Sager finished ninth for a $14,242 payday, the biggest cash of her career so far. The timing of that result is no coincidence, as Sager focused many hours studying the Tournament Starter Pack track in the Upswing Lab.

We caught up with Sager shortly after the Ladies Championship final table appearance. Here’s a look, in Sager’s own words, at what drew her to poker, why she chose the Upswing Lab as her study source, and what’s next in her poker pursuits:

When did you start playing poker, and what drew you to the game?

So I grew up playing poker. My parents always hosted home games, and I can’t remember a time when I didn’t play poker. I joke and tell people I came out of the womb playing poker. But then I married a man that didn’t want me to play poker, so I stopped playing when I was about 21.

Eventually, I realized that marriage wasn’t going to work, so I started playing again in 2020 after an eight-year break. 

What made you start taking poker more seriously in the last couple of years?

When I began playing poker again at 28, I started playing because I was fresh out of my marriage, had no friends, and I had no idea what to do with myself. I was trying to find myself again, and the only thing I knew to do was play poker.

Funny enough, I actually bought the poker club where I played. After getting burned out and selling the club, I took a few months off of poker and began playing again. I was mainly a cash player up until that point, but I finally decided I wanted to take poker more seriously and actually learn how to master the game and try to win some tournaments. 

In 2023, my friends dragged me out to the WSOP to play the first Gladiator event, and I cashed. I was seriously hooked on tournaments after that first WSOP cash. After summer 2023, I knew I had to invest in some training material if I wanted to get better. 

How did you find the Upswing Lab, and what made you sign up for Upswing vs. some of the other poker training courses out there?

Living in Houston, I heard about the Lodge, and I started following Doug Polk. Eventually, I learned about Upswing and the Lab by following Doug. December 2023 is when I finally signed up for the Lab and started going through the material. 

Which Upswing courses/modules did you study to prepare for the WSOP this year?

I never had any kind of strategy when it came to poker, so I really took in everything from the Tournament Starter Pack module. I haven’t even made it through everything in that module, and I have barely touched any of the other modules. The WSOP tuneup portion has been most helpful to me. 

I’m sure anyone who registers for a WSOP event visualizes themselves at the final table. How did the real-life experience of doing that compare to the “dream” of doing it?

Quite frankly, it was very anticlimactic! I started the day 2nd in chips and finished in 9th, so in the moment it was a bit disappointing. However, it was definitely one of the coolest experiences I’ve had to date.

As a kid, I used to dream of playing in the WSOP. I would show up to softball tournaments growing up after pulling an all-nighter playing poker and my coaches would be pissed. I remember spending Friday nights at the skating rink in middle school and then going with my brother to play poker at his friends’ house, who were all in college, and we would always watch the WSOP and talk about playing in it one day.

I was also the little girl in high school going to all the underground poker rooms around Houston, which I had no business doing as a 16-year-old! Even though I wanted a higher finish, it was a surreal moment to realize I was finally living out my childhood dream. 

Andrea Sager at the WSOP Ladies Championship final table (image courtesy PokerNews).

Any particular hands/moments that stand out from your run in the Ladies Championship?

Besides the last hand. Because we all remember the big losing hands. I honestly was just proud of playing very solid poker for most of the three days. I never had a “huge” turning point hand.

I steadily gained chips and did a good job of staying in the top 25%, which is typically my goal. It was also cool to take out some heavy hitters, which was a great confidence booster.

What are your poker goals for the next 2-5 years?

My goal is to continue to be a student of the game and continue playing the best poker possible. I’ve always considered myself an amateur poker player. However, these days most of my time is spent playing or studying. I’m lucky enough to own businesses that allow me to spend my time as I wish, so I’m going to continue living out my childhood poker dreams. 

Who is your favorite Upswing coach?

I’m not sure if I have a favorite coach yet. However, the most helpful material I’ve gone through so far is by Aaron Barone and Gary Blackwood. 

Do you have any advice for players out there who would love to one day make a WSOP final table?

Never stop being a student of the game. Some players believe studying is pointless and only playing to get experience is going to help them get better. You have to give yourself the best chance possible to be successful. If you’re not doing some sort of studying away from the tables, it’s going to be much harder to live out those poker dreams. 

