Upswing Poker Level-Up

Check out Garrett's Destroy Live Cash course and use code LEVELUP for $50 off 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/destroy-live-cash/ Watch this episode on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRc2eWcffqM Watch this video and learn how Garrett was tricked by a double reverse tell 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS3mKkvqDsE  View the written version of this episode 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/podcast/5-live-poker-tips/ Get access to free preflop charts 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/preflop/ Get the Lucid Poker Trainer app for free 👉 https://lucidpoker.com/ Talk with Upswing Coaches & members 👉 https://discord.gg/TX765Y3FPa Garrett Adelstein shares five practical live cash game tips for improving game selection, reading opponents, exploiting weaker players, and balancing theory with real-world adjustments. 00:00 Garrett Adelstein's 5 Live Cash Tips 01:19 Tip 1: Game Selection Is Everything 06:08 Tip 2: Pay Attention 12:15 Tip 3: Target the Biggest VIPs 26:03 Tip 4: Know the Theory 29:46 Tip 5: Exploit, Exploit, Exploit 32:24 Garrett's $600K Pot vs. Rick Salomon 46:25 Poker, Luck & Gratitude

Buy Modern Tournament Mastery This Week and Get Tim's $300 Course as a FREE Bonus 👉  https://upswingpoker.com/modern-tournament-mastery/ Final tables change everything. In this episode, high-stakes crusher Tim Adams breaks down the subtle strategic adjustments that separate players who ladder up from players who actually close out tournaments. Learn how to think ahead under ICM pressure, exploit overly aggressive chip leaders, and stay mentally composed when the stakes are at their absolute highest. Get access to free preflop charts 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/preflop/ Get the Lucid Poker Trainer app for free 👉 https://lucidpoker.com/ Talk with Upswing Coaches & members 👉 https://discord.gg/TX765Y3FPa View the written version of this episode 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/podcast/3-final-table-tips/ 00:00 Final Table Strategy Intro 00:52 Thinking Beyond One Hand 02:26 When to Pass Marginal Spots 03:10 Table Position & Stack Dynamics 05:18 Doug Polk's Pocket Eights Spot 06:20 Triton London Final Table Review 08:06 Why Position Changes Everything 09:38 Playing Short at Final Tables 11:30 Exploiting Aggressive Chip Leaders 12:53 How Big Stacks Overextend 13:43 Fighting Back With Rejams 15:53 Why Chip Leaders Fold Too Much 17:18 Staying Calm at Final Tables 18:56 Avoiding Final Table Pressure 20:14 Playing One Hand at a Time 20:44 Why You Shouldn't Chop Deals 22:30 Final Thoughts & Course Promo Making a final table is one thing — actually closing out a poker tournament is something else entirely. In this strategy-packed episode, high-stakes tournament crusher Tim Adams joins the show to break down three advanced final table concepts that separate elite tournament players from the field. Drawing from years of experience in Super High Roller events and some of the toughest poker tournaments in the world, Tim explains how players should approach ICM pressure, chip stack dynamics, future game considerations, and the psychological side of playing under extreme pressure. The conversation begins with one of the most overlooked concepts in tournament poker strategy: thinking beyond the current hand. Tim explains why poker solvers and ICM calculations can only take players so far, and why great final table players must constantly think about future table configurations, stack positioning, and who will be seated on their left and right after a hand concludes. Using examples involving marginal all-in decisions, bottom call-offs, and chip leader positioning, the discussion explores how future hands can drastically alter the true value of a decision in tournament poker. The episode also includes a deep breakdown of a real hand from the Triton London final table featuring Doug Polk. Tim and the hosts analyze a difficult pocket eights decision against a 20 big blind shove and explain how future game value, player positioning, and table dynamics influence close ICM spots. This section is especially valuable for tournament poker players looking to improve their final table decision-making process beyond basic solver outputs. From there, the discussion shifts into exploiting aggressive chip leaders at final tables. Tim explains how modern tournament players often overapply ICM pressure when holding the chip lead, creating opportunities for shorter stacks to fight back with aggressive rejams and exploitative adjustments. The episode dives into reshove strategy, blind pressure, stack leverage, equilibrium ranges, and why many chip leaders widen their opening ranges too far without properly adjusting their calling ranges. Finally, the episode focuses on the mental game of poker and how to remain calm during high-pressure tournament moments. Tim discusses the importance of relaxation, emotional control, and embracing the final table experience instead of becoming overwhelmed by expectations. The result is an insightful poker strategy discussion filled with advanced tournament concepts, practical examples, and actionable advice for anyone serious about improving their final table performance in No Limit Hold'em tournaments.

Get early sign up bonuses for Modern Tournament Mastery 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/timothy-adams-dvoress-chidwick-course-waitlist/ Mike Brady sat down with high-stakes tournament crusher Tim Adams (head coach of Modern Tournament Mastery) to put Chat GPT to the test. They break down a ton of spots and well... you'll see how poorly Chat GPT would play poker! Get Modern Tournament Mastery by Tim Adams, Daniel Dvoress, and guest coach Stephen Chidwick on May 25, 2026. View the hand history and ChatGPT analysis 👉 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1teDl6IRwiBI0iSdHhhbLNq86JM3_vXEL/view?usp=sharing Get the written version of this episode 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/podcast/chatgpt-poker-help/ Get access to free preflop charts 👉 https://upswingpoker.com/preflop/ Get the Lucid Poker Trainer app for free 👉 https://lucidpoker.com/ Talk with Upswing Coaches & members 👉 https://discord.gg/TX765Y3FPa 0:00 - Intro 1:16 Opening A7s UTG 12:05 Modern Tournament Mastery 16:08 Defending 87s in the BB 25:43 Opening AJo from MP 34:27 3 Betting 44 vs Table Talk 38:25 Suited Broadways in EP

