Posts Tagged ‘Live Poker’
Run Deep in More Live Tournaments by Preparing Like These Pros
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” -Seneca When we think about how to gain an edge at the table, mental state and physical endurance may not always come to mind. However, these factors are vital if one is looking to optimize his performance and maximize his profits. Sitting at a poker table for…
Read MoreDoes Your Poker Journey Feel Stuck? So Did Doug Polk’s
Does your poker career feel stuck? Have you been playing in the same low- and mid-stakes games for what seems like forever, but now feel that your once-achievable poker goals are just pipe dreams? Do you feel like your love for the game keeps you playing, but that it’s ultimately pointless? You are not the…
Read More5 Poker Tournament Myths Way Too Many Players Believe
Everyone seems to have a strong opinion nowadays, and many people present their views as absolute truth. This is particularly common at the poker table. Poker is a game where only about 1% of all players make money, yet many of the remaining 99% still think they’re good–just unlucky. And boy, do all these “unlucky”…
Read MoreHow to Check-Raise Like a High Stakes Poker Pro
Players that don’t check-raise are easy to beat. If you won’t check-raise me, there are only two possible outcomes when I bet: You fold and I win the pot You call and take a turn card out of position You therefore fold away all of your equity, or allow me to realize all of mine.…
Read MorePrint Money with Your Flop C-Bets In and Out of Position
Every poker player knows how much easier it is to play hands in position. In position players get to play looser, bet more frequently and ultimately win more pots than an out of position player can. This article is about flop continuation bets(aka c-bets) in single raised pots– how to most effectively beat down your…
Read More5 Poker Misconceptions That Way Too Many People Believe
Even the best poker players make mistakes. The difference between the best players, however, and merely average players, is why they make mistakes. For average players, emotions often get in the way of good decision-making. It’s easy to be emotionally invested in a game for money, especially one with so much variance. Variance also makes…
Read MoreWhen Should You Bet the Flop in Multi-Way Pots?
A unique approach is required to avoid spewing away your chips in multi-way pots. This is simply because as more players are in the hand, the raw equity of your range decreases. Just look at how much Ace-king’s equity suffers as more random players are added to the pot: That’s nearly a 26 percentage point…
Read MoreHow 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 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 MoreWhat Really Makes a Tournament Structure “Good” and Profitable?
You’ve probably seen a tournament with a name like this… Super MEGA-Stack Tournament of Champions Poker Event “Wow,” you may think. “This tournament must have a great structure, right?” Maybe, but not necessarily. Casinos benefit from disguising tournaments with bad structures by giving them fancy names and big starting stacks. We have to look past…
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 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 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 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…
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