The post How Upswing Member Andrea Sager Made a WSOP Final Table appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Upswing Poker founder and Lodge co-owner Doug Polk joined the fray for a night of poker that began at $25/$50 stakes, and escalated to $100/$200/$400 by the end of the night.

Lodge Live stream watchers were treated to an incredible night of poker throughout, and the final hour of the eight-plus-hour session showcased some of the wildest action we’ve seen yet at the Lodge.

Doug was joined by fellow poker pros Mariano, Xuan Liu, and his recent nemesis Alex. Tito, Bulldog, and Tesla (who absolutely drove the action all night) rounded out the seven-player lineup.

If you haven’t seen Tesla and Alex battle with Doug, you’re in for a treat.

The following 11 hands recap the story of an unforgettable cash game stream.

Each written recap includes an embedded video so you can watch the hand yourself. I highly, highly recommend watching hand #7. Doug’s reaction is priceless.

Hand #1 – Doug Snaps Off Tesla’s Bluff, Scoops $52K

(Hand begins at 4:45 on the stream)

Blinds: $25/$50

• Tito ($19,700) calls the $100 straddle from the HJ with 9h6h
• Tesla ($24,775) raises to $350 from the CO with 8h7h 
• Doug ($52,650) 3-bets to $1,200 from the BTN with Qs7s
• Alex ($23,435) calls from the SB with 8s8d
• Tito calls, Tesla calls

Flop ($5,000)

AsKs2s

Action checks to Doug, Doug bets $1,500, and the action folds to Tesla. Tesla calls, drawing dead against Doug’s flopped nut flush.

Turn ($8,000)

(AsKs2s)Th

Tesla checks, Doug bets $7,500, Tesla jams for $22,705, and Doug calls.

River ($52,150)

(AsKs2sTh)6c

Doug takes down the first big pot of the session, and Tesla pays the max for trying an airball bluff at the worst possible time. Doug does tell Tesla that he respects the move, however.

Check out the full hand here:

Hand #2 – Doug Vs. Alex Part 1

(Hand begins at 27:36 on the stream)

Blinds: $25/$50

• Doug ($80,925) opens to $300 from UTG+1 with Ac6c
• Alex ($23,050) calls from the HJ with 5h4h
• Tesla ($31,275) 3-bets to $1,300 from the BB with KsJh
• Doug calls
• Alex calls

Flop ($4,075)

Ad8c4s

Tesla checks, Doug bets $1,700, Alex calls, Tesla folds

Turn ($7,475)

(Ad8c4s)5d

Doug checks, Alex bets $4,500, Doug calls

River ($16,475)

(Ad8c4s5d)9d

Doug checks, Alex bets $7,000, Doug folds.

A few weeks after Doug and Alex played the largest pot in the history of the Lodge ($707,800), the two tangle again in a 3-bet pot at $25/$50 stakes. Doug finds the fold on the river against Alex’s turned two pair.

Hand #3 – Mariano Stacks Alex

(Hand begins at 40:30 on the stream)

Blinds: $25/$50

• Alex ($31,600) opens to $600 from the BTN with 5h4h
• Mariano ($106,325) 3-bets to $3,000 from the SB with QcJc
• Alex calls

Flop ($6,400)

8c7c2h

Mariano bets $4,800, Alex calls

Turn ($16,000)

(8c7c2h)Kc

Mariano checks, Alex bets $4,500, Mariano calls

River ($25,000)

(8c7c2hKc)Th

Mariano checks, Alex goes all-in for $19,300, Mariano calls

We’ve learned by now that Alex isn’t scared to put the entire stack in the middle with an aggressive bluff. This time it backfires though, as Mariano turns the flush, sets the trap, and takes in a $63,600 pot.

Hand #4 – Doug Vs. Alex Part 2

(Hand begins at 1:18:35 on the stream)

Blinds: $25/$50

The NIT Game is on, and Doug still has his NIT button in front of him when this hand unfolds. The triple straddle is on, making the stakes $25/$50/$100/$200/$400 in this hand.

