Poker Strategy
How to Play Double-Paired Boards in Cash Games
When the turn brings a card that puts two pairs on the board — K♠ K♥ 8♥ 8♠, for example — you may find yourself in a tough situation to navigate. Is your bottom full house good? Will Ace-high be strong enough to win at showdown? Should you turn an underpair (like Pocket Fours) into…
Read MorePlay Like a Pro When The Turn Pairs The Middle Card
When the turn card pairs the board in a heads-up pot, the dynamic between the players changes greatly. This article will help you play these spots better than you currently are. The following content focuses on when to continue betting (as the preflop raiser who c-bet on the flop) in single raised pots when the…
Read MoreShould He Call All-In With Ace-High in a $250,000 Tournament? (Analysis)
One of the toughest spots in poker is when you have a marginal hand and face a decision for all of your chips. It doesn’t matter if you play the micros online or live high rollers, these situations are almost always anxiety-inducing. Cut to the Triton $250,000 Buy-In High Roller tournament, in which Daniel Dvoress…
Read MoreHow to Play A9-A6 Suited in Cash Games
Middling suited Aces are pretty strong hands. You should often play a hand like A♠ 9♠ when it’s dealt to you, but it’s obviously not always strong enough to VPIP. The exact situations in which these hand types are worth playing, and how to maneuver with them postflop, is what I am going to cover…
Read More3 Advantages of Betting Big on the Flop
Over the last 15 years, No Limit Hold’em has gone through a drastic transformation. So much has changed about the way people play and think about the game that it’s hard to even know where to begin. But what stands out most in my mind is how different c-bet sizing strategies were used in the…
Read More[QUIZ] Do You Know When to C-Bet in 4-Bet Pots?
Poker players get more aggressive (on average) every year. As a result, playing well in 4-bet pots has become a vital skill if you want to succeed in today’s games. This quiz will help you improve that skill. The focus will be on playing 4-bet pots as the preflop aggressor (a future quiz will have…
Read MoreGarrett Plays $335,500 Pot vs JRB on High Stakes Poker (Analysis)
On the most recent season of High Stakes Poker, fan-favorite Garrett Adelstein squared off against nosebleed regular Jean-Robert Bellande (JRB) in a colossal pot. I’m going to take a deep loop into that hand, which took place at the massive stakes of $500/$1,000 with a $1,000 big blind ante. Watch the hand here and keep…
Read MoreDoug Polk Flops Broadway vs a Set (Analysis)
Texas poker is known for having crazy action with lots of straddles and super deep stacks. This hand between Doug Polk and Lodge Card Club regular JWin is proof of that. The two squared off in a $25/$50 game with a $100 straddle. Both had stacks of $30,000+ to start the hand. Watch one of…
Read MoreWhat is a Poker Straddle? And Should You Ever Straddle?
Poker straddles can cause confusing situations for newcomers to live poker. This article will shed light on what poker straddles are, and if you should ever straddle yourself. What is a Straddle in Poker? A poker straddle is a voluntary blind bet made by a player before cards are dealt. A player who straddles is…
Read MoreGarrett Adelstein vs Daniel Negreanu ($440,000 Pot Analysis)
High Stakes Poker baby! PokerGO has revived the greatest poker TV show of all time and in a hand from the latest season, poker legend Daniel Negreanu went head-to-head against live nosebleed crusher Garrett Adelstein in a gargantuan pot. The stakes were $500/$1,000 with a $1,000 big blind ante. Daniel had a stack of $220,000…
Read MoreHow to Play Queen-Jack Suited in Cash Games
Queen-Jack suited is a damn good hand in No Limit Hold’em. It can flop strong pairs, strong open-enders, flush draws, and gutshots. It often has useful blockers on Ace-high and King-high boards (blocking hands like AQ/AJ/KQ/KJ). And if all else goes wrong, Queen-Jack suited still usually has some kind of backdoor draw with 2 overcards.…
Read MoreHow to Play Trips (As the Preflop Raiser and Caller)
Playing trips can be pretty simple in some situations, but there are some small nuances that you might be missing. If you are indeed missing those nuances, you have an opportunity to increase your win-rate by learning them. Lucky for you, that’s what this article is for. Let’s dive in! Note: I’ll be covering how…
Read More3 Tips for Playing the Turn After Check-Raise Bluffing Flop
Suppose you call a preflop raise from the Big Blind with a hand like 6♥ 4♥ and the flop comes Q♦ 7♥ 3♠. The preflop raiser c-bets and the action is back on you. You think to yourself and say, “Damn, am I supposed to check-raise here?” You know that you probably should check-raise at…
Read MoreMust-See Strategy Discussions from the Upswing Lab Community (April 2022)
Upswing Poker Lab subscribers get access toUpswing Poker Engage, a private Facebook group that allows members to post hands and poker questions at any time. As an Upswing member, you can post to the Engage group and get feedback from Upswing’s roster of world-class coaches and top players. Upswing coaches Ryan “PokerWithRiske” Riske, Gary “GazzyB”…
Read MoreCan Linus Make a Sick Hero Call With K♣ Q♣ On Four Heart Board (Analysis)
Linus Loeliger has been arguably the best No Limit Hold’em online cash game player in the world for the past few years. In fact, he was ranked as the 5th greatest poker player of all-time in the Doug Polk Podcast’s fan voting. Observing the best players in the world is one of the best ways…
Read MoreShould You Ever Play Offsuit Connectors in Cash Games?
Most of the time, low and medium offsuit connectors are pretty worthless and should be folded. However, there are some instances, mostly from the Big Blind, in which they are worthy of being played. For that reason, I am going to cover: How to Play Low and Medium Offsuit Connectors Preflop 3 Tips for When…
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