Want to maximize your win-rate? Then you always need to be on the lookout for ways to exploit your opponents. One of the best ways to do that is by using a HUD. What is a HUD in poker? Short for Heads-Up Display, a HUD is a tool used in online poker games to track […]
5 Tips to Stop Bleeding Chips from the Small Blind
The small blind is arguably the most difficult position to master in No Limit Hold’em. This position is particularly challenging for two main reasons: You are forced to pay half of a big blind without looking at your cards You play every single postflop situation with a positional disadvantage If you take this 5-step professional […]
Should He Call 3 Expensive Barrels With Middle Pair? (Analysis)
When you play poker, it can be easy to feel like a one man wolfpack. Even if you get along with the people that you are playing with, at the end of the day, you are still competing against them for money. Table camaraderie only goes so far. That’s why it’s so important to network […]
10 Poker Mindset Mistakes to Avoid
Are mental game mistakes costing you money? In this article I’m going to discuss the most common poker mindset mistakes I see being made by online and live poker players. Whether you’re a high stakes, mid stakes, or low stakes player, you will surely recognize some of these mistakes. 1. Neglecting Your Game When Running […]
[QUIZ] Can You Pick the “GTO” C-Bet Frequency on 10 Flops?
This poker quiz is not going to be easy. Each of the following 10 hand scenarios starts the same way: you raise (2.5bb), your opponent in the big blind calls, and then they check on the flop. You will then decide how frequently you should continuation bet (c-bet) given the board and your position/range. The […]
Amir Vahedi’s 3 Bluffing Tips from 2009 Stand the Test of Time
The evolution of poker strategy is fascinating. When I first started my journey into poker a few years ago, I began by reading every old book I could find. As I got more serious about poker, however, I realized that a lot of the strategy taught in these books is outdated. So when I recently […]
5 Advanced Poker Strategies & Tips To Supercharge Your Poker Wins
Ready for some advanced nuggets of poker wisdom that will help your game? For today’s article, I dug through Upswing’s extensive library of strategy articles and extracted five of the most important tips that have been covered over the years. While these tips cover vastly different topics, they should all play a part in your […]
Why Coffee is Hurting Your Poker Results
Hey there, Upswing fam! Today we’re mixing things up with a guest article by “Coach” Bahman Zarghami that will help you with your mental game. Even if you don’t want to give up your daily coffee, this short article is worth a read so you can better understand stress and anxiety as they relate to […]
How to Snowball Your Winnings vs Weak Players
When you’re up against weak players, you have the opportunity to snowball your winnings. These players make much larger mistakes than regulars, and taking maximum advantage of those mistakes allows you to achieve a higher win-rate with less variance in your results. In this short article, I am going to show you how to extract […]
What is Rake in Poker? And Should Rake Impact Your Poker Strategy?
What is Rake? Rake is the fee taken by the operators of a poker game. If you’ve ever played cash game poker in a casino, you’ve probably seen the dealer taking chips out of the pot during most hands — those chips are the casino’s rake. Just to state the obvious: more rake is NOT […]
How to Avoid the Unhealthy Mindset That Tortures Poker Players
If you want longevity in poker, you need to have a strong mental game. Among other things, that means you have to be able to self-criticize (so you can grow as a player) while not self-shaming. Way too many poker players are extremely harsh and critical of themselves. Such a mindset may help in achieving […]
Leveling: How Overthinking Costs You Money at the Poker Table
In 1999 (and then later in 2006) David Sklansky in his celebrated book The Theory of Poker introduced the world to the various levels of thinking in poker. For those unfamiliar with the concept, they can be summarized as follows (slightly renumbered from their original version to include purely irrational actions): Level 0:Â I do not […]
Was This Bluff a Mistake? (Analysis)
This two-part article series will help you improve your strategy with missed draws. In part one, cash game crusher Fried Meulders missed a flush draw with Q♥ 7♥, but got his opponent to fold with a couple of huge overbet bluffs. This time Fried misses a straight draw in a 3-bet pot. Will his aggression […]
How to Avoid Getting Crushed After Defending with a Weak Hand
Most of you already know that you should defend your big blind a lot in tournaments, but do you know what to do next? Specifically, how should you approach postflop play after defending with a weak hand? It’s easy to get lost and make mistakes when playing a hand out of position that you aren’t […]
Cash Game Pro Misses a Draw and Overbets Twice (Analysis)
Deciding what to do with a missed draw can be tricky. Sometimes you should bluff, and sometimes your stack will be better off if you wave the white flag. Choosing the wrong option will either cost you the pot or your stack. To help you better understand when to bluff with missed draws, we’re about […]
Checking Flops with Overpairs: When Should You Do It?
You look down at the beautiful Q♦ Q♥. You raise preflop and get called by two players. The flop is all undercards, so you still have an overpair. You start to reach for chips, but then you remember this article. What did it say about scenarios like this? You’re about to gain insight into when […]