• Doug ($69,025) opens to $1,000 on the BTN with 8s5s
• Alex ($33,750) calls from the SB with 9c8c
• Bulldog ($67,375)calls from the UTG Straddle with Js6s

Flop ($3,700)

Jd7h7s

Alex checks, Bulldog checks, Doug bets $1,000, Alex calls, Bulldog calls.

Turn ($6,700)

(Jd7h7s)6c

Alex leads out for $3,000, Bulldog folds, Doug calls

River ($12,700)

(Jd7h7s6c)9s

Alex checks, Doug bets $12,500, Alex folds.

Doug and Alex both go to the river with open-ended straight draws. Doug hits his straight, and Alex correctly folds second pair to Doug’s pot-sized river bet.

Hand #5 – Doug Vs. Alex Part 3

(Hand begins at 1:48:30 on the stream)

Blinds: $25/$50

• Doug ($77,700) opens to $500 on the BTN with KcJc
• Alex ($27,525) 3-bets from the SB with QcTs
• Doug calls

Flop ($4,400)

Jd3h2h

Alex bets $2,000, Doug calls

Turn ($8,400)

(Jd3h2h)8h

Alex bets $3,500, Doug calls

River ($15,400)

(Jd3h2h8h)4h

Alex bets $4,500, Doug goes all-in for $15,500 effective, Alex folds

Alex goes for the triple-barrel bluff with queen-high on a four-flush board, but Doug doesn’t buy it and ends up taking down a $20K pot against his frequent nemesis.

Hand #6 – How Does Tesla Have THAT HAND?!

(Hand begins at 3:36:56 on the stream)

Blinds: $25/$50

• Tito ($31,900) opens to $300 from the HJ with As8h 
• Tesla ($88,925) 3-bets to $1,200 from the HJ with 7s6h 
• Doug ($106,675) 4-bets to $6,000 from the SB with AcKc
• Tito folds
• Tesla calls

Flop ($12,500)

KdKh5c

Doug bets $3,000, Tesla calls

Turn ($18,500)

(KdKh5c)4s

Doug bets $18,000, Tesla raises to $37,000, Doug calls

River ($92,500)

(KdKh5c4s)8c

Doug checks, Tesla goes all-in for $42,925, Doug calls. Tesla scoops a $178,350 pot.

Tesla 3-bets preflop with 76 offsuit, calls a 5x 4-bet, and calls Doug’s flop c-bet with just 5% equity against Doug’s trip kings. He finds a way to win a massive $178K pot with runner-runner straight cards appearing on the board.

Doug later calls this hand one of the worst beats he’s ever taken at the poker table. Be sure to watch this unbelievable hand unfold in the clip below:

Hand #7 – Tesla’s $75K Bluff Vs. Doug

(Hand begins at 6:56:21 on the stream)

Blinds: $100/$200

• Doug ($152,900) opens to $2,500 from the CO with Qs9d
• Alex ($239,575) calls from the BB with Ac6c
• Tesla ($203,300) calls from the UTG S with Qh2d

Flop ($7,800)

Qd6h3d

Action checks to Doug, Doug bets $2,500, Bulldog calls, Tesla raises to $10,000, Doug calls, Bulldog folds

Turn ($30,300)

(Qd6h3d)8d

Tesla bets $30,000, Doug calls

River ($90,300)

(Qd6h3d8d)7d

Tesla bets $75,000 and shows the 2d. Doug turns over his Qs9d and tanks. After agonizing over the decision for a couple of minutes, Doug folds. He’s shown the bad news as Tesla triumphantly turns over his other card, the Qh.

This one has to be seen to be believed:

Hand #8 – Doug and Tesla Tangle in a 4-Bet Pot

(Hand begins at 7:35:54 on the stream)

Blinds: $100/$200

• Bulldog ($212,925) opens to $600 from the CO with Qs5s
• Tesla ($235,600) 3-bets to $2,500 from the BTN with 8s7s
• Doug ($103,400) 4-bets to $10,000 from the SB with AcQc
• Bulldog folds
• Tesla calls

Flop ($21,000)

TdJhKs

Doug bets $5,000, Tesla raises to $10,000, Doug calls

Turn ($41,000)

(TdJhKs)Ad

Doug checks, Tesla bets $10,000, Doug calls

River ($61,000)

(TdJhKsAd)7h

Doug checks, Tesla bets $31,625, Doug raises to $65,000, Tesla folds

Tesla makes more big moves against Doug in this 4-bet pot, but he’s up against it this time. Doug flops the broadway straight, smooth calls Tesla’s flop raise and turn barrel, and takes a $92K pot after a river raise.

