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
Why Do Random & Silly Bluffs Work?
Have you ever wondered why pure bluffs work when they do? By pure, I mean situations where the player who…
3 Tips for Winning with Gutshot Straight Draws
If you’ve ever been unsure of what to do with a gutshot straight draw, you’ve found the right article. Today…
The Only Two Valid Reasons to Bet in Poker (Every Other Reason is Wrong)
Why do we bet? This question has fascinated the best poker players for decades now. The legendary David Sklansky probably…
This Proven Method Will Boost Your Live Poker Winnings
You want to increase your live poker earnings, right? Today you will learn a battle-tested method for doing just that.…
How to Read Poker Hands in No Limit Hold’em (The Professional Way)
Hand reading is one of the most misunderstood concepts among casual poker players. The mistake these casual players make is…
What the Best Poker Pros Already Know About Playing vs. Double Barrels
I know something about you without having met you: you love strategy games. (If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t have…
[QUIZ] Phil Hellmuth Sees Poker Players as Animals. Which One Are You?
When Phil Hellmuth sees a poker player, he sees an animal (according to his book Play Poker Like the Pros).The specific animal he sees — whether it be a mouse, an eagle, or something else — is based on that player’s style.Ready to find out which animal Phil […]
5 Strategic Mistakes Poker Players Make (And How to Exploit Them)
Exploiting your opponents’ leaks is how you really take your win-rate to the next level. This article is written so you…
Why Bad Beats are a Poker Player’s Greatest Gift
A smart friend once suggested to me that perhaps poker would be better if every time players were all-in, the…
This Poker “Cheat Code” Will Help You Win More Hands
You’re about to learn about a powerful play that was kept secret for years by elite poker pros. It’s called…
How to Win More Chips with Your Bluff-to-Value Ratios
Have you ever heard of bluff-to-value ratio? When understood correctly, this concept will help you make more profitable plays both…
5 Quick Guidelines for Playing Versus C-Bets on the Flop
Poker is a bit like American football. It’s important to have a solid offense (playing as the aggressor), but if…
Avoid These 3 Mistakes to Keep Your Poker Journey on Track
If you want to be a successful poker player in 2019, you need to prioritize your fundamentals. (That’s what I…
This is How You Should Study Poker If You Want to Win in 2022 (Part 1)
Q: What is more important than hard work? A: Harder work! Malcolm Gladwell made that very clear in his 2011…
3 Concepts That Should Shape Your Postflop Strategy (Positional, Range, and Nut Advantage)
Are you familiar with positional, range, and nut advantages in poker? Using these concepts to shape your postflop strategy will…
3 Theoretically Winning Calls That Lose in Practice
Should you favor a theoretically sound strategy or play exploitative poker? This question has been a hot debate in the…
[QUIZ] Which Upswing Poker Training Course is Made for You?
Have you considered upgrading your skills with an Upswing Poker training course? Read on! Take this quick quiz to find out which course is best for your poker playing needs, or keep scrolling for a breakdown of each course. […]
What is a Capped Range? How to Take Advantage of (And Protect Your Own) Capped Ranges
You probably already know that a range is the totality of hands that a player can have in a situation.…
3 Spots You Should Actually Consider Minimum Defense Frequency (And 3 Spots You Shouldn’t)
Poker theory can baffle new players, partly because they have preconceived notions about the game — they’ll say things like,…
3 Poker Study Techniques That Will Make You a Stronger Player
Poker is a strategically rich game with a colossal amount of strategic possibilities. And those possibilities only increase with more…
What Are Implied Odds? How to Use Implied Odds Like a Veteran Pro
Implied odds aren’t difficult to understand, but many players misapply them while playing. This leads to easily avoidable but costly…
tonkaaaap Reveals 3 Insights On His Way To A 2000% ROI
“Do as I say, not as I do” -Parker “tonkaaaap” Talbot as he analyzes a hand from a $530 multi-table…
7 Short Stack Poker Tips for Maximizing Your Earnings
Are you ready to improve your short stack game? Read on! Being short stacked can happen in any game type.…
Stop Letting Your Poker Ego Cost You Money & Happiness
What’s going on, Upswing fam? Today we’re mixing things up with a guest post that aims to help you with…
How Equity Realization Impacts Every Hand You’ll Ever Play
You’ve probably heard the term “equity realization” a few times – it’s been used in many articles here at Upswing.…
How to Thin Value Bet Like a Veteran Pro (3 Tips for Thin Value Betting in Poker)
Value betting is how you’ll make most of your money at the tables. This is especially true against recreational players,…
5 Tips for Staying Focused at the Poker Table
Being able to focus for extended periods of time is one of the most important skills a poker player can…
3 Strategic Mistakes to Avoid in Tournaments with Nick Petrangelo
Meet the latest elite player to join the Upswing team: Nick Petrangelo. Nick is a tournament crusher who you’ve probably…
Stop Tanking: 5 Reasons Why Playing Faster Will Make You Richer & Happier
Trends in live poker seem to come and go overnight. One that hasn’t gone away yet, unfortunately, is slow play…
How to Crush Nits (10 Tactics That Win Against Tight Players)
What is a Nit? A “nit” is a player who doesn’t take any risks and only plays premium hands, and…
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.
More Poker Training from Upswing Poker
Browse our catalog of poker training courses. Whether you're a for fun/profit low stakes player, a tournament player, a cash game player, or rising crusher looking for advanced material, we have a course for you, including our brand new Upswing Lab 2.0 membership course and private strategy community.