Get 25% off Lucid Poker. Watch 'Winning Money in Multiway Pots' Join our Discord community. View the written version of this episode here. In this episode, you'll learn the seven most powerful small bet situations that can instantly pressure your opponents and win more pots. By watching, you'll understand exactly when to use small bets for protection, range advantage, stack-to-pot leverage, block betting, and multi-way pressure so you can make more profitable decisions in both cash games and tournaments. 00:00 Mastering Small Bets to Punish Missed Ranges (Cash Game C-Bet Strategy) 00:48 Protection Betting: Thin Value with Medium Pairs in Tournaments 02:50 Range Advantage Boards: Small Bets When You Smash the Flop 04:30 Low Stack-to-Pot Ratio Strategy in 3-Bet and 4-Bet Pots 06:16 Out-of-Position Flop Strategy: Why Solvers Prefer Small Bets 07:18 River Block Betting: Setting Your Own Price with Medium Strength Hands 09:06 Multi-Way Pots: Shared Defense and Why Smaller Bets Work In this episode of the Level-Up podcast, we break down the seven most profitable small bet situations in No Limit Hold'em and explain how to weaponize small sizing in both cash games and tournaments. From classic continuation bet spots to advanced stack-to-pot ratio adjustments, this guide shows you how to pressure opponents efficiently without bloating the pot unnecessarily. The first key concept centers on betting small when your opponent's range is filled with missed hands. In single-raised pots—like when you raise preflop and the big blind calls—dry flops such as queen-seven-three heavily favor the preflop raiser. Because the defender's range contains many ace-high and low-equity hands, a small one-third pot c-bet frequently wins the pot immediately while risking very little. This is one of the most efficient plays in modern poker strategy. Next, we explore protection betting with medium-strength hands. In tournament scenarios with 50 big blind stacks, holding a pocket pair on a coordinated board often calls for a small turn bet. This thin value plus protection approach forces opponents with overcards into difficult decisions, either folding equity or calling while behind. When your range crushes the board—such as in three-bet pots on ace-king-jack textures—small bets at high frequency generate folds from capped ranges while maintaining balance. Similarly, in four-bet pots where the stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) is low, small bets are typically optimal because the pot is already bloated and ranges are narrow. Out of position, solvers overwhelmingly prefer small sizing as the preflop raiser. By "naming your price," you avoid giving the in-position player the advantage of dictating the pot size. This principle extends to block betting on the river, where small bets with medium-strength hands prevent facing larger bets while still extracting thin value. Finally, we examine multi-way pots. Because the burden of defense is shared, betting into multiple players already signals strength. Smaller bets often accomplish the same goal as larger ones while preserving stack depth. Mastering these seven small bet scenarios will dramatically improve your postflop strategy, increase your win rate, and help you control pot geometry across a wide variety of poker situations.

Play and improve for free with Lucid Poker GIVEAWAY: Want to win a $3,000 trip to Las Vegas to play the WPT Prime Championship? Sign up for Lucid Poker and play just 1 hand on any leaderboard to give yourself a chance to win. If you start your free trial and climb into the top 10 of a leaderboard, you can unlock even more entries in the giveaway. Good luck! Watch 'STOP C-Betting Out of Position (It's Costing You Money)' Mike Brady and poker pro Gary Blackwood reveal five key flop scenarios where you should always bet to maximize profits and simplify decision-making. From disconnected King-high boards to big-pair flops, they explain when aggressive range betting works best—and View the written version of this episode here.  00:00 Situation 1 03:04 Situation 2 05:00 Situation 3 07:10 Situation 4 09:41 Situation 5 In this Level-Up episode, hosts Mike Brady and Gary Blackwood explain five key situations in which poker players should increase aggression and bet their entire range. Many players, they note, aren't aggressive enough post-flop — a costly leak that can be fixed with simple heuristics. Each situation is supported by solver insights and practical examples drawn from both live and online play, with the overarching goal of helping players simplify their strategy while maintaining strong expected value. Situation 1 focuses on flops with no draws and one high card when you're in position — for example, King-Eight-Deuce or Queen-Seven-Deuce rainbow. These boards are dry and disconnected, giving the preflop raiser a strong equity advantage. Solvers show nearly universal continuation betting, since opponents in the big blind have mostly missed. However, if the flop adds flush or straight possibilities, players should reduce c-betting frequency because resistance from opponents will increase. Situation 2 arises when you're raising from an earlier position such as the hijack, and your range is naturally tighter and stronger. On moderately connected flops like Jack-Six-Deuce, you can once again bet your entire range. The reason is straightforward: a tighter preflop range connects more often and contains fewer total misses, allowing for confident aggression. Situation 3 covers flops that include a big pair like King-King-Five or Queen-Queen-Three. These boards are overwhelmingly favorable for the preflop aggressor, especially in three-bet pots, because the range advantage is massive. Gary and Mike emphasize that players should c-bet every time using small sizes to exploit opponents who are forced to fold much of their range. Situation 4 applies to King-high flops in three-bet pots when you're in position. Through Lucid Poker simulations, Mike demonstrates that betting every time on such boards—no matter your actual hand—rarely produces mistakes. The simplicity of this approach makes it an easy and profitable rule of thumb. Situation 5 flips the script: you've three-bet out of position and the flop is disconnected with one high card, like Ace-Eight-Deuce or Queen-Seven-Deuce. Here again, betting nearly your entire range with a small sizing works best because your range maintains a strong advantage. The episode concludes with three caveats: dial back aggression when opponents overfold, over-attack, or when stacks are short and a shove is likely. While aggression is profitable, the key lesson is controlled aggression—bet big when range advantage is clear, but adapt intelligently when dynamics shift.