Hand #9 – Doug and Tesla Tangle in (Another) 4-Bet Pot

(Hand begins at 7:50:00 on the stream)

Blinds: $100/$200/$400

Tesla ($241,575) opens to $2,600 from the CO with 8s8h

Doug ($153,525) 3-bets to $12,000 from the SB with QcTc

Tesla 4-bets to $35,000

Doug calls

Flop ($70,400)

Qd9h8d

Doug checks, Tesla goes all-in, Doug calls for his remaining $118,525

Turn and River (Run It Twice, $307,450)

(Qd9h8d)Ts5c

(Qd9h8d)AsJs

More than $300K go in the middle on the flop, with Doug’g top pair crushed against Tesla’s set of eights. They run it twice and end up chopping the pot, as Doug finds a bit of luck in an otherwise brutal day with a straight-completing jack appearing on the river on the second board.

Hand #10 – Biggest Pot of the Night! (And it’s Doug Vs. Tesla, Again)

(Hand begins at 8:02:20 on the stream)

Blinds: $100/$200/$400

Tesla ($254,375) opens to $3,000 from the CO with Ah5h

Doug ($251,625) calls from the SB with 3h3d

Flop ($6,800)

3c4dJs

Doug checks, Tesla bets $5,000, Doug raises to $15,000, Tesla calls

Turn ($36,800)

(3c4dJs)Tc

Doug bets $47,000, Tesla goes all-in, Doug calls for his remaining $189,375

River (Run It Twice, $509,550)

(3c4dJsTc)Th

(3c4dJsTc)Kd

Doug goes from six-figure loses to six-figure winner in this game in one hand. $509,550 goes Doug’s way after all of the money gets in on the turn, and Doug’s set of threes holds up against Tesla’s gutshot straight draw.

Here’s the hand in it’s entirety:

Hand #11 – Last Hand of the Night

(Hand begins at 8:23:34 on the stream)

Blinds: $100/$200/$400

Alex ($210,825) opens to $1,200 from the BTN with 9d5d

Doug ($505,300) calls from the UTG S with 6s6d

Xuan ($79,300) calls from the BB with As8h

Flop ($3,900)

Kc4d9s

Action checks to Alex, Alex bets $1,600, only Doug calls

Turn ($7,100)

(Kc4d9s)Ad

Doug checks, Alex bets $8,000, Doug calls

River ($23,100)

(Kc4d9sAd)Th

Doug checks, Alex checks back

Alex contemplates overbetting the river here as a bluff, but he actually has the best hand. Both players check on the final street, and Alex takes a $23K pot in the last hand of the night.

Final Results

• Doug $495,700 (+$182,625)
• Alex $224,325 (+$161,400)
• Mariano $205,825 (+$119,950)
• Bulldog $220,925 (+$107,825)
• Xuan $79,300 (-$25,350)
• Tito $0 (-$95,300)
• Tesla $0 (-$451,150)

What a night! Doug battles his way back and comes away with a $182K win after 8 hours of brutality to begin the night. Alex, Mariano, and Bulldgo all lock up six-figure wins, while Tesla goes out in a blaze of glory for a $451K loss.

The high-stakes livestream games at the Lodge are unlike anything else in the poker world, so be sure to look for the next big game featuring Doug and some of the best (and) wildest poker cash game players in the world.

Subscribe to the Lodge stream here!

The post Doug Polk’s Wild Poker Session is a Whirlwind of Emotions appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Perhaps a name like Doyle Brunson or Daniel Negreanu. Perhaps a WSOP Main Event champion like Johnny Chan, or the Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth. Maybe a guy like Erik Seidel, who’s dominated live tournaments across multiple eras.

