Beginner Poker Strategy Articles

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10 Quick Poker Strategy Tips That Will Help Your Game

We’ve compiled 10 tactics and strategies that will make you a more confident and profitable poker player.

4 Valuable Pieces of Poker Tournament Advice for Beginners

Highlights of the most important tournament tips from Upswing's tournament articles.

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 from the beginner-friendly Launch Pad, to the advanced Mastery Path, Lab 2.0 gives you a clear path to sharper and more profitable play.

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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 from the beginner-friendly Launch Pad, to the advanced Mastery Path, Lab 2.0 gives you a clear path to sharper and more profitable play.

Basics, Rules, and How to Play Poker

How to Play Poker (Texas Hold'em and more)

Basic rules and game flow for new players to learn how to start playing.

Poker Hand Rankings

List of poker hand rankings. Learn what beats what, learn texas hold'em starting hands, and download a free cheat sheet.

Popular Articles

Pot Odds Explained and How to Calculate Them

By Dan B.

Pot odds are a fundamental part of poker and it’s important to learn how to calculate them. Don’t worry though,…

10 Quick Poker Strategy Tips That Will Help Your Game

By Dan B.

10 Quick Poker Strategy Tips That Will Help Your Game If you’re looking for easy to remember and quick poker…

Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em Poker (The Ultimate Guide)

By Geoffrey Fisk

Success in Texas Hold’em starts with good preflop hand selection. If you’re playing a winning strategy, you’ll be folding preflop…

All Beginner Poker Articles

3 Easily Understood Poker Tactics That Will Make You Money

By Mike Brady | February 27, 2024

If you want to add a few money-making poker tactics to your game, read on. Poker strategy has advanced a…

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…

How to Play King-Ten Offsuit In Cash Games

By Dan B. | January 12, 2024

I’m not going to BS you here… King-Ten offsuit is a mediocre hand. But it’s still worth playing in certain…

What Is Pot Control & Why Does It Matter?

By Dan B. | January 9, 2024

You’ve probably heard the poker term pot control before. If you want to know what it means and why it…

Inelastic Ranges: How to Snowball Your Winnings vs Bad Poker Players

By Dan B. | December 4, 2023

When you’re up against bad poker players, you have the opportunity to beat them for a large number of chips.…

How to Play Six-Five Suited In Cash Games

By Dan B. | December 1, 2023

I always feel excitement when I’m dealt Six-Five suited. It cracks Pocket Aces over 22% of the time (more than…

How to Play Pocket Jacks in Cash Games

By Dan B. | November 10, 2023

“There are 3 ways to play Pocket Jacks, and they’re all wrong.” You may have heard this famous poker saying…

How to Play Eight-Seven Suited in Cash Games

By Dan B. | August 18, 2023

Eight-Seven suited is a crowd favorite among poker players… …but most don’t play it correctly. Players see this nice-looking hand…

Should Tom Dwan Fold Pocket Queens In This $1 Million Buy-In Hand?

By Geoffrey Fisk | April 7, 2023

The text below is based on the video above. Imagine playing a €1 million buy-in tournament with 300 big blinds…

5 Useful Tools for Live Poker Players

By Geoffrey Fisk | February 22, 2023

A seemingly infinite number of poker tools are out there that aim to help you improve and manage your game…

What is Doug Polk’s “Postflop Playbook” Launching on December 19th?

By Geoffrey Fisk | December 14, 2022

The brand-new Postflop Playbook is a two-hour crash course that will teach you a proven poker strategy quickly. The aptly-named…

How Phil Hellmuth Lost His $1.6 Million Match Against A Top Pro (Analysis)

By Mike Brady | December 9, 2022

Phil Hellmuth has been an absolute wrecking ball in high stakes heads-up matches on PokerGO… …but he just went up…

How to Play Pocket Threes in Cash Games

By Dan B. | October 28, 2022

You’ve probably been dealt Pocket Threes, also known as crabs, quite a few times. Have you ever wondered if you…

How to Play Queen-Ten Suited in Cash Games

By Dan B. | August 16, 2022

Queen-Ten suited is one of those strong and silent types of poker hands. It’s not a premium Rolls Royce like…

Why You Should NOT Chop When Deep In A Tournament

By Patrick Harvey | July 22, 2022

If you have ever made a deep run in a tournament, you may have been asked “Do you want to…

What is a Poker Straddle? And Should You Ever Straddle?

By Geoffrey Fisk | June 1, 2022

Poker straddles can cause confusing situations for newcomers to live poker. This article will shed light on what poker straddles…

How to Play Pocket Twos in Cash Games (Preflop Advice & 6 Postflop Tips)

By Dan B. | February 18, 2022

Since you will usually flop either a set or an underpair to the board, playing Pocket Twos is usually pretty…

How to Play King-Ten Suited in Cash Games

By Dan B. | February 2, 2022

King-Ten suited (KTs) is one of my favorite hands to play. It’s just so damn good-looking. It’s a strong hand…

The 5 Best Poker Strategy Articles of 2021

By Mike Brady | December 30, 2021

If you want to crush your poker games in 2022, read on. These 5 must-read articles published on the poker…

The 5 Best Poker Hand Reviews of 2021

By Mike Brady | December 25, 2021

If you like expert poker hand analysis, you’ve come to the right place. The Upswing Poker team is constantly on…

How to Play King-Jack Offsuit in Cash Games (Preflop & Postflop)

By Dan B. | December 21, 2021

King-Jack offsuit (KJo) is one of those hands that looks super strong to newer players. That’s why Daniel Negreanu calls…

The Final Hand of the 2021 WSOP Main Event (Analysis)

By Mike Brady | November 24, 2021

High stakes poker pro versus fearless amateur… It’s a matchup that happens daily on poker tables around the world. But…

We’re Slashing Prices for Black Friday & Cyber Monday [25% Off]

By Patrick Harvey | November 18, 2021

Have you considered upgrading your poker skills with one of Upswing’s best-selling courses? It’s time to get off the fence…

How a Top Live Poker Crusher Deals with Six-Figure Losses

By Patrick Harvey | October 27, 2021

Unless you’re an absolute sicko, you probably hate losing money. But if you play poker regularly, it’s impossible to never…

10 Cash Game Poker Tips for Dominating the Table

By Dan B. | August 25, 2021

Do you plan on playing a cash game anytime soon? You’re in luck! Today we’ll cover 10 fundamental tips that…

How Poker Antes Should Change Your Tournament Raising Strategy

By Curtis Knight | August 21, 2021

Do you open roughly the same range from each position regardless of antes? If so, you are making a costly mistake. Many players leak chips by failing to adjust their preflop ranges when there’s dead money to go after. With antes in […]

5 Tips for Playing Backdoor Flush & Straight Draws

By Dan B. | August 20, 2021

Backdoor draws play a significant role in the range construction process. If you don’t regularly consider backdoor draws when making…

5 Best Moments from Phil Hellmuth on the Doug Polk Podcast

By Patrick Harvey | August 19, 2021

Whenever Phil Hellmuth is in front of a camera or microphone, you can expect to hear some pretty… interesting things.…

10 Things You MUST Know Playing In A Poker Home Game

By Ryan Fee | August 13, 2021

Throughout the years I’ve played in some serious high-stakes home games in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. And I have…

Leveling: How Overthinking Costs You Money at the Poker Table

By Konstantinos "Duncan" Palamourdas | August 12, 2021

What is Leveling in Poker? Also known as Multiple Level Thinking, Leveling is the concept of evaluating a poker situation…