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…
Poker Tournament Training Courses: Our articles are great, our courses are even better. Check out our signature courses from some of the world's best MTT players and coaches including The Road to Victory (Tournament Course). Modern Tournament Mastery by Tim Adams and Dan Dvoress (feat. Stevie Chidwick) launches May 2026. Learn more
All Tournament Poker Articles
3 Tips That Will Skyrocket Your Win-Rate Versus C-Bets Out of Position
Being out-of-position is unfavorable. Being the pre-flop caller is also unfavorable. Put these together and you’ve got a recipe for…
How to Dominate Weak Tournament Competition Post-flop
So you’ve read part 1 of this series and learned why maximizing the amount of pots you play against weak…
The Ultimate Guide for Dominating Weak Tournament Competition Pre-flop
A targeted approach—focusing on a particular strategy or game type—is exactly the right approach to take toward improving. However, it’s important to occasionally step back and consider your game from a broad point of view. This is something I’ve […]
How to Check-Raise with Short Stacks Like an MTT Boss
Check-raising is an indispensable play in tournaments. Since average stack sizes are shallow, a check-raise will typically represent a large portion of your remaining chips. This allows you to put a lot of pressure on your opponent(s), because in order […]
4 Skills That Will Help You Win More Money From the Blinds
Your strategy from the blinds will have a huge impact on your winnings. It’s an indisputable fact that you will…
This Misclick Made Me Bubble the WSOP Main Event
The year was 2010. It was my second time in Las Vegas, and my first World Series of Poker. I…
Tournament Poker Quiz — How Much Do You Actually Know About MTT Strategy?
The following 8 questions will test your knowledge of tournament poker strategy, math, and more. Good luck and don’t forget to share your score at the end! Can You Build Big Stacks in Poker Tournaments? […]
I Flopped A Massive Draw While Short Stacked… Now What?
I’ve been playing live poker tournaments for about 9 years, and I’ve written down countless interesting hands along the way.…
6 Essential Tips for Dealing with Downswings in Poker Tournaments
Downswings hurt no matter what poker format you play. But downswings in poker tournaments are the stuff of nightmares because…
Why The Very Best Poker Players Make Decisions At Random (Mixed Strategy)
The many randomized elements of poker are a big part of what makes the game so strategically complex. We can…
The Ultimate Guide to Preflop Multiway Pots (And Squeezing)
Multiway pots are extremely complex. As more players enter the pot, the size of the game-tree increases. This makes finding…
River Bets: How to Decide Which Hands to Call Down Vs Triple Barrel
It’s rarely fun to face a triple barrel — bets on the flop, turn and river. Small mistakes are magnified when the pot gets big, and pots are on average the biggest on the river. The results of one river decision can make or break a session. Against good players with relatively balanced […]
This Is Why You Should Use Small Bet Sizes
When I finished writing Applications of No Limit Hold’ em a bit over 4 years ago, my favorite concept to talk about was overbetting. In many ways, it’s still is my favorite topic. That’s because once the theory behind overbetting is laid out, the situations where overbetting is correct are usually […]
How To Open-Raise In MTTs So The Big Blind Doesn’t Crush Your Soul
MTTs are constantly evolving. New trends emerge, old tricks stop working as the fields learn to adjust, and so on.…
4 Tournament Poker Mistakes To Avoid (Infographic)
“Poker is a hard way to make an easy living” sums up the life of a poker pro perfectly. So…
Run Deep in More Live Tournaments by Preparing Like These Pros
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” -Seneca When we think about how to gain an edge at the…
Does Your Poker Journey Feel Stuck? So Did Doug Polk’s
Does your poker career feel stuck? Have you been playing in the same low- and mid-stakes games for what seems…
5 Poker Tournament Myths Way Too Many Players Believe
Everyone seems to have a strong opinion nowadays, and many people present their views as absolute truth. This is particularly…
Exclusive Preview: Tournament Master Class Training Course
Does being the best tournament player every time you sit at the table interest you? With assistance from Doug Polk,…
Print Money with Your Flop C-Bets In and Out of Position
Every poker player knows how much easier it is to play hands in position. In position players get to play…
The Top 4 Must-Visit Tournament Destinations in the US
One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of being a professional poker player is the opportunity to travel the…
How to Bluff Your Straight Draws Like a High Stakes Pro
Straight draws tend to make the best bluffs. And not just because of their chances of actually hitting a straight.…
Hand Combinations – The Secret Weapon Pros Use to Win More Money
High stakes poker players have a secret weapon. If used properly, this secret weapon will: Force more folds when you…
How to Play a Tight-Aggressive Style That Wins in Modern Games
What is a Tag in Poker? The concept of a tight-aggressive poker strategy is simple: play very few hands, but…
3 Tips for Crushing Rebuy Tournaments (Infographic)
More like WEEEEE!-buy tournaments, right guys?!?! Rebuy tournaments are fast, exciting and (usually) fun, but a lot of players bleed…
The 4 Dumbest Career-Ending Mistakes Tournament Players Make
Poker is a hard way to make an easy living. This perfectly sums up life as a professional poker player. On paper, though, making a living playing poker shouldn’t be so difficult. Granted, the games are tougher now than they have ever been, but I personally still see […]
How to Understand and Crush HUSNGs [2nd Edition]
Heads-up poker is sheer one-on-one competition. Every time you sit at the table you’re essentially telling a single opponent: “I’m…
What Really Makes a Tournament Structure “Good” and Profitable?
You’ve probably seen a tournament with a name like this… Super MEGA-Stack Tournament of Champions Poker Event “Wow,” you may…
How to Make Big Money on the Final Table Bubble
You’ve spent several hours (or possibly even days) playing in a tournament, and the finish line is finally within sight.…
Doug Polk Answers Your 6 Best Questions About Pre-Flop Play
Pre-flop, where all of the mayhem that is no-limit hold’em begins. With the tough poker climate of 2017, a good…
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.