How to Play Pocket Sevens in Cash Games

pocket sevens

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…

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Why You Should NOT Chop When Deep In A Tournament

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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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How to Play Double-Paired Boards in Cash Games

double paired boards

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…

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Play Like a Pro When The Turn Pairs The Middle Card

turn pairs middle card 1200x800-no-read

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…

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How to Play A9-A6 Suited in Cash Games

midding suited aces

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…

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3 Advantages of Betting Big on the Flop

big bets

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…

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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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3 Spots You Should Almost Never C-Bet

3 spots to 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…

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How to Play Queen-Jack Suited in Cash Games

queen-jack suited

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.…

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How to Play Trips (As the Preflop Raiser and Caller)

how to play trips

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…

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3 Tips for Playing the Turn After Check-Raise Bluffing Flop

turn after check-raising

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…

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Should You Ever Play Offsuit Connectors in Cash Games?

offsuit connectors

Most of the time, low and medium offsuit connectors are pretty worthless and should be folded. However, there are some instances, mostly from the Big Blind, in which they are worthy of being played. For that reason, I am going to cover: How to Play Low and Medium Offsuit Connectors Preflop 3 Tips for When…

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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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How to Conquer Aggressive Poker Players (5 Exploit Tips)

uri peleg aggressive players 1100x720-logo

(Note: Video not loading? Click here to watch it on YouTube or read on for a written version.) Have you ever felt like you’re being run over by an aggressive opponent? If you have, you know it’s beyond frustrating. You might tell yourself that you’ll eventually have the hand to catch him, but the spot…

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