The toughest poker games in the world take place online, however, and the world’s toughest players forge their game against each other in the online streets.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 10 Best Online Poker Players of All Time, in no particular order:

Ben ‘Sauce123’ Sulsky

Ben ‘Sauce123” Sulsky rose to the very highest ranks in the online poker realm in the early-to-mid 2010s.

His 2013 heads-up No-Limit Hold’em matchup against Doug Polk pitted arguably the two best players of that era against each other. Sulsky’s online poker prowess isn’t just limited to HUNL, however.

Playing mostly NLH and PLO, Sauce won more than $5.5 million on PokerStars. At the time of his match with Polk, both players had reached a point in their respective careers in which many other players refused to compete against them.

Sulsky’s recent online poker exploits included a role as an ambassador for Phil Galfond’s Run It Once online poker site.

Michael Addamo

Michael Addamo’s career poker accomplishments include more than $22 million in recorded tournament earnings (as of July 2023 on the Hendon Mob database).

The majority of those results come from live tournament scores on the EPT (European Poker Tour), Triton Poker series, the PokerGO Tour, and the WSOP.

Addamo is considered by many of his contemporaries as the best tournament player of the modern era. While players like Stephen Chidwick, Fedor Holz, Dan Smith, Jason Koon, Bryn Kenney, and Justin Bonomo could all arguably lay claim to that honor, none of those players would deny that Addamo is one of the top tournament players of all time.

Like many of the other players on this list, it’s hard to nail down just how much Addamo has earned online. Addamo has won the Super Millions tournament, GGPoker’s biggest weekly high roller tournament, five times in his career.

Check out this video of Addamo crushing the final table during one of his Super Millions wins.

Linus ‘LLinusLLove’ Loeliger

Linus Loeliger (known by his online screen name ‘LLinusLLove’) is considered by many of his poker peers as the top poker player of the modern era.

‘LLinusLLove’ first appeared on the scene as an unknown poker player beginning at the micro stakes on PokerStars. His real-life identity was eventually leaked, and we now know that ‘LLinusLLove’ is the screen name of Loeliger, a Swiss poker prodigy.

We can’t really determine just how much Loeliger has won online since rising to the top of the high-stakes food chain in the late 2010s. You can find plenty of massive pots involving Loeliger on YouTube, however, with those hands often going into six and seven-figure territory.

These big pots see Loeliger taking on the best players of the modern era, at a time when online poker is tougher to beat than ever.

If you want a live look at Linus, you can catch a glimpse of him occasionally playing in the highest-stakes live games in the world, often on the Triton Poker circuit.

Phil Galfond

Phil Galfond’s poker accomplishments include three WSOP bracelets, status as one of the most consistent winners, and even a run as the proprietor of his own online poker site.

Galfond’s Run It Once poker site aimed to challenge established brands in the online poker industry. Beginning as a ROW operation (competing against GGPoker and PokerStars), Run It Once shuttered operations in early 2022, with an aim at entering the U.S. market.

While running Run It Once, Galfond competed in a series of heads-up matches known as the Galfond Challenge. These high-stakes PLO matches aimed to bring back the glory days of big-money HU matches online.

Galfond took on (and defeated) top competitors like ‘Venividi1993,’ Chance Kornuth, ‘ActionFreak’, and Brandon Adams during the Galfond challenge.

Galfond came up in the online poker ranks during the poker boom era at Full Tilt Poker. As the 2020s roll on, expect Galfond to play a major role in the online poker industry, both as a player and an influencer.

Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates

The enigmatic Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates entered 2023 as (still) one of the most respected poker players in the world.

Cates’ understanding of poker strategy for many different games makes him one of the most feared players at any cash game or tournament in which he sits. His back-to-back wins at the World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship in 2021 and 2022 cemented his legacy as one of the best all-around players of all time.

Jungleman owns plenty of bragging rights at the online poker tables as well. Under the screen name ‘jungleman12’ on Full Tilt Poker, Cates first recorded online cash results appeared on HighStakes DB in 2008 at $0.25/$0.50 stakes.

By 2010, Cates was the world’s biggest winner in online poker. He earned $5.5 million that year alone, and more than $10 million between 2009 and 2015.

Cates honed his skills at mixed games on PokerStars under his ‘w00ki3z’ screen name, winning just under $900K on that poker site.

