Intermediate Poker Strategy Articles
Popular Intermediate Articles
5 Situations Where C-Betting Will Burn You
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
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?
Continuing on the idea from the article I wrote recently (Should You Play Like a Nit Preflop?), in this article,…
All Intermediate Poker Articles
Play More Hands, Win More Pots: 5 Tips for PLO MTT Success
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
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)
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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)
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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.
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?
Understanding showdown value is one key to becoming a winning poker player. It is a fundamental concept that shapes postflop…
The Final Hand of the 2021 WSOP Main Event (Analysis)
High stakes poker pro versus fearless amateur… It’s a matchup that happens daily on poker tables around the world. But…
We’re Slashing Prices for Black Friday & Cyber Monday [25% Off]
Have you considered upgrading your poker skills with one of Upswing’s best-selling courses? It’s time to get off the fence…
What is the Poker Game Tree & Why Does It Matter?
Learning poker is a gradual process. You start by learning about your hand strength and play poker without factoring in…
3 Micro Stakes Players Pick Up Premium Hands in 3-Bet Pots (Analysis)
Improving at poker is easier when you’re surrounded by like-minded people. That’s why those of us at Upswing Poker take…
Bizarre Multiway Pot Between 3 High Stakes Regs ($28,350 Pot Analysis)
Nosebleed online poker has been active in 2021. We’ve been tracking some of the craziest hands, as you can see…
3 River Bluffing Tips That Will Help You Smash Cash Games
Bluffing is the most fun part of poker for some people. For others, it’s the most terrifying part. On the…
How to Print Money on Paired Flops as the Preflop Raiser
Playing well on paired boards is crucial in order to maximize your win-rate. To help with this, cash game pro…
What Is Equity Distribution & Why Does It Matter?
There’s no doubt about it: Poker has gotten tougher over the years. There are many concepts that shape modern strategy…
The 100 Most Valuable Poker Strategy Articles for 2021
Hopefully you’ve taken advantage of all the great strategy content that’s available here at Upswing. But in case you’ve missed…
How To Play Ace-King On A Middling Flop After 3-Betting
Raise your hand if you feel like every time you 3-bet with AK, the flop brings three undercards. 3-bet pots…
[QUIZ] Can You Ace 10 Super Tough Poker Questions?
There are dozens of poker quizzes here on Upswing Poker. Over the past few days, my team and I sifted…
How to Dominate Ace-High Flops in 3-Bet Pots (Deep Analysis)
You need to be well-versed in 3-bet pots if you want to win in 2020. 3-bets are much more common…
How to Simplify Your Poker Strategy Without Sacrificing Value
Most of us strive for simplicity in our life, but is it something to strive for in poker too? Short…
10 Crucial Poker Stats To Include On Your HUD (And How to Use Them)
Want to maximize your win-rate? Then you always need to be on the lookout for ways to exploit your opponents.…
Should He Call 3 Expensive Barrels With Middle Pair? (Analysis)
When you play poker, it can be easy to feel like a one man wolfpack. Even if you get along…
[QUIZ] Can You Pick the “GTO” C-Bet Frequency on 10 Flops?
This poker quiz is not going to be easy. Each of the following 10 hand scenarios starts the same way:…
5 Advanced Poker Strategies & Tips To Supercharge Your Poker Wins
Ready for some advanced nuggets of poker wisdom that will help your game? For today’s article, I dug through Upswing’s…
Bluff-Raising to $302,000 vs Patrik Antonius (Analysis)
Let’s take a look at what is perhaps the most interesting TV poker hand Doug Polk ever played. It’s an…
Was 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…
Stuck Inside? Watch a Free Poker Training Video from a Premium Course
Crazy times. We know a lot of you are stuck inside at the moment, battling boredom and (hopefully not too…
[QUIZ] What is Your Poker IQ Score?
How knowledgeable are you when it comes to the most popular “big bet” poker games? This 8-question quiz includes questions about No Limit Hold’em (cash games and tournaments), Pot Limit Omaha, and “big bet” poker theory […]
Why 5♠ 4♠ is Better Than 9♠ 8♠ (And How That Should Impact Your Strategy)
Since the advent of preflop solvers, poker players have discovered some very interesting things about preflop strategy. One particularly interesting…
3 Key Hands from a Sunday Million Final Table
Ready to improve your strategy by getting inside the head of a truly great tournament pro? Keep reading. One of the coolest and most valuable Play & Explain series in the Upswing Lab is a full review of Moritz “Mo” Dietrich’s final table run in the PokerStars Sunday Million during SCOOP last year […]
How the World’s #1 Cash Game Player Has Changed His Strategy
How has LLinusLLove been crushing the games for the last few years? Everyone has had access to solvers for years and the games have never been tougher, so how has he managed to have a graph like this […]
When to Attack After Your Opponent Checks Back (4 Tips for Probing)
Being out of position sucks, but it sucks a lot less when your opponent checks back on the flop. Not only does your opponent’s check allow you to see a free card, it also gives you the opportunity to probe bet. To help you probe bet better […]
Online Poker Legend Shares Secrets for Four Flush Boards
Boards with four cards of the same suit are a special combination of weird and rare… and many players misplay them as a result. Some players tighten up big time on four flush boards, never committing a bet without the first or second highest flush. Other players […]
How to Play Strong Hands on Monotone Flops (Check-Raise vs Slow-Play)
The text below is based on the video above. Imagine taking a seat at a poker table in your regular game. On your first hand, the player on the button raises and you call from the big blind. The flop comes 6♠ 4♠ […]
(Quiz) Let’s Play a Final Table with $173,000 Up Top
Fortunes are won and lost at final tables, so it’s crucial you play well when you’re lucky enough to make one. To help you practice and improve your chances at a big pay day, you’re about to be presented with […]
Poker Millionaire Reveals His Strategy on Monotone Flops (♠️ ♠️ ♠️)
The text below is based on the video above. Most poker players misplay monotone flops (a flop with three cards of the same suit). This is likely because they are under-researched. When poker players study, they […]
Flopping Top Set in a $1,000,000 Tournament (Analysis)
Humans are results oriented creatures. When we lose a hand we’ll go over it in our heads numerous times. Yet when we win a hand we often don’t give it a second thought. However, when analyzing your play, it’s […]
Poker Training Course: Upswing Lab 2.0
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.