Intermediate Poker Strategy Articles

Popular Intermediate Articles

5 Situations Where C-Betting Will Burn You

By Dan B.

C-betting is a fundamental part of playing good, solid, winning poker. There are many situations where c-betting frequently is the…

Top Pair, Bad Kicker? Here’s the Right Way to Play It

By Dan B.

This article shares strategic advice from Uri Peleg on how to play top pairs with a weak kicker. The insights…

Where does the EV come from in poker?

By Dan B.

Continuing on the idea from the article I wrote recently (Should You Play Like a Nit Preflop?), in this article,…

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All Intermediate Poker Articles

Play More Hands, Win More Pots: 5 Tips for PLO MTT Success

By Duncan Smith

Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) tournaments are a completely different animal from No-Limit Hold’em. If you try to carry over your standard…

Push Fold Charts for Poker Tournaments, Plus More Advanced Strategies

By Leo Song-Carrillo

Note: Updated February 2026. For the original article and charts scroll to the bottom. In the mid-2010s, the emergence of…

How to Play the Turn After Range Checking the Flop (Part 1)

By Dan B.

Some time ago, I wrote about a few spots where checking your entire range on the flop is the right…

3-Bet Preflop Strategy with Updated Range Charts

By Dan B.

3-betting preflop is a fundamental strategy for winning at poker. Getting it right is also easier than ever, thanks to…

PR0DIGY vs Riggedeck: A $35,000 Hand Breakdown from the Cash Game World Championship

By Dan B.

As we steam ahead with the 2025 Cash Game World Championship (CGWC), I am going to break down a hand…

We’re Cutting Prices for Cyber Monday (25% Off Everything)

By Mike Brady

The 2025 Black Friday / Cyber Monday Sale is over. We’ll see you 2026 with more sales and more killer…

Unleash Your Potential with Lucid Poker

By Duncan Smith

This will change your poker game for the better. Lucid Poker Version 3.0 launches on November 10, offering a faster,…

Deep vs Shallow Study: The Key to Rapid Poker Improvement

By Uri Peleg

Uri Peleg is arguably the best poker coach in the world. He just released a game-changing course called Upswing Lab…

(Sneak Peek) Lab 2.0 is Your Path to Poker Mastery

By Duncan Smith

Ready to destroy weaker recreational players and come out on top against your fellow regulars? Upswing Lab 2.0 will teach…

LLinusLLove vs. AbsoluteTopUp: A Masterclass in Flush Draw Dynamics

By Dan B.

I’ve got a hand straight from the Cash Game World Championship hosted by CoinPoker. This one features Linus “LLinusLL0ve” Loeliger…

Top Pair, Bad Kicker? Here’s the Right Way to Play It

By Dan B.

This article shares strategic advice from Uri Peleg on how to play top pairs with a weak kicker. The insights…

Where does the EV come from in poker?

By Dan B.

Continuing on the idea from the article I wrote recently (Should You Play Like a Nit Preflop?), in this article,…

3 Preflop Exploits That Work in Live Championship Events

By Leo Song-Carrillo

The biggest live tournament of the year is underway. Whether you’re in the mix or just railing the action, there’s…

Should You Play Like a Nit Preflop?

By Dan B.

A player recently asked: “If only a minority of preflop hands make the majority of the money, why should I…

How Elite Poker Pros Play Pocket Kings Postflop

By Dan B.

Everyone gets a nice hit of dopamine and adrenaline when they’re dealt pocket Kings. Your unconscious mind expects a big…

5 Tips for Improving Your Skills with PokerTracker

By Dan B.

In this article, I’m going to share five ways you can use PokerTracker to improve your game. I’ve been a…

Limps in Poker: The Ultimate Guide to Crushing Open Limpers

By Dan B.

Think of limpers as your most valuable customers. Every time you see someone limp into the pot, you’re being handed…

5 Preflop Tips to Help You Crush on ClubWPT Gold

By Dan B.

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new poker site available to most residents of the USA. It’s called ClubWPT…

3 Tips to Make Your Opponents Regret Raising Your Big Blind

By Dan B.

Playing well out of the Big Blind (BB) is essential. The pots you play after defending your BB might be…

3 Money-Making Exploits That Work in 99% of Poker Games

By Dan B.

Whether to attempt to play a game theory optimal (GTO) strategy has been a hot topic in the poker world…

3 Pro Tips for Playing Overpairs (via Lucid Poker)

By Dan B.

