introductory

Up there with flopping a set, there aren’t many feelings more thrilling in poker than flopping a flush. Just imagine it for a moment. You raise with a hand like A♦ 5♦ and the flop comes… Doesn’t that feel good? But monotone flops like this present an interesting challenge… If you always bet, raise, and […]

The post When Should You Slow-Play A Flopped Flush? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

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 […]

The post 3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Facing a Bet appeared first on Upswing Poker.

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 also 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 […]

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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 […]

The post 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Playing Pocket Aces appeared first on Upswing Poker.

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 […]

The post 5 Tips to Stop Bleeding Chips from the Small Blind appeared first on Upswing Poker.

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 As I got more serious about poker, however, I realized that a lot of the strategy taught in these books is outdated.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 […]

The post Amir Vahedi’s 3 Bluffing Tips from 2009 Stand the Test of Time appeared first on Upswing Poker.

What’s the only thing worse than losing money in one session of poker? Going on a poker downswing that causes you to lose money an extended period of time. Bad beats can seriously test your mental game. Downswings are an inevitable part of poker. It doesn’t matter whether you are brand new to the game […]

The post How to Handle Downswings Like a Poker Pro appeared first on Upswing Poker.

What’s the only thing worse than losing money in one session of poker? Going on a poker downswing that causes you to lose money an extended period of time. Bad beats can seriously test your mental game. Downswings are an inevitable part of poker. It doesn’t matter whether you are brand new to the game […]

The post How to Handle Downswings Like a Poker Pro appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Today we’re going to discuss expected value — what it means, why it’s important, and how to apply it. It’s one of the most basic concepts in poker, and one of the most important to understand. Table of Contents: What is Expected Value (EV)? Real World Example: The Steph Curry Bet How to Calculate Expected […]

The post What is Expected Value (EV) in Poker? This Basketball Analogy Will Make it Clear appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Today we’re going to discuss expected value — what it means, why it’s important, and how to apply it. It’s one of the most basic concepts in poker, and one of the most important to understand. Table of Contents: What is Expected Value (EV)? Real World Example: The Steph Curry Bet How to Calculate Expected […]

The post What is Expected Value (EV) in Poker? This Basketball Analogy Will Make it Clear appeared first on Upswing Poker.

(Photo: PartyPoker) In part 1 of this article series, I told you about the Honesty Principle. The Honesty Principle: As a whole, the poker community bluffs much less than it should. In part 2, you read about the poker artificial intelligence Libratus and its uncanny ability to bluff at balanced frequencies. It should be fairly […]

The post Why Are Most Poker Players Wimpy Bluffers? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Have you ever wondered why pure bluffs work when they do? By pure, I mean situations where the player who is betting has absolutely nothing (not even a draw) while the player who ends up folding has something decent, say at least a pair. Let’s consider the following situation in a live $5/$10 cash game […]

The post Why Do Random & Silly Bluffs Work? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Have you ever wondered why pure bluffs work when they do? By pure, I mean situations where the player who is betting has absolutely nothing (not even a draw) while the player who ends up folding has something decent, say at least a pair. Let’s consider the following situation in a live $5/$10 cash game […]

The post Why Do Random & Silly Bluffs Work? appeared first on Upswing Poker.