Poker Strategy
10 Things You Need to Read This Weekend
Recommended reading for this weekend from Upswing Poker Tournaments have been a significant focus for Upswing Poker over the last few weeks as the 48th Annual World Series of Poker enters its homestretch leading up to the Main Event. In this article, strategy contributor Miikka Anttonen lists 5 Poker Tournament Myths that many players fail…
Read MoreThe Professional Approach to Straddled and Three-Blind Pots
Even the best poker players in the world lose money from the small and big blind. You’d have to be an action junkie — or hate money — to voluntarily become a third blind… right? Mostly right. That’s where the straddle in poker comes in. A straddle is a blind bet made by a player…
Read MoreHow To Open-Raise In MTTs So The Big Blind Doesn’t Crush Your Soul
MTTs are constantly evolving. New trends emerge, old tricks stop working as the fields learn to adjust, and so on. But while cash games and sit-and-goes are getting closer and closer to being solved by software and the like, MTTs remain the only format where exploitative play is where the money is. Sure, MTTs have…
Read More4 Tournament Poker Mistakes To Avoid (Infographic)
“Poker is a hard way to make an easy living” sums up the life of a poker pro perfectly. So few of us that try actually manage to make a lasting career out of poker. I’ve seen countless aspiring tournament pros fail throughout my years playing this game, so much so that I’ve started to…
Read MoreRun Deep in More Live Tournaments by Preparing Like These Pros
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” -Seneca When we think about how to gain an edge at the table, mental state and physical endurance may not always come to mind. However, these factors are vital if one is looking to optimize his performance and maximize his profits. Sitting at a poker table for…
Read MoreDoes Your Poker Journey Feel Stuck? So Did Doug Polk’s
Does your poker career feel stuck? Have you been playing in the same low- and mid-stakes games for what seems like forever, but now feel that your once-achievable poker goals are just pipe dreams? Do you feel like your love for the game keeps you playing, but that it’s ultimately pointless? You are not the…
Read More5 Poker Tournament Myths Way Too Many Players Believe
Everyone seems to have a strong opinion nowadays, and many people present their views as absolute truth. This is particularly common at the poker table. Poker is a game where only about 1% of all players make money, yet many of the remaining 99% still think they’re good–just unlucky. And boy, do all these “unlucky”…
Read MoreHow to Check-Raise Like a High Stakes Poker Pro
Players that don’t check-raise are easy to beat. If you won’t check-raise me, there are only two possible outcomes when I bet: You fold and I win the pot You call and take a turn card out of position You therefore fold away all of your equity, or allow me to realize all of mine.…
Read MorePaired Boards: 3 Examples That Reveal The Optimal Approach
Paired boards can be confusing and frustrating. They often create scenarios where one player is way ahead and another is way behind, which makes it difficult to get value when you have the goods and often tempting to bluff– potentially over-bluffing –when you don’t. We’ll take a look at 3 hand histories featuring paired boards…
Read MorePrint Money with Your Flop C-Bets In and Out of Position
Every poker player knows how much easier it is to play hands in position. In position players get to play looser, bet more frequently and ultimately win more pots than an out of position player can. This article is about flop continuation bets(aka c-bets) in single raised pots– how to most effectively beat down your…
Read More5 Poker Misconceptions That Way Too Many People Believe
Even the best poker players make mistakes. The difference between the best players, however, and merely average players, is why they make mistakes. For average players, emotions often get in the way of good decision-making. It’s easy to be emotionally invested in a game for money, especially one with so much variance. Variance also makes…
Read MoreAces vs Kings AND Set Over Set in the Same Hand (Hand Analysis)
After eight hours of play in a $25/$50 game on Poker Night in America, Doug Polk picked up pocket kings. Doug’s 4-bet was answered by a call from his opponent and the flop gave him to a set of kings. Both players are over $30,000 deep, so fireworks are all but assured for this hand.…
Read More6 Pre-flop Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs (Infographic)
Did you know pre-flop is the most important street in poker? Unlike post-flop, you have to make a pre-flop decision every single hand! Players with well thought out, in-depth pre-flop strategies are rewarded with easier post-flop decisions and a better bottom line… …However, the complexity of the game presents a ton of opportunities for potential…
Read MoreWhen Should You Bet the Flop in Multi-Way Pots?
A unique approach is required to avoid spewing away your chips in multi-way pots. This is simply because as more players are in the hand, the raw equity of your range decreases. Just look at how much Ace-king’s equity suffers as more random players are added to the pot: That’s nearly a 26 percentage point…
Read MorePhil Galfond Is PERPLEXED By Vanessa Selbst’s Play (Hand Analysis)
It’s the $25,000 buy-in National Heads Up Championship. After defeating Joe Hachem and Elky, Phil Galfond faces Vanessa Selbst in the third round of the tournament. We pickup the action mid-match as Vanessa hold a slight lead on Phil. Both players have pretty marginal hands, but that doesn’t stop this pot from getting big. Doug…
Read MorePoker Pop Quiz: Sick PLO Cooler at $300/$600 Featuring Ivey, Galfond & Antonius
It’s a star-studded lineup playing $300/$600 Pot Limit Omaha on Poker After Dark… …and all 6 players saw the flop after a straddle to $1,200 from Patrik Antonius. Patrik couldn’t have flopped much better, but he can’t be happy to see a flush completing river card followed by a big bet from Phil Galfond. What…
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