Posts Tagged ‘Online Poker’
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. Unlike flush draws, straight draws typically boast great implied odds because of their disguised nature. If that wasn’t enough to convince you, straight draws often block some of our opponent’s strongest hands on many board…
Read MoreHand 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 are bluffing. Induce more calls when you are value betting. Make your hero calls correct more often. So, what is the secret weapon that high stakes pros take advantage of nearly every hand? It’s hand…
Read MoreHow 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 play them aggressively. TAG poker worked like magic 10 years ago, when fishy players with loose pre-flop tendencies were a dime a dozen. Heck, even Mike McDermott recommended it to the professor in Rounders (1998).…
Read MoreHow to Make Winning Adjustments in Low Stakes Games
Low and micro stakes poker is different… …but not as much as a lot of you guys seem to think. I saw countless comments during Doug Polk’s Bankroll Challenge like this: “How could Doug bluff there?! They NEVER fold at the micros.” This assumption may seem right to some of you, but assumptions have limits,…
Read MoreHow 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. Just ten players left. One bust-out away from the final table. And you really, really don’t want to be that final table bubble boy walking away with 10th place money… …but could this be a…
Read MoreOverbetting All-In On the River Revealed
Hey guys! In this article we’re going to talk about a fun and highly exploitative strategy – going all-in on the river as an overbet. This is a powerful and effective play in the following scenarios: You have a range advantage over your opponent, and can therefore exploitatively bluff with a wide range. You have…
Read MoreThe Beginner’s Guide to Opening the Button in Heads-Up No Limit
Heads-up poker is a whole new ball game. As there are only two players, ranges are dramatically wider in every situation. Quickly and efficiently adjusting your strategy to counter your opponent is crucial in heads-up no limit, moreso than any other game. If you use easily exploitable strategies at the wrong time, you will often…
Read MoreDoug 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 pre-flop strategy is mandatory for long term success. In this article, I’ll be reviewing Doug Polk’s answers to 6 pre-flop related questions sent in by you, the Upswing readers. The questions cover the following topics:…
Read More3 Tips for Crushing Jackpot Sit & Gos
Want to experience the excitement (and heartbreak) of poker tournaments without the huge time commitment? Then you should try some Spin & Gos (generally known as Jackpot Sit & Gos). This relatively new game type has a lot in common, both good and bad, with multi-table tournaments: Opportunity for big wins Relatively easy competition High…
Read MoreHow to Crush Live Tournaments as an Online Player
Most online grinders find very little success when they take their first shot at a live tournament. We always talk about how TERRIBLE every live player seems to be, and then blame variance when we can’t beat them (or maybe that’s just me). The rules are […]
Read MoreGTO vs Exploitative Play: Which is the Better Strategy?
I think it’s time to talk about Game Theory Optimal (GTO) vs Exploitative play. This subject seems to confuse a lot of you guys based on how often I hear it asked about and mis-used. It’s a complex subject, so I understand the confusion. GTO vs Exploitative play has been an ongoing discussion in the…
Read MoreRevealed: How to React to Preflop 3-Bets In & Out of Position
3-betting pre-flop is a powerful move in No Limit Hold’em. Let’s stop for a moment and consider some of the benefits of 3-betting: 3-betting gives the aggressor a chance to win the pot without seeing a flop, taking advantage of the dead money already in the middle. A pre-flop 3-bet is an effective way to…
Read More4 Things You Must Know to Play Perfect GTO
It is rare for me to sing the praises of any poker training book. Almost every one I’ve read has failed to provide enough depth and detail to adequately address the nuances and complexities of poker. Matt Janda’s Applications of No-Limit Hold ‘em is an exception. Janda’s book is perfect for players with an understanding…
Read More3 Poker Concepts Every Aspiring Pro Needs to Know
Poker used to be easy. It almost makes me sick to think about how much money was up for grabs in the years following the ’03 poker boom. All it took to be a poker pro was a little know-how, and a lot of patience. But the poker landscape has changed with time. Nowadays, aspiring…
Read MoreAnswered: Your 5 Most Burning Post-Flop Questions
Post-flop play is what makes poker interesting and complex. There are virtually infinite possible post-flop situations, which can lead to a lot of uncertainty in one’s decision making. In this article, I’ll be reviewing Doug Polk’s answers to 5 post-flop questions sent in by you, the Upswing readers. The questions cover these topics: How to…
Read MoreStrategy Comparison: Regular Tables vs Fast-Fold Tables
The world is constantly looking to do things faster and the evolution of poker has been no exception. In recent years, fast-fold tables– where players are immediately dealt another hand at a new table after folding –have become a popular choice for cash game grinders. These types of games are known by many a name:…
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