5 Sharp Tips for Crushing Soft Games (ft. Uri Peleg)
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Want a sneak peek at the Lab 2.0, coming to Upswing Poker on September 8th? The world's best poker coach, Uri Peleg, shares his five best strategies for dominating soft games. Alongside co-host Mike Brady, he breaks down how to exploit common mistakes without falling into the same traps. Whether you play live or low-stakes online, these tips will help you maximize value and boost your win rate. 00:00 Tip #1: Categorize Players 08:46 Tip #2: Adjust for Multiway Pots 15:20 Tip #3: Check Your Ego 19:55 Tip #4: Bad Play Doesn’t Always Benefit You 23:04 Tip #5: Overplay the Top of Your Range...
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How to Play Pocket Kings (Many Players Get This Wrong)
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Sneak peek from Lab 2.0, coming to Upswing Poker on September 8th. The world's best poker coach, Uri Peleg, walks you through numerous hand examples and shares key insights for playing Pocket Kings. He positions the question "how should you play pocket kings" as a philosophical one that touches deep into something beautiful about the game of poker. 00:00 The Philosophy of Playing Pocket Kings 02:56 Reevaluating Hand Strength Post-Flop 05:46 Overview of Lab 2.0 and Learning Path 06:13 Pot Control with Marginal Boards 08:50 Maximizing Value Against Loose Opponents 09:50 Playing Strong Hands on...
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How to Crush Your Opponent After One Hand
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Learn how to turn a single showdown into a strategic advantage at the poker table. In this episode, Mike and Gary break down five real-world hand scenarios and reveal powerful counter-strategies to exploit common player types—ranging from over-bluffers to under-value bettors. If you’re ready to level up your poker reads and punish your opponents' mistakes, this one’s for you. to follow a clear, structured path to poker improvement. Sharpen your solver fundamentals by . 00:00 Introduction to Opponent Exploitation 01:16 Sizing Up with Strong Hands 02:39 Loose Preflop Calls 03:40 Donking...
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5 Poker Tips for Playing Preflop
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Every hand begins with preflop play, so making correct decisions is critically important. Upswing Poker VP Mike Brady and Scottish poker pro Gary Blackwood share five actionable tips that you can use to elevate your game and take advantage of your opponent's mistakes! and check out the Low Stakes Launch Pad course. Make sure to use promo code LEVELUP when you sign up and you'll receive $50 off! 00:00 Tip 1: Tighten Your Big Blind Defense 01:57 Tip 2: Big Blind Three-Bet Strategy 06:30 Tip 3: Adjusting Ranges Based on Opponents 10:35 Tip 4: Tighten Up in High Rake Environments 12:43 Tip 5:...
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How to Calculate Pot Odds
Upswing Poker Level-Up
We've extended our biggest sale of the year to run all the way through Cyber Week! The math behind poker might not seem glamorous, but few skills will affect your bottom line more than a correct understanding of pot odds! Upswing Poker VP Mike Brady previews the new Low Stakes Launch Pad course by sharing everything you need to build a solid foundation for understand this critical topic. You can join the Upswing Lab to access that course: https://upswingpoker.com/the-poker-lab-coaching Audio version available on all major podcast platforms. 00:00 Definition and Importance of Pot Odds 02:04...
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When to Slow-Play Your Strong Hands
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Get 25% off elite poker courses & tools during the biggest sale of the year right now! You might be tempted to slow play the next time you have a monster hand, but that could be a huge mistake! Mike Brady and Gary Blackwood discuss how carefully choosing when to take your foot off the gas is the best strategy to ensure maximum profitability. Don't play another hand until you've listened to this episode! Audio version available on all major podcast platforms. 00:00 Welcome to the Upswing Poker Level-Up 01:04 Preflop Slow Playing Strategies 03:59 Distinguishing Slow Playing from Pot...
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How to Play Pocket Aces Like a Pro
Upswing Poker Level-Up
You look down at your cards and see pocket aces. It's the best starting hand in poker, but how do you extract maximum value from your opponents? On this episode, Mike Brady talks with poker pro Gary Blackwood about the best practices for navigating pocket aces across a wide range of scenarios. If you like winning more money at the poker table, then you need to listen now! Want to dominate every situation at the poker table? Take advantage of 's upcoming Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal! Everything site-wide is 25% off starting on November 25th and running through the end of the month! If you...
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What Poker Coaches Get Wrong
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Winning poker, made simple. Pre-register for the Poker Blueprint here: https://upswingpoker.com/poker-blueprint-pre-registration/ Uri Peleg has spent thousands of hours studying poker. He’s done more digging through solvers and tested more strategies than most players ever will. He’s put his findings into practice and come out on top in high stakes games – and he’s coached numerous players (through his Guerrilla Poker stable) to do the same. Uri has distilled his strategic approach into a simplified blueprint built on five core principles. Once you understand these principles,...
