5 Tips to Stop Bleeding Chips from the Small Blind

The small blind is arguably the most difficult position to master in No Limit Hold’em. This position is particularly challenging for two main reasons: You are forced to pay half of a big blind without looking at your cards You play every single postflop situation with a positional disadvantage If you take this 5-step professional…

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[QUIZ] Can You Play Famous Poker Hands Like a Top Pro?

famous poker hands quiz

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play as one of the world’s most famous poker players?  Today you get that chance. This quiz will take you through 8 real spots that were played by world-class players at some of the world’s highest stakes. Your goal is to choose the best possible…

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10 Poker Mindset Mistakes to Avoid

poker mindset mistakes

Are mental game mistakes costing you money? In this article I’m going to discuss the most common poker mindset mistakes I see being made by online and live poker players. Whether you’re a high stakes, mid stakes, or low stakes player, you will surely recognize some of these mistakes. 1. Neglecting Your Game When Running…

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Set Over Set for $561,800 (Tom Dwan vs Patrik Antonius Analysis)

Coolers (like set over set) are inevitable in poker. It doesn’t matter if you are playing micro-stakes or the nosebleeds; every once in awhile, a cold deck will slap you in the face. The following “old school” hand between Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius is an example of that, and unfortunately for one of them,…

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How to Maximize Your Profit on Paired Flops In Position

Paired Flop Strategy

Improving your fundamentals in common spots is one of the easiest ways to improve your win-rate. Here’s the common spot that will be the focus of this article: you raise, the big blind calls, and a paired flop falls. What will be covered? Why You Shouldn’t Play All Paired Boards The Same Way How to…

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[QUIZ] Can You Pick the “GTO” C-Bet Frequency on 10 Flops?

c-bet frequency quiz

This poker quiz is not going to be easy. Each of the following 10 hand scenarios starts the same way: you raise (2.5bb), your opponent in the big blind calls, and then they check on the flop. You will then decide how frequently you should continuation bet (c-bet) given the board and your position/range. The…

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Amir Vahedi’s 3 Bluffing Tips from 2009 Stand the Test of Time

Amir Vahedi Poker Advice

The evolution of poker strategy is fascinating. When I first started my journey into poker a few years ago, I began by reading every old book I could find. As I got more serious about poker, however, I realized that a lot of the strategy taught in these books is outdated. So when I recently…

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5 Advanced Poker Strategies & Tips To Supercharge Your Poker Wins

advanced poker strategies and tips

Ready for some advanced nuggets of poker wisdom that will help your game? For today’s article, I dug through Upswing’s extensive library of strategy articles and extracted five of the most important tips that have been covered over the years. While these tips cover vastly different topics, they should all play a part in your…

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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 ultra-high stakes cash game with the blinds at $1,000/$2,000 and $2,000 in total antes. Both Doug and his opponent, the famous Patrik Antonius, are very deep, with an effective stack depth of $470,000 (235 big…

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[QUIZ] Can You Exploit This Hypothetical Poker Table?

Time to test your exploit skills! The following quiz will challenge you with 10 hand scenarios at a live $2/$5 table. Before diving into the hands, click “See Player Reads” below to get valuable information about each of the other players at the table.  Your goal is to figure out the best play given the…

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Why Teddy KGB is Actually Bad at Poker

teddy kgb from rounders is bad at poker

Teddy KGB is a feared character in Rounders, the most iconic poker movie of all time. Teddy’s scary traits include his status as a Russian mob boss and deep ties into the New York City underworld. Those traits do not necessarily include his skill at the poker table, which (spoiler alert) lead to Mike McDermott…

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Your $1/$2 Hands Analyzed By A Live Cash Crusher

finstein live hands

Featured Photo: Joe Giron & PokerNews (Edited from Original) You posted the hands. Now, we break ‘em down. With the help of live poker specialist (and crusher) Mike Finstein, I am going to analyze two $1/$2 live hands that were played by members of the Upswing Lab. Each member posted their hand in the private…

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Set vs Set vs Flush for (At Least) a $224,000 Pot (Analysis)

LATB Cooler

After playing for hours, it finally happens: you flop a set. But as you are busy counting all of the money you are about to win, the turn brings a possible flush and multiple opponents start to pile money into the pot. Naturally, the scary board and heavy action make you start to question whether…

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