cash games

Did you know that it is basically impossible to win money from the big blind in the long run? The big blind has to pay a full blind without looking at their cards (a massive disadvantage) and will be out of position against most opponents postflop. It’s an unforgiving position with many opportunities for mistakes. […]

The post Big Blind Defense Strategy 101: Tournaments vs Cash Games appeared first on Upswing Poker.

A smart friend once suggested to me that perhaps poker would be better if every time players were all-in, the dealer split the pot according to their equity, instead of running it out and pushing everything to the winner of the hand. For instance, if Alice had AA and Bob had KK and both went […]

The post Why Bad Beats are a Poker Player’s Greatest Gift appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Poker is a bit like American football. It’s important to have a solid offense (playing as the aggressor), but if your defense (playing vs. the aggressor) sucks, you’re going to have a tough time winning. Perhaps the most crucial defensive situation in poker is playing vs. a flop c-bet after defending your big blind. This […]

The post 5 Quick Guidelines for Playing Versus C-Bets on the Flop appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Are you familiar with positional, range, and nut advantages in poker? Using these concepts to shape your postflop strategy will help you make more money in advantageous situations and limit your losses in disadvantageous ones. In this article, you will learn about each of these concepts and how exactly they should impact your strategy. Let’s […]

The post 3 Concepts That Should Shape Your Postflop Strategy in 2019 (Positional, Range, and Nut Advantage) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Should you favor a theoretically sound strategy or play exploitative poker? This question has been a hot debate in the poker world for the past several years. Some are fierce supporters of theory (sometimes to their stack’s detriment), while others insist that theoretically sound poker has no value and should be disregarded (an absurd proposition). […]

The post 3 Theoretically Winning Calls That Lose in Practice appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Should you favor a theoretically sound strategy or play exploitative poker? This question has been a hot debate in the poker world for the past several years. Some are fierce supporters of theory (sometimes to their stack’s detriment), while others insist that theoretically sound poker has no value and should be disregarded (an absurd proposition). […]

The post 3 Theoretically Winning Calls That Lose in Practice appeared first on Upswing Poker.

It’s generally not a good idea to slow-play strong hands — you’ll usually win more money by fast-playing — but there is a time and a place for every move in poker. In this article, you’ll learn how to identify spots in which a tricky slow-play is more profitable than playing straightforward, and spots where […]

The post When Should You Slow-Play a Strong Hand? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

It’s generally not a good idea to slow-play strong hands — you’ll usually win more money by fast-playing — but there is a time and a place for every move in poker. In this article, you’ll learn how to identify spots in which a tricky slow-play is more profitable than playing straightforward, and spots where […]

The post When Should You Slow-Play a Strong Hand? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Implied odds aren’t difficult to understand, but many players misapply them while playing. This leads to easily avoidable but costly mistakes. To help you avoid such mistakes, you’re about to learn what implied odds are, how they work, and how they should help shape your strategy. We will cover: What are implied odds? How do […]

The post What Are Implied Odds? How to Use Implied Odds Like a Veteran Pro appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Value betting is how you’ll make most of your money at the tables. This is especially true against recreational players, who tend to be on the over-calling side of the spectrum. Today I am going to share 3 tips for thin value bets that will help you squeeze every last drop of cash from your opponents. […]

The post How to Thin Value Bet Like a Veteran Pro (3 Tips for Thin Value Betting in Poker) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

A “nit” is a player with a noticeably weak playing style, and they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. With so many nits out there, learning how to exploit them is very important for your long term win-rate. And beyond that, it’s actually pretty darn fun to exploit these players. Today we’ll discuss how to […]

The post How to Crush Nits (10 Tactics to Maximize Profit Against Tight Players) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Bluffing is an indispensable part of the game—as Doug likes to say, “Bluffing is life in poker.” In this article, we’ll discuss how to go about choosing hands to semi-bluff, and we’ll break down the process that every elite player uses to fine-tune this aspect of their game. What makes a good semi-bluffing hand? There […]

The post Which Draws Should You Semi-Bluff With? appeared first on Upswing Poker.