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Don't Do This in Poker (Mariano vs Doug Polk)
Upswing Poker Level-Up
Winning poker, made simple. Pre-register for the Poker Blueprint here: https://upswingpoker.com/poker-blueprint-pre-registration/ It’s a high stakes cash game at The Lodge studio featuring two players who are no strangers to playing $50,000+ pots, Doug Polk and Mariano. Poker coach Uri Peleg breaks down the hand using the strategic framework taught in his new course the Poker Blueprint. One of the players makes a big mistake on the river in this one. Uri Peleg has spent thousands of hours studying poker. He’s done more digging through solvers and tested more strategies than most players...
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Pocket Kings vs Aces in the Main Event (WSOP Hand Breakdown)
Upswing Poker Level-Up
HAND RECAP (7 handed, 14 players left, 600K/1.2M blinds - 1.2M BB ante)Coelho (13.3M chips) raises to 2.4M with A♦ A♣. Kristen Foxen (49M chips) calls in the Big Blind with K♦ K♣.Flop A♠ T♥ 5♠. Foxen checks. Coelho bets 1.2M. Foxen calls.Turn 8♥. Foxen checks. Coelho bets 3M. Foxen calls.River 3♣. Foxen checks. Coelho bets 6.7M all-in. Foxen folds.There’s $10 million on the line with just 2 tables left in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Kristen Foxen is one of, if not the most tale
info_outlineLet's analyze WSOP final table hands with over $400K on the line! Want to fast-track your tournament poker skills? Get in the Upswing Lab to get access to Aaron Barone's exclusive training content: https://upswingpoker.com/the-poker-lab-coaching/
Written Version of This Episode
Event #12 $1,500 6-Max Payouts: 1st - $439K | 2nd - $293K | 3rd - $210K | 4th - $153K | 5th - $112K | 6th - $83K | 7th - 63K
HAND #1 (7 players left 100K/200K blinds - 200K BB ante)
Spasov raises to 400K from UTG w/ T♦ T♣. Dube folds K♦ Q♥ from UTG+1. Only Fan calls from BB with A♠ J♥.
(Stack size notes: Spasov has 8M chips and is in 5th. Dube has 9M chips and is in 3rd. Fan has 11.5M chips and is in 2nd. There is a very short stack with 1.3M chips.)
Flop J♣ T♠ 3♦. Fan checks. Spasov bets 350K. Fan calls.
Turn 3♥. Fan leads for 500K. Spasov calls.
River 2♦. Fan bets 850K. Spasov raises all-in for 4.45M. Fan calls.
HAND #2 (5 players left 150K/300K blinds - 300K BB ante)
Fan raises to 650K from the Button w/ A♣ 6♣. Spasov calls from the SB w/ 9♥ 8♥. Dube calls from the BB w/ 4♦ 2♦.
(Stack size notes: Fan has 8M chips and is in 3rd. Spasov has 21M in chips and is in 2nd. Dube has 6M in chips and is in 4th. The shortest stack has 3M chips.
Flop A♠ T♦ 5♠. Checks around.
Turn J♦. Spasov bets 1.1M. Dube folds his straight+flush draw. Fan calls.
River 8♣. Spasov bets 5.7M all-in (1.3x pot). Fan folds.
Watch the full final table at https://www.pokergo.com/
00:00 Introduction and Overview
02:52 Evaluating Ace-Jack in the Big Blind
04:54 Turn Play Strategy with Bluff Catchers
06:38 River Decisions and Stack Management
11:23 Hand 2: Ace-Ten Hand Analysis
19:12 Adjusting for Different Stack Sizes
25:36 Strategies for Final Table ICM Pressure
30:08 Conclusion and Future Episodes
In this episode of our poker strategy podcast, hosts Mike Brady and special guest Aaron Barone, a tournament poker pro and Upswing Poker coach, analyze two pivotal hands from a $1,500 buy-in six-max final table event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). With over $400,000 on the line for the winner, they break down each street of these critical hands, providing insights on how to navigate high-pressure situations at the final table.
The podcast begins with a detailed examination of the first hand, featuring a tough decision by a player holding King-Queen offsuit under the gun. Aaron explains why three-betting or folding is generally preferable to flatting in this scenario, especially given the ICM (Independent Chip Model) pressure at the final table. The hosts also discuss the importance of understanding your opponent's range and the strategic implications of different betting decisions, such as how to disguise the strength of your hand and induce bluffs from opponents.
Next, Mike and Aaron move on to analyze a hand involving Ace-Jack in the big blind, facing a continuation bet on a tricky board. They debate the merits of flatting versus check-raising, considering the potential benefits of slow-playing top pair in a final table environment. Aaron emphasizes how ICM considerations drastically alter the optimal play compared to a Chip EV (Expected Value) scenario, guiding players to a more conservative approach to maximize their chance of winning significant pay jumps.
As they move through the analysis, the hosts explore advanced concepts such as leading with bluff catchers on certain turn cards, how board textures can impact betting strategy, and why sometimes small leads can induce bluffs or extract value from weaker hands. This poker strategy podcast episode is filled with practical takeaways on adjusting your play style based on stack sizes, opponent tendencies, and final table dynamics.
Tune in to this episode to learn from the pros as they break down these high-stakes WSOP hands and provide actionable insights to help elevate your poker game. Whether you're an experienced tournament grinder or just getting started, this poker strategy podcast offers valuable lessons on how to make the right moves under pressure.