Why You Should NOT Chop When Deep In A Tournament

dont chop in tournaments 1200x800-no-read

If you have ever made a deep run in a tournament, you may have been asked “Do you want to chop?” It’s no wonder why. Especially in bigger tournaments, the pay jumps at final tables can be steep. You are playing for massive stakes with no idea what the future holds. But while making a…

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Should He Try To Bluff The Recreational Player? (Analysis)

bluff in low stakes tournament

I’ve analyzed a lot of high stakes tournament hands here on the Upswing Poker blog, so I figured some readers might appreciate a dip into a low stakes hand. After all, tournaments in the $10-50 buy-in range online and the $100-500 buy-in range live are what the majority of poker players prefer to play. That’s…

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[QUIZ] Do You Know When to C-Bet in 4-Bet Pots?

4-bet pots as 4-bettor quiz

Poker players get more aggressive (on average) every year. As a result, playing well in 4-bet pots has become a vital skill if you want to succeed in today’s games. This quiz will help you improve that skill. The focus will be on playing 4-bet pots as the preflop aggressor (a future quiz will have…

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[QUIZ] Do You Know How to Play vs Preflop Raises?

vs rfi quiz

It’s extremely tough to become a long-term winning poker player without a good grasp on the fundamentals… …and one of the most important fundamentals is only playing hands that profit when a player raises in front of you. This quiz will put you in 8 different preflop situations in which you face a raise before…

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What is Equity in Poker & Why Does it Matter?

what is equity

Equity is the most fundamental concept in poker. If you’re not very familiar with it, then this article is going to be extremely valuable for your poker game. Let’s dive into what equity is and why it matters so much. What is Equity? Equity refers to the share of the pot that belongs to a…

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Should He Call This Jam for His Tournament Life? (Analysis)

tourney hand

There is perhaps nothing more satisfying in poker than watching your opponent fall into the trap that you carefully set. The feeling is so great that many players often slow-play strong hands in situations where they should be fast-playing. But this is not one of those hands. In the 2019 Battle of Malta Main Event,…

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[QUIZ] Do You Know When to Shove a Short Stack?

short stack shoving

Knowing when to shove with a short stack in a tournament has a massive impact on your ROI in tournaments. This quiz will test your ability to do just that. For each question, assume the following: You are playing at an 8-handed table There is a Big Blind ante You are playing a shove or…

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Coach Nick Petrangelo CRUSHES Poker Series for $1.8 Million

Upswing Poker coach Nick Petrangelo wins PokerGO Stairway To Millions championship

Nick Petrangelo absolutely smashed the 2022 Stairway To Millions series. Upswing Poker’s resident multi-table tournament expert crushed his way through the high-stakes series, clinching the Stairway To Millions title with a win in Event #8: $100,000 NL Hold’em on Thursday night. The finale in a series of eight ascending buy-in tournaments at PokerGO Studio at…

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The 5 Best Poker Strategy Articles of 2021

best articles of 2021

If you want to crush your poker games in 2022, read on. These 5 must-read articles published on the poker strategy blog will prepare you to dominate the tables in 2022 and beyond. I included something for everyone, regardless of your skill level (#5 is introductory, #2-4 are intermediate, and #1 is relatively advanced). (I…

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The 5 Best Poker Hand Reviews of 2021

poker chip starting stack top angle photo

If you like expert poker hand analysis, you’ve come to the right place. The Upswing Poker team is constantly on the lookout for interesting hands to review. When we stumble upon a great one, we analyze and publish it on the poker strategy blog. This is a list of the 5 most notable/interesting/thought-provoking hands reviewed…

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The Final Hand of the 2021 WSOP Main Event (Analysis)

koray aldemir vs george holmes

High stakes poker pro versus fearless amateur… It’s a matchup that happens daily on poker tables around the world. But it usually doesn’t happen with the World Series of Poker Main Event title and $8,000,000 on the line. In the final hand of the No Limit Hold’em championship, German pro Koray Aldemir held a slight…

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What are Reverse Implied Odds & Why Do They Matter?

reverse implied odds

You’re probably familiar with implied odds, but what about reverse implied odds? If you are not familiar with implied odds, I recommend checking out How to Use Implied Odds Like a Veteran Pro before reading on. Reverse implied odds can be a tricky concept to wrap your head around, but today’s article will make it…

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What is Geometric Bet Sizing & How Do You Use It?

geometric bet sizing

Geometric bet sizing — sounds pretty math-y and complicated, doesn’t it? It’s actually not that complicated at all. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve basically applied this concept at the table before, even if you didn’t know it by name. When used in the proper situations, geometric bet sizing will help you win your…

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