How I Won €151 From Fedor Holz (Hand Analysis)

tomas vs fedor holz

Fedor Holz, at the age of 27, is already one of the biggest legends of the game.  The German native ranks eighth on the all-time money list with $32,556,377 in career live tournament earnings in addition to two World Series of Poker bracelets. But not many do know that his early career was propelled by…

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4 Valuable Pieces of Poker Tournament Advice for Beginners

poker tournament advice

You’ve played your A-game for hours and you made some hands when you needed to. Now, it has finally happened: you’re at the final table eyeing the biggest score of your life. In order to make more moments like this happen for you, I dug through Upswing Poker’s library of tournament articles to pull out…

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[QUIZ] Can You Play These 10 Flush Draws Optimally?

flush draw quiz

Your skills with flush draws are about to be put to the test with ten example scenarios. You will play as the aggressor in the first six hands, then as the defender in the final four hands. Keep in mind that in close situations, the correct answer is the action PioSolver chooses most often. Take…

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The Ultimate Guide to Squeezing in No Limit Hold’em

squeezing in poker the squeeze play

The “squeeze” play — 3-betting preflop versus a raise and one or more callers — was once a staple of TV poker. Players used to be much more likely to just call raises before the flop, which presented many squeezing opportunities for aggressive players. Squeezing is a less frequent part of the game nowadays, especially…

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[QUIZ] Can You Ace 10 Super Tough Poker Questions?

tough poker quiz

There are dozens of poker quizzes here on Upswing Poker. Over the past few days, my team and I sifted through each of them to find the 10 questions that were answered incorrectly at the highest frequency. In other words, these are the most challenging Upswing Poker quiz questions ever. All were answered correctly by less…

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3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Facing a Bet

3 questions to ask versus a bet

Learning poker in 2020 can feel overwhelming. The poker community is always buzzing about solvers and theoretically optimal play — and for good reason. In order to reach the highest levels of the game, you need to be familiar with these things. But for most people, especially those who are newer to the game, mastering…

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Playing with Deep Stacks: Tips, Tricks, & Adjustments to Help You Win

deep stack tips and adjustments

If playing with deep stacks (150bb+) makes you feel anxious or confused, this article will make your life easier. You’re about to learn how to: Adjust your preflop bet sizing when deep stacked. Choose the correct hands to 3-bet and 4-bet when deep stacked. Adjust your postflop game plan when deep stacked. Let’s dive in!…

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3 Crucial Types of Poker Software for Serious Players in 2024

poker tools and software

If you’re serious about poker, there are a few must-have types of poker software / poker tools. Whether you play online or live, these tools can help take your game to the next level so you can maximize your winnings and rise up in stakes. In this article, I am going to review the three…

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[QUIZ] Do You Bluff (& Semi-Bluff) Like A Pro?

bluff semi-bluff quiz

As Doug Polk likes to say, bluffing is life in poker. 10 years ago you could be a wimpy bluffer and still win in most games. These days, however, you need to have a good handle on this foundation of the game. In this quiz you will be presented with 10 hand scenarios. Your goal…

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7 Must-Read Articles That Will Help Your Poker Game

7 valuable poker articles

I’ve been running the Upswing Poker blog for over four years. In that time I have commissioned, read, and published nearly 1,000 articles to help you, my dear reader, improve your poker skills. Today I’ve gathered seven of the most valuable/fundamental Upswing Poker articles ever published. These articles will help you improve your strategy, mental…

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How to Destroy Your Opponent After Seeing One Showdown (Part 2)

a7o on 9-5-4-J-K

Sometimes it takes just one showdown for a great poker player to change their game plan and start crushing opponents. If you want to maximize your win-rate, you need to be able to identify and exploit the leaks in your opponents’ games. One of the best ways to do this is by paying attention to…

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How to Play Pocket Aces (5 Mistakes to Avoid)

how to play pocket aces - mistakes to avoid

After hours of looking down at hands like T♠ 5♣, it finally happens. You get dealt the beautiful pocket aces. But getting dealt the best hand in poker doesn’t entitle you to win a big pot — or even a small pot. To extract max value with your pocket aces, you have to avoid the…

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7 Poker Tells You Should Look Out For

physical poker tells shuffling chips

Poker tells are a tricky topic. Most beginners put way too much credence into tells early in their poker journey. Eating an Oreo cookie could mean someone has a strong hand in the movies, but in real life…not so much. But many experienced pros focus solely on playing a good strategy, completely ignoring live poker…

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10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Exploiting an Opponent

As you’ve probably heard before: everything you do at the poker table conveys information. Anyone that has played live poker for a long time understands that humans are oftentimes bad at hiding what they are thinking. That’s why it’s so important to pay close attention to what your opponents are doing, especially in a live…

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Patrick Leonard’s 4-Part Recipe for Poker Success

patrick leonard recipe for poker success

Patrick Leonard certainly knows a few things about success. The English poker pro and partypoker ambassador boasts a poker resume that speaks for itself, with nearly $14 million in career earnings. Leonard recently authored a blog post on Medium, detailing what he calls his “Four Underrated Ingredients to Success”. Inspired by his recent career-high tournament…

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