Poker Strategy
Why Teddy KGB is Actually Bad at Poker
Teddy KGB is a feared character in Rounders, the most iconic poker movie of all time. Teddy’s scary traits include his status as a Russian mob boss and deep ties into the New York City underworld. Those traits do not necessarily include his skill at the poker table, which (spoiler alert) lead to Mike McDermott…
Read MoreRiver Probing: How to Play Rivers When Your Foe C-Bets, Then Checks Back
Your river probing strategy in 2021 is more important than ever before. Most players c-bet over 60% of the time on the flop these days. This means you will frequently find yourself calling a flop bet, then having to decide whether to bet or check on the river after the action checked through on the…
Read MoreYour $1/$2 Hands Analyzed By A Live Cash Crusher
Featured Photo: Joe Giron & PokerNews (Edited from Original) You posted the hands. Now, we break ‘em down. With the help of live poker specialist (and crusher) Mike Finstein, I am going to analyze two $1/$2 live hands that were played by members of the Upswing Lab. Each member posted their hand in the private…
Read MoreSet vs Set vs Flush for (At Least) a $224,000 Pot (Analysis)
After playing for hours, it finally happens: you flop a set. But as you are busy counting all of the money you are about to win, the turn brings a possible flush and multiple opponents start to pile money into the pot. Naturally, the scary board and heavy action make you start to question whether…
Read MoreWhat is Rake in Poker? And Should Rake Impact Your Poker Strategy?
What is Rake? Rake refers to the scaled commission taken by a casino to pay for its operating costs. Rake is collected in tournaments as part of the buy-in cost and in cash games by the dealer dropping a percentage of each pot. If you’ve ever played cash game poker in a casino, you’ve probably…
Read More[QUIZ] Can You Beat the People of Instagram at Poker, Again?
We love quizzing our Instagram audience with head-scratching poker scenarios. (If you took the first Instagram quiz last week, you already know this.) The quiz you’re about to take includes 10 hand scenarios we’ve posted on the social platform in the past year or so. Let’s see how your skills stack up versus the scrollers…
Read MoreHow to Adjust Your Strategy on Loose & Splashy Poker Tables
My local $1/$2 game is super loose and crazy. People call raises with all sorts of garbage hands and they never seem to fold a pair postflop, but I can’t seem to win! How should I adjust my strategy in this game? We see questions like this all the time in the Upswing Poker Facebook…
Read More[QUIZ] Can You Beat the People of Instagram at Poker?
We love quizzing our Instagram audience with head-scratching poker scenarios. Their responses are usually a mixed bag. The top comment is almost always the hilarious joke “all-in” (makes me laugh every time), but reading the earnest responses gives you an interesting look into how players of different levels approach poker. The quiz below includes 9…
Read MoreHow to Avoid the Unhealthy Mindset That Tortures Poker Players
If you want longevity in poker, you need to have a strong mental game. Among other things, that means you have to be able to self-criticize (so you can grow as a player) while not self-shaming. Way too many poker players are extremely harsh and critical of themselves. Such a mindset may help in achieving…
Read MoreWin a Free 30 Minute Coaching Session with Nick Petrangelo
Elite tournament pro Nick Petrangelo is giving away five free coaching sessions. To enter, you must be a member of one of Nick’s two tournament courses (Winning Poker Tournaments or High Stakes MTT Sessions). If you’re already a member, you can opt-in to the giveaway by filling out the form at the bottom of this…
Read MoreWas This Bluff a Mistake? (Analysis)
This two-part article series will help you improve your strategy with missed draws. In part one, cash game crusher Fried Meulders missed a flush draw with Q♥ 7♥, but got his opponent to fold with a couple of huge overbet bluffs. This time Fried misses a straight draw in a 3-bet pot. Will his aggression…
Read MoreApril is Bonus Content Month for Upswing Members
Being stuck at home doesn’t always have to a be bad thing. Online poker is booming at the moment, with some insanely profitable games running as you read this. In addition to the poppin’ tables, Upswing Lab members get to make the most out of their time indoors with free bonus content throughout the month…
Read MoreHow to Avoid Getting Crushed After Defending with a Weak Hand
Most of you already know that you should defend your big blind a lot in tournaments, but do you know what to do next? Specifically, how should you approach postflop play after defending with a weak hand? It’s easy to get lost and make mistakes when playing a hand out of position that you aren’t…
Read MoreMaster Preflop Play with the New Advanced Solver Ranges
The Advanced Solver Ranges, now available to Upswing Lab members, are the most comprehensive set of affordable preflop ranges you will find online. The ranges were created by Upswing coach Fried Meulders, a 500NL Zoom crusher known as “mynameiskarl” on PokerStars. Fried ran the sims and painstakingly worked through just about every conceivable preflop scenario…
Read MoreCash Game Pro Misses a Draw and Overbets Twice (Analysis)
Deciding what to do with a missed draw can be tricky. Sometimes you should bluff, and sometimes your stack will be better off if you wave the white flag. Choosing the wrong option will either cost you the pot or your stack. To help you better understand when to bluff with missed draws, we’re about…
Read MoreChecking Flops with Overpairs: When Should You Do It?
You look down at the beautiful Q♦ Q♥. You raise preflop and get called by two players. The flop is all undercards, so you still have an overpair. You start to reach for chips, but then you remember this article. What did it say about scenarios like this? You’re about to gain insight into when…
Read More