Poker Strategy
Overbetting All-In On the River Revealed
Hey guys! In this article we’re going to talk about a fun and highly exploitative strategy – going all-in on the river as an overbet. This is a powerful and effective play in the following scenarios: You have a range advantage over your opponent, and can therefore exploitatively bluff with a wide range. You have…
Read MoreThe Beginner’s Guide to Opening the Button in Heads-Up No Limit
Heads-up poker is a whole new ball game. As there are only two players, ranges are dramatically wider in every situation. Quickly and efficiently adjusting your strategy to counter your opponent is crucial in heads-up no limit, moreso than any other game. If you use easily exploitable strategies at the wrong time, you will often…
Read MoreDoug Polk Answers Your 6 Best Questions About Pre-Flop Play
Pre-flop, where all of the mayhem that is no-limit hold’em begins. With the tough poker climate of 2017, a good pre-flop strategy is mandatory for long term success. In this article, I’ll be reviewing Doug Polk’s answers to 6 pre-flop related questions sent in by you, the Upswing readers. The questions cover the following topics:…
Read MoreWhat NL Players Don’t Realize They Already Know About PLO
Taking the PLOnge (Part 2) It is very tempting to draw analogies between NLHE hands/situations and PLO hands/situations… …but sometimes such analogies can actually do more harm than good, and even the best ones have their limits. This is because there are many elements of PLO that simply cannot be mapped to NLHE analogues. That…
Read More3 Tips for Crushing Jackpot Sit & Gos
Want to experience the excitement (and heartbreak) of poker tournaments without the huge time commitment? Then you should try some Spin & Gos (generally known as Jackpot Sit & Gos). This relatively new game type has a lot in common, both good and bad, with multi-table tournaments: Opportunity for big wins Relatively easy competition High…
Read MoreHow to Crush Live Tournaments as an Online Player
Most online grinders find very little success when they take their first shot at a live tournament. We always talk about how TERRIBLE every live player seems to be, and then blame variance when we can’t beat them (or maybe that’s just me). The rules are […]
Read MoreGTO vs Exploitative Play: Which is the Better Strategy?
I think it’s time to talk about Game Theory Optimal (GTO) vs Exploitative play. This subject seems to confuse a lot of you guys based on how often I hear it asked about and mis-used. It’s a complex subject, so I understand the confusion. GTO vs Exploitative play has been an ongoing discussion in the…
Read MoreRevealed: How to React to Preflop 3-Bets In & Out of Position
3-betting pre-flop is a powerful move in No Limit Hold’em. Let’s stop for a moment and consider some of the benefits of 3-betting: 3-betting gives the aggressor a chance to win the pot without seeing a flop, taking advantage of the dead money already in the middle. A pre-flop 3-bet is an effective way to…
Read More4 Things You Must Know to Play Perfect GTO
It is rare for me to sing the praises of any poker training book. Almost every one I’ve read has failed to provide enough depth and detail to adequately address the nuances and complexities of poker. Matt Janda’s Applications of No-Limit Hold ‘em is an exception. Janda’s book is perfect for players with an understanding…
Read More3 Poker Concepts Every Aspiring Pro Needs to Know
Poker used to be easy. It almost makes me sick to think about how much money was up for grabs in the years following the ’03 poker boom. All it took to be a poker pro was a little know-how, and a lot of patience. But the poker landscape has changed with time. Nowadays, aspiring…
Read MoreAnswered: Your 5 Most Burning Post-Flop Questions
Post-flop play is what makes poker interesting and complex. There are virtually infinite possible post-flop situations, which can lead to a lot of uncertainty in one’s decision making. In this article, I’ll be reviewing Doug Polk’s answers to 5 post-flop questions sent in by you, the Upswing readers. The questions cover these topics: How to…
Read MoreHow NOT To Play a Set on a Scary Board
2007 was a fantastic year for poker… Poker players in that time were living the dream (and probably taking it for granted) for a number of reasons: The industry was booming There was a constant influx of new, recreational players Big online sites like Full Tilt and PokerStars still operated in the US But perhaps…
Read MoreStrategy Comparison: Regular Tables vs Fast-Fold Tables
The world is constantly looking to do things faster and the evolution of poker has been no exception. In recent years, fast-fold tables– where players are immediately dealt another hand at a new table after folding –have become a popular choice for cash game grinders. These types of games are known by many a name:…
Read MoreDon’t Let Cheaters Get the Best of You at the Live Poker Table
According to Wikipedia, Hanlon’s razor is “an aphorism expressed in various ways including ‘“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity,’” or ‘“Don’t assume bad intentions over neglect and misunderstanding.’” In other words, people are more often dumb than nefarious, so we ought to keep that in mind when judging their actions. Many…
Read More12 Preflop Mistakes You Must Avoid to Move Up in Stakes [2nd Edition]
Poker is easy to learn but difficult to master, which I love! Players with well-thought-out and in-depth strategies are rewarded with easier decisions and a better bottom line. However, the complexity of poker also leads to many opportunities for potential mistakes. Preflop is the most played and important street in poker, so today we are going to…
Read MoreMake More Money in Big Blind vs Small Blind Battles
Modern Short-Stack Play (Part 4) This is the fourth and final part of this article series about modern shallow-stack play from the blinds. This time we’re focusing on playing blind vs blind situations in the big blind with a stack of 20 big blinds or less. I strongly recommend you to read the previous article…
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