Who doesn’t love flopping a flush draw? It’s easy to understand why players get excited when they have a flush draw, but that excitement can cause costly strategic errors. In this article, I am going to lay out some ideas that will help you make more theoretically sound (and profitable) decisions whenever you have a […]
How to Play Queen-Ten Suited in Cash Games
Queen-Ten suited is one of those strong and silent types of poker hands. It’s not a premium Rolls Royce like Pocket Aces. Instead, it’s more of a Volvo: fast, reliable, and safe. Nothing wrong with that in my book! In this article, you will learn the following: How to Play Queen-Ten Suited Preflop 3 Tips […]
Top Poker Pros Battle for Half a Million Dollar Pot (Analysis)
The boys are back at it again. Today’s hand is a nasty one between two online juggernauts, Linus Loeliger (LLinusLove) and Wiktor Malinowski (Limitless), battling it out at astronomical stakes. The blinds are $500/$1,000/$2,000 in an online 6-max game in which both players are sitting with more than $200,000 stacks. There is also an $800 […]
How to Play Pocket Sevens in Cash Games
Let’s talk about the hockey sticks! Pocket Sevens is one of those “good, but not easy to play” hands. Middling pairs are strong hands that are very frequently worth playing preflop, but most flops will have at least one overcard. Misplaying the Sevens regularly will make them feel less like hockey sticks and more like […]
Why You Should NOT Chop When Deep In A Tournament
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 […]
Should He Try To Bluff The Recreational Player? (Analysis)
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 […]
How to Play Double-Paired Boards in Cash Games
When the turn brings a card that puts two pairs on the board — K♠ K♥ 8♥ 8♠, for example — you may find yourself in a tough situation to navigate. Is your bottom full house good? Will Ace-high be strong enough to win at showdown? Should you turn an underpair (like Pocket Fours) into […]
Play Like a Pro When The Turn Pairs The Middle Card
When the turn card pairs the board in a heads-up pot, the dynamic between the players changes greatly. This article will help you play these spots better than you currently are. The following content focuses on when to continue betting (as the preflop raiser who c-bet on the flop) in single raised pots when the […]
How to Play A9-A6 Suited in Cash Games
Middling suited Aces are pretty strong hands. You should often play a hand like A♠ 9♠ when it’s dealt to you, but it’s obviously not always strong enough to VPIP. The exact situations in which these hand types are worth playing, and how to maneuver with them postflop, is what I am going to cover […]
3 Advantages of Betting Big on the Flop
Over the last 15 years, No Limit Hold’em has gone through a drastic transformation. So much has changed about the way people play and think about the game that it’s hard to even know where to begin. But what stands out most in my mind is how different c-bet sizing strategies were used in the […]
[QUIZ] Do You Know When to C-Bet in 4-Bet Pots?
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 […]
3 Spots You Should Almost Never C-Bet
Being aggressive is how the best players win at poker. Through the power of aggression, you have two chances to win: You can win when your bet gets called by a worse hand You can win when your opponent folds However, there are some situations in which it’s better to play passively. This article covers […]
How to Play Queen-Jack Suited in Cash Games
Queen-Jack suited is a damn good hand in No Limit Hold’em. It can flop strong pairs, strong open-enders, flush draws, and gutshots. It often has useful blockers on Ace-high and King-high boards (blocking hands like AQ/AJ/KQ/KJ). And if all else goes wrong, Queen-Jack suited still usually has some kind of backdoor draw with 2 overcards. […]
How to Play Trips (As the Preflop Raiser and Caller)
Playing trips can be pretty simple in some situations, but there are some small nuances that you might be missing. If you are indeed missing those nuances, you have an opportunity to increase your win-rate by learning them. Lucky for you, that’s what this article is for. Let’s dive in! Note: I’ll be covering how […]
3 Tips for Playing the Turn After Check-Raise Bluffing Flop
Suppose you call a preflop raise from the Big Blind with a hand like 6♥ 4♥ and the flop comes Q♦ 7♥ 3♠. The preflop raiser c-bets and the action is back on you. You think to yourself and say, “Damn, am I supposed to check-raise here?” You know that you probably should check-raise at […]
Can Linus Make a Sick Hero Call With K♣ Q♣ On Four Heart Board (Analysis)
Linus Loeliger has been arguably the best No Limit Hold’em online cash game player in the world for the past few years. In fact, he was ranked as the 5th greatest poker player of all-time in the Doug Polk Podcast’s fan voting. Observing the best players in the world is one of the best ways […]
