5 Solver Strategies That Crush in Theory (and Crash in Real Life)

If you’ve spent any time studying with solvers, you know how powerful they are. Tools like Upswing’s Lucid Poker can break down any hand, show you what your range should do, and tell you exactly where you went wrong. But here’s the truth: solvers live in a world that doesn’t exist. They assume both players…

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The Hidden Mechanics of C-Betting: Lessons from Phemo

What Is a C-Bet? A continuation bet, or c-bet, is a follow-up bet made by the player who took the last aggressive action on the previous street — usually the preflop raiser. For example, when you raise preflop and then bet the flop, that’s a c-bet. The same logic applies to turn c-bets (continuing after…

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What to Do After You Check-Raise the Flop and the Turn Bricks Out

In this part of the series, we’re going to cover how to play on blank turns. We’ll start with the high-level theoretical framework behind the GTO strategies, look at some exact strategies for different hand classes, and wrap up with a dive into the exploitative opportunities that can arise—aka, how to make some juicy EV…

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Your Opponent Checked Back—Here’s How to Capitalize (Part I)

Over the years, I’ve mostly focused on how to play as the aggressor, particularly on the flop. That stage is critical because it sets the foundation for everything that follows. In this article, however, we’ll shift focus to situations where your opponent has passed on the chance to bet. These spots are rich with opportunity…

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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 2.0 here (and today is your last chance to get the launch week 25% forever discount). To help you understand the insightful way Uri approaches poker, he wrote this article about a critical topic for…

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

I’ve covered flush-closing and straight-closing turns so far in this series. Now it’s time to shift focus to overcards. While there’s some overlap between these three runout types, here I’ll be talking specifically about pure overcards. The dynamics are quite different from the earlier spots, as you’ll see in the sections ahead. As usual, I’ll…

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

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Ready to destroy weaker recreational players and come out on top against your fellow regulars? Upswing Lab 2.0 will teach you how to do both while providing you with a clear path to poker mastery. Taught by high-stakes crusher and world-class poker coach Uri Peleg, this course takes you from wherever you are today and…

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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 and Armin “AbsoluteTopUp”—two of the top No-Limit Hold’em players in the world. The blinds are $50/$100 and—spoiler alert—the stacks are about to swap places. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it! Preflop Action AbsoluteTopUp…

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ClubWPT Gold Acquires Upswing Poker

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Redwood City, CA, August 1, 2025 – ClubWPT Gold today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Upswing Poker, a leading brand in the poker education space known for launching game-changing training products, including the Upswing Lab. The acquisition will integrate Upswing Poker’s suite of poker training resources with ClubWPT Gold, a top online poker site…

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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 come from an upcoming video in which Uri breaks down this common but tricky hand class. Top pairs with weak kickers often lead players into tough spots. If you’ve found yourself unsure in these situations,…

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

The flop overbet c-bet is a highly advanced strategy that only a small number of players have implemented, and even fewer are executing it optimally (meaning they’re using the correct range composition and applying the overbet on the right boards). However, for the purposes of this article, I’ll assume you’re already familiar with that and…

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

If you’ve been reading my strategy articles for a while, you may have noticed that I often talk about realized equity. That adjective is used intentionally, and it makes a world of difference. In this article, I’m going to give you a comprehensive breakdown of what realized equity is, how it differs from raw equity,…

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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, I am going to shift focus and give you a really quick, bird’s-eye view of where the expected value (EV) is coming from postflop. This article is also going to be based on an unreleased…

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