Are you maximizing your winnings with overpairs? Playing them correctly can mean the difference between extracting max expected value (EV)…

5 Tips For Check-Raising The Flop (via Lucid Poker)

By Dan B.

Check-raising is an essential skill to master. In this article, I’ll share 5 key tips for check-raising on the flop…

How to Exploit Maniac Poker Players

By Cameron Dhaliwal

Note: The new Lucid Poker channel will be posting helpful videos like this regularly. Click here to subscribe! Once again,…

What Top Poker Pros Already Know About 4-Betting

By Mike Brady

You’re about to learn how professional poker players approach 4-betting. You’ll find the answers to these key questions in this…

Quads vs Full House in High Stakes Poker Game

By Dan B.

Even the best poker players in the world deal with brutal bad beats. This hand features two powerhouse players going…

How To Play Underpairs in Cash Games

By Dan B.

It sucks when your pocket pair misses the flop, especially when you’re looking at three overcards. But you shouldn’t always…

Top Poker Pro Borrows Common Low Stakes Tactic ($99,136 Pot)

By Dan B.

Let’s visit the top of the poker food chain! The following hand took place in an online nosebleed $500/$1,000 ($200…

Nightmare for Pocket Aces! Huge Hands Collide in Massive Pot

By Dan B.

Sometimes losing a massive pot is avoidable; sometimes it isn’t.  Let’s take a look at a huge pot from a…

When Should You Set Mine with a Pocket Pair? These 5 Tips Will Clear Things Up.

By Dan B.

You call a raise with pocket sevens and stare anxiously as the dealer reveals the flop… Queen… Jack… SEVEN! As…

What Is Showdown Value & Why Does It Matter?

By Dan B.

Understanding showdown value is one key to becoming a winning poker player. It is a fundamental concept that shapes postflop…

Edge-Passing in Poker: When Folding Profitable Hands Is the Right Play

By Leo Song-Carrillo | September 19, 2025

“Gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.” – Kenny Rogers Folding AKo to cold 4bet 5-handed…

Deep vs Shallow Study: The Key to Rapid Poker Improvement

By Uri Peleg | September 12, 2025

Uri Peleg is arguably the best poker coach in the world. He just released a game-changing course called Upswing Lab…

How To Play Overcard Turns After Check-Raising the Flop (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B. | September 5, 2025

I’ve covered flush-closing and straight-closing turns so far in this series. Now it’s time to shift focus to overcards. While…

(Sneak Peek) Lab 2.0 is Your Path to Poker Mastery

By Duncan Smith | September 3, 2025

Ready to destroy weaker recreational players and come out on top against your fellow regulars? Upswing Lab 2.0 will teach…

The Population Leak You Can’t Ignore: Overfolding vs Raises in 3-Bet Pots

By Dan B. | August 29, 2025

In-Position Raising In 3-Bet Pots as the Preflop Caller (Part II) Part II – Practical Applications As I mentioned in…

Building Bluffing Ranges Like the Pros: A Guide to Smarter 3-Bets

By Leo Song-Carrillo | August 22, 2025

Today, solid preflop strategies are part of the tournament poker zeitgeist. (Don’t worry—set-mining doesn’t make you a fish.) That said,…

LLinusLLove vs. AbsoluteTopUp: A Masterclass in Flush Draw Dynamics

By Dan B. | August 15, 2025

I’ve got a hand straight from the Cash Game World Championship hosted by CoinPoker. This one features Linus “LLinusLL0ve” Loeliger…

The Forgotten Line: How to Maximize Profit as the Preflop Caller in 3-Bet Pots

By Dan B. | August 8, 2025

In-Position Raising In 3-Bet Pots as the Preflop Caller Part I – Theory Primer: The Forgotten Line That sounded mysterious…

Top Pair, Bad Kicker? Here’s the Right Way to Play It

By Dan B. | August 1, 2025

This article shares strategic advice from Uri Peleg on how to play top pairs with a weak kicker. The insights…

Beyond the Flop Overbet: Elite-Level Turn Play Explained (Part 1)

By Dan B. | July 25, 2025

The flop overbet c-bet is a highly advanced strategy that only a small number of players have implemented, and even…

Beyond Raw Equity: Unlocking the True Value of Your Poker Hands

By Dan B. | July 18, 2025

If you’ve been reading my strategy articles for a while, you may have noticed that I often talk about realized…

Where does the EV come from in poker?

