey Fisk | February 23, 2024

The high-stakes livestream game at The Lodge Card Club this past Sunday was epic, to say the very least. Upswing…

Trapping Top Pair with $751,073 On The Line (Final Table EPT London)

By Geoffrey Fisk | February 15, 2024

You’re at the final table of the EPT London Main Event. You’ve already outlasted over 700 players in the 5K…

Can You Exploit These 3 Poker Players?

By Geoffrey Fisk | February 13, 2024

Ready to test your exploitative poker skills? Upswing Poker’s newest course, titled Precision Poker, comes from the mind of chess…

How to Exploit Weak 3-Bettors (AKA Most Poker Players)

By Geoffrey Fisk | February 9, 2024

Upswing Poker’s newest course presents a fresh approach to poker from chess champion turned poker pro Alex Vuilleumier. In this…

3 Things That Shocked This Chess Master Turned Poker Pro

By Geoffrey Fisk | February 2, 2024

The newest course in the Upswing Poker library comes from a chess master turned high stakes poker pro. Alex Vuilleumier…

How to Play Five-to-a-Straight Boards Like a Pro

By Dan B. | January 26, 2024

Boards with five cards to the straight can be quite confusing to play. But fear not! In this article, I…

Sneak Peek: The End Boss System with Doug Polk & Fabian Adler

By Geoffrey Fisk | October 9, 2023

Are you a serious poker player who wants to elevate your game to the highest level? Doug Polk’s brand new…

Doug Polk Bets 3 Times the Pot & His Opponent Has Top Pair!

By Mike Brady | October 3, 2023

Doug Polk’s Bold Bluff Versus a Top Pro’s Pocket Aces

By Mike Brady | September 21, 2023

Preflop The blinds are $200/$400 and Doug starts the hand with $90,900 in his stack (Kevin covers). Doug raises to…

Straight Flush Draw vs Daniel Negreanu ($100,000 Duel Hand Analysis)

By Mike Brady | September 15, 2023

Doug and his longtime heads-up coach Fabian Adler have been working on a new course called The End Boss System…

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Poker Training Course: Upswing Lab 2.0

Enjoying the free strategy articles, but want to take your game to the next level? Upswing has a poker training path for you in the new Lab 2.0, the Mastery Path has advanced curriculum from some of the world's best coaches including Uri Peleg and Qing Yang. Lab 2.0 gives you a clear path to sharper and more profitable play.

Enjoying the free strategy articles, but want to take your game to the next level? Upswing has a poker training path for you in the new Lab 2.0, the Mastery Path has advanced curriculum from some of the world's best coaches including Uri Peleg and Qing Yang. Lab 2.0 gives you a clear path to sharper and more profitable play.