Crush the Baron Walkthrough

In any competitive environment, studying the best and learning what makes them so successful is among the greatest ways to improve your own ability.

Upswing’s ‘Crush the Baron’ course brings this approach to the poker table, putting the game of one of the sickest 6-max cash-game players of all-time – OtB_RedBaron – under the microscope.

The course is taught by fellow online cash game millionaire Andres “Educa-p0ker” Artinano, who has spoken openly about how studying Baron’s game helped him win his fortune on the felt.

Andres shares all of his key insights picked up over years of analyzing Baron’s play in this exclusive, 12-part course. The course also acts as a great guide for how you should approach studying the strategy of a specific player.

Check out the full breakdown below.

Crush the Baron videos

HUD Review: Preflop (21:56)

The course kicks off with an integral part of player analysis – the HUD data.

Andres opens by explaining his own HUD layout (which comes free with the course). He then begins analyzing each stat from database of OtB_RedBaron hands to show what the stats of one of the best players in the world look like.

Ever wondered what your fold to 3-bet percentage should be? How about your preflop raise stat? What does a winning squeeze frequency look like?

Andres addresses these questions and dozens of others at length in this video. There are some pretty interesting findings – namely that Baron is shown to deviate from ‘GTO’ (game theory optimal) strategy in a number of situations.

HUD Review: Postflop (16:36)

After breaking down the Baron’s pre-flop stats, Andres continues with the HUD analysis by moving onto the post-flop numbers. Andres gives some additional info that isn’t provided by these figures which are key to note.

For example, when discussing Baron’s flop c-betting frequency, he goes deeper into discussing the different sizes he uses, and at what frequency. A little spoiler: if these frequencies are anything to go by, Baron LOVES the small c-bet.

3-Bet Pots Out of Position (14:01)

In this video, the hand histories are out and we find out more about how Baron constructs his ranges. There’s an interesting development about his bluffing frequencies, specifically how he places some hands into his checking range on the flop that prevents him from over-bluffing with them on the river. You’ll also learn how the Baron approaches playing draws in general and why his strategy is so effective.

Big Pots from the Baron – Part 1 (20:41)

Things get really fun here – Andres runs through the largest pots that OtB has won on PokerStars (the SMALLEST one that is analysed starts at $80,000)!

Other players involved in these hands include:

• Phil Ivey
• Alex “Kanu7” Millar
• Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov

Having a pro of Andres’s calibre analyze these spots makes for some eye-opening hand reviews.

Big Pots from the Baron – Part 2 (23:27)

The section concludes with Andres reviewing the top 5 largest pots that the Baron has won – and they all took place in an epic 3-handed battle fought between him, Phil Ivey and Alex Millar.

Without giving a complete spoiler as to how the biggest one played out, the Baron found himself dragging a $240,000+ pot with 54o. Pretty sweet.

Probe and vs Delayed C-Bet (21:59)

The sixth video of the course begins to establish the larger framework at play in Baron’s game. Andres discusses his different probe betting strategies (when a bet is made as the out of position player after the pre-flop aggressor did not c-bet on the previous street).

After absorbing the info in this video, you’ll understand the different sizes used by the Baron in such instances, and how he structures his check/call, check/raise, and check/fold ranges against delayed c-bets.

Once again, the quality of opponents on display (notables include ‘LLinusLLove’, Dan ‘w00ki3z’ Cates and ‘limitless’) makes for some extremely high-level play and complex analysis.

Bet When Missed Flop In Position: Blind vs Blind (14:37)

This video focuses on one of the more unique parts of Baron’s game – his blind versus blind play, specifically when he is in the BB facing an SB open.

Players tend to have high 3-betting ranges from the BB, largely because they enjoy a positional advantage over the SB and force them to play a bloated pot out of position. However, Andres notes that the Baron 3-bets much less aggressively from this position compared against the population – a choice that gets him a lot of value post-flop.

Small Blind Unopened Single Raised Pots – Part 1 (38:17)

Since so many players struggle with correct play from the SB, a lot of time in this course is dedicated to focusing on play from this position. Andres begins to outline how the Baron constructs his ranges for different hand categories, proposing general guidelines that you can easily implement into your own game.

These include tips for playing top pair, middle pair and bottom pair of various strengths. You’ll become familiar with Baron’s methods of range protection through detailed analysis of hand histories.

Small Blind Unopened Single Raised Pots – Part 2 (23:19)

Andres continues with his guidelines for how to play from the SB like the Baron. This video will look at how he approaches playing three of a kind, flush draws and straight draws.

There is also attention given to playing AK – a hand that many players struggle with post-flop if they fail to connect with the board. Learn exactly how the Baron navigates these spots with examples so you can emulate his approach at the table.

Small Blind Unopened Limped Pots – Part 1 (49:20)

Interestingly, the Baron uses a mixed strategy from the SB which includes both raising and limping. The latter occurs more frequently in ante games, and is becoming more commonplace in the cash-game scene today.

Given the complexity of limped pots with ranges being as wide as they are, Andres commits a large amount of time to studying the way that the Baron handles them. There are some interesting findings that include multiple bets with under-pairs as well as frequent check-calling with over-pairs.

Small Blind Unopened Limped Pots – Part 2 (51:10)

Much like the guidelines in the SB single-raised pot videos, Andres comes up with some rules of thumb to help you approach unopened limped pots from the SB. Using filters on Hold’em Manager 2 to sift through his extensive Baron database, you’ll get a sense of how to play hands of all types – from nutted combos to A/K-high.

EP, MP, and CO Game (Coming Soon)

The course costs $499 for lifetime access, and it’s available now right here.

We’ll knock $200 off Crush the Baron (for a total of $299) when you purchase it’s companion course, Elite Cash Game Mastery. Click here for a preview of Elite Cash Game Mastery.

Sign up for Elite Cash Game Mastery (and get $200 off Crush the Baron) by clicking here or below. The discounted offer on Crush the Baron will be available after joining Elite Cash Game Mastery.