By Dan B. | July 11, 2025

Continuing on the idea from the article I wrote recently (Should You Play Like a Nit Preflop?), in this article,…

3 Preflop Exploits That Work in Live Championship Events

By Leo Song-Carrillo | July 4, 2025

The biggest live tournament of the year is underway. Whether you’re in the mix or just railing the action, there’s…

How To Play Straight Turns After Check-Raising the Flop (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B. | June 27, 2025

In case you’ve missed the first article of the series, I am teaching you how to play after you’ve check-raised…

Big Stack Advantage on the Stone Bubble: Why the Rich Get Richer

By Leo Song-Carrillo | June 20, 2025

This is it. The final part of what started as a three (now four) part series on soft and stone…

From Screen to Felt: 6 Adjustments for Live MTT Success

By Leo Song-Carrillo | June 13, 2025

Summer tournament season is in full swing, with marquee events all up and down the Las Vegas Strip drawing thousands…

High-Stakes Showdown: DavyJones922 vs Barak Wisbrod in a $46,100 NLHE Pot

By Dan B. | June 6, 2025

I’ve got some online nosebleed action to break down for you in this article. The main characters in this showdown…

How Short Stacks Navigate the Stone Bubble

By Leo Song-Carrillo | May 30, 2025

Whether you’re a short stack forced all-in and dealt to lose, or one of the big stacks getting coolered for…

Money Bubble Tactics: Maximize Your Edge as the Pressure Builds

By Leo Song-Carrillo | May 2, 2025

Make no mistake: pre-money play is a lot more dynamic than simply running everyone over as the big stack or…

How to Play Flush Turns After Check-Raising (Advanced Strategy)

By Dan B. | April 25, 2025

As you probably know, having a well-balanced check-raising range makes you a really tough opponent to play against. The reason…

Soft Bubble Strategy: How to Survive & Thrive with Any Stack Size

By Leo Song-Carrillo | April 11, 2025

Dominate? Survive? Is it time to gamble? As you approach the money in poker tournaments, the best approach will depend…

Flush on the Board? Turn These Tricky Spots Into Profit

By Dan B. | March 28, 2025

Buckle up, poker strategy nerds. This one’s for you. 5-to-a-flush boards (like AdQd9d6d2d) are rare but fascinating from a theoretical…

Mastering the Donk Bet (3 Pro Tips for Max EV)

By Dan B. | February 28, 2025

Let’s kick this off with an analogy… If poker had a formal education system, donk betting would be the class…

Epic Showdown at the Cash Game World Championship (Linus vs. PR0DIGY)

By Dan B. | February 18, 2025

Let’s dive into a hand from the Cash Game World Championship, which took place on Coin Poker over the past…

3 Profit-Creating Tips for Delayed C-Betting (via Lucid Poker)

By Dan B. | January 28, 2025

When solvers first erupted onto the scene, they showed us that the optimal c-betting strategy is generally aggressive. Because of…

3 Tips For Playing Paired Boards (via Lucid Poker)

By Patrick Harvey | November 1, 2024

Paired boards are interesting as they present unique characteristics that may throw off even seasoned players. This article delves into…

3 Tips to Help You Profit With Draws (Via Lucid GTO)

By Dan B. | August 23, 2024

Learning to play draws aggressively is one of the most important concepts that new poker players can learn. When you’re…

3 Pro Tips for Overbetting On The Flop (ft. Lucid GTO)

By Dan B. | April 12, 2024

The overbet (betting more than the size of the pot) is a powerful play. If you use this tactic at…

The Wild Tactic Poker Pros Use to Make More Money in Cash Games

By Dan B. | March 29, 2024

New poker strategies are always emerging. One wild tactic that has risen in prominence is 4-betting all-in in cash games…

How to Practice Ranging Your Opponents (Cash Game Example)

By Geoffrey Fisk | March 8, 2024

Putting your opponent on an accurate range of hands is arguably the most valuable skill in poker. In this video/article,…

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Enjoying the free strategy articles, but want to take your game to the next level? Upswing has a poker training path for you in the new Lab 2.0 to move from intermediate to advanced as you work beyond the Launch Pad and into the Mastery Path. Lessons are from some of the world's best coaches including Uri Peleg, Gary Blackwood, and Qing Yang. Lab 2.0 gives you a clear path to sharper and more profitable play.

Enjoying the free strategy articles, but want to take your game to the next level? Upswing has a poker training path for you in the new Lab 2.0 to move from intermediate to advanced as you work beyond the Launch Pad and into the Mastery Path. Lessons are from some of the world's best coaches including Uri Peleg, Gary Blackwood, and Qing Yang. Lab 2.0 gives you a clear path to sharper and more profitable play.