Tournament Poker Strategy Articles
Popular Tournament Poker Articles
Four Doug Polk MTT Hands Reviewed by Two of The Best Tournament Players Ever
Doug Polk built Upswing Poker, but he’s still best known as a heads-up cash game specialist. That’s what makes his…
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…
7 Poker Tournament Tips for Running Deep More Often
Poker tournament tips is, apparently, a pretty common search term on Google. I assume the searchers are looking for a…
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All Tournament Poker Articles
The 5 Best Poker Hand Reviews of 2021
If you like expert poker hand analysis, you’ve come to the right place. The Upswing Poker team is constantly on…
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…
What are Reverse Implied Odds & Why Do They Matter?
You’re probably familiar with implied odds, but what about reverse implied odds? If you are not familiar with implied odds,…
What is Geometric Bet Sizing & How Do You Use It?
Introduction to Geometric Bet Sizing Geometric bet sizing — sounds pretty math-y and complicated, doesn’t it? It’s actually not that…
Elite Pros Battle for Chip Lead With 0 Pairs Between Them (Analysis)
When two elite players are seated together late on in a tournament, it is often wise for them to steer…
Should He Fold Pocket Aces to a Close Friend? (Analysis)
When two friends clash at the poker table, it generally goes one of three ways: Some friends go after each…
Doug Polk Semi-Bluffs All-In With $3.7 Million at Stake (Analysis)
To mark the beginning of the 2021 World Series of Poker (which started yesterday), today’s article zooms in on a…
The $2.5 Million Bluff That Changed The Poker World Forever (Moneymaker vs Farha Analysis)
Heads-up for the 2003 WSOP Main Event title. A bracelet and $2.5 million on the line. The poker veteran in…
What is Board Coverage & Why Does It Matter?
Board coverage is a relatively new concept in the poker world. It became a hot topic when solvers gained widespread…
WSOP Main Event Winner Stoyan Madanzhiev Joins Team Upswing
The perfect way to hone your skills in preparation for the World Series of Poker is here… Bulgarian tournament poker…
Stop Punting Away Your Equity in Knockout Tournaments
A Wise Hitman Chooses His Targets Carefully… If you aren’t playing knockout poker tournaments as a part of your schedule,…
How Poker Antes Should Change Your Tournament Raising Strategy
Do you open roughly the same range from each position regardless of antes? If so, you are making a costly mistake. Many players leak chips by failing to adjust their preflop ranges when there’s dead money to go after. With antes in […]
5 Tips for Playing Backdoor Flush & Straight Draws
Backdoor draws play a significant role in the range construction process. If you don’t regularly consider backdoor draws when making…
Should You Ever Donk-Bet On The Flop?
What is Donk Betting? A Donk-Bet is a somewhat unorthodox bet made by an out of position player who was…
Leveling: How Overthinking Costs You Money at the Poker Table
What is Leveling in Poker? Also known as Multiple Level Thinking, Leveling is the concept of evaluating a poker situation…
Which Draws Should You Semi-Bluff With?
Bluffing is an indispensable part of the game—as Doug likes to say, “Bluffing is life in poker.” In this article,…
When Should You Slow Play a Strong Hand?
It’s generally not a good idea to slow play strong hands — you’ll usually win more money by fast-playing —…
How to Play Poker in a Casino (Beginner’s Guide & 5 Pro Tips)
You can find many different ways to play poker without ever stepping into a casino. That first trip to a…
Hellmuth Crushes Negreanu’s Soul with 8♣ 3♣ (Analysis by Polk & Negreanu)
Sometimes you see a hand that makes you think: “what the hell am I looking at right now?” This hand…
The Filthiest Hand from the $10,000,000 Wynn Millions (Analysis)
Imagine this… You are playing one of the first $10,000 buy-in tournaments post-lockdown, and it’s the biggest tournament of the…
How to Take Notes on Your Opponents Like a Pro
Learning how to take notes efficiently is an underrated skill in online poker. By taking notes, you give yourself easily…
Two Top Pros Play Perfectly with $450,076 on the Line (Hand Analysis)
Welcome to some of the toughest poker games on the planet: $25k High Roller Tournaments. These events attract the best…
14 Players Away from €300,000 — Should He Hero Call This Hand?
When your opponent either has the nuts or nothing, it can make sense to bluff-catch with a marginal hand. Today’s…
$2 Million Up for Grabs — Can Dan Smith Get Fedor Holz to Fold?
In 2016, the $111,111 WSOP One Drop brought out a who’s who of poker’s elite. A stacked final table boiled…
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…
Should David Lappin Fold a Full House on a Devilish Board? (Analysis)
In November 2018, the Unibet Open took place in my hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Home advantage meant I was familiar…
Going for Value in Two High Stakes Tournament Hands (Analysis)
To help you improve your strategy in tournaments, today we’re taking a look at two key tournament hands played by…
4 Tournament Mindset Tips for Poker Success (ft. ALLinPAV)
Upswing Poker coach Hristivoje “ALLinPav” Pavlovic has proven that the poker dream is still alive. About five years ago he…
How Would You Play Pocket Aces at This Final Table? (Analysis)
Tom ‘Jabracada’ Hall is one of the most fearsome online and live poker players that the UK has ever produced.…
Should He Fold Trips vs An Aggressive Pro? ($25K High Roller Analysis)
I’ve got an interesting hand for you today, folks. Three huge factors were at play in this one: A $25,000…
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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.
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