Patrik Antonius

Patrik Antonius won an estimated $18 million on Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars from 2003 to 2013. Antonius was often at the center of the biggest online games ever played in that era, taking on anyone who dared to challenge him at the nosebleed stakes at Full Tilt.

Antonius took on players like Tom Dwan, Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom, Phil Ivey, and others from the list of top poker pro names from the poker boom era. Whether it was No-Limit Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha, Antonius played, and often won, against the world’s toughest competition.

One high-stakes PLO game at Full Tilt saw Antonius win the biggest pot in recorded online poker history against Blom. That hand, with a pot worth $1,357,000, still stands as one of the most legendary poker hands ever played.

You can still often catch Antonius playing high-stakes cash games at the live poker rooms of Las Vegas. It’s not uncommon to see Antonius seated in the “Legends Room” (aka “Bobby’s Room”) inside the Bellagio poker room.

Antonius is also a frequent presence in Triton Poker high roller tournaments and live cash games in the modern era.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey carries a name that’s synonymous with poker greatness. Whether it’s online or live poker, tournaments, or cash games, Ivey is rightfully considered one of the best all-around poker players of all time.

For the scope of this piece, we’ll focus on Ivey’s recorded results in online poker cash games. HighStakes DB estimates that Ivey won at least $20 million online during the poker boom era, mostly on Full Tilt Poker.

Ivey was a frequent participant in a collection of recurring high-stakes online poker games known as “Railbird Heaven” on Full Tilt. These games, that played at the biggest possible stakes available on Full Tilt, allowed observers to watch the top players of the era compete at the highest stakes.

The Railbird Heaven online games often saw Ivey go against Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Viktor Blom (aka isildur1), and others from that era’s super high roller list.

Ivey’s success at the live poker tables might surpass his legendary winnings in the online poker sites of the early 2000s and 2010s at this point. Ivey is 11th on the all-time money list in live tournament action, including major success in poker tournaments at the Triton Poker series.

Ivey was recently named a World Poker Tour ambassador, bringing one of the most recognizable figures in the history of poker to the WPT roster. Ivey doesn’t play much in recorded online games anymore but still belongs on our list of the best online players.

Niklas ‘Lena900’ Astedt

Swedish tournament crusher Niklas Astedt holds a reputation as one of the most feared online players in the modern era. Under the screen name ‘Lena900” on PokerStars, as well as his real name on GGPoker, Astedt is a fixture in the world’s high-stakes online tournament scene.

PokerStake ranked Astedt as the top online tournament player in the world as of July 2023. Astedt is a two-time PocketFives Player of the Year, earning that honor in both 2018 and 2019.

A poll conducted by PocketFives in 2021 ranked Astedt as the best online poker player of all time.

As of July 2023, Astedt’s total recorded online tournament earnings are over the $44 million mark. That figure comes across more than 11,000 online tournament cashes.

Astedt holds nine Championship of Online Poker titles, and we can expect that number, as well as his online tournament winnings, to continue growing.

Chris Moorman

Chris Moorman began building his legend in the early 2010s, and the British pro still reigns as a beast in both online and live poker.

Moorman achieved success on nearly every imaginable poker site, and as of July 2023 is ranked 14th in PokerStake’s online tournament rankings. He’s been ranked as high as No. 1 in the PokerStake/PocketFives rankings and stands as one of the most prolific and consistent online tournament poker players.

Moorman owns more than $1 million in online tournament earnings at each of the following poker sites: PokerStars, GGPoker, Full Tilt Poker, Americas Cardroom, and WSOP.com. He holds just under a million in earnings on several other sites.

With career online earnings that top $23 million, Moorman has amassed one of the best resumes in the history of online poker.

Moorman’s poker career accolades include two World Series of Poker bracelets, including an online bracelet in the 2021 WSOP $800 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack Championship. The other of his WSOP bracelets came in live tournament play.

Doug Polk

Nobody was more feared in the online poker heads-up Texas Hold’em streets than Doug Polk in the mid-2010s.

Polk’s high-stakes duels in that era are the stuff of legends, with Polk taking on the top professional poker players in the game in high-stakes heads-up cash games. His talent and success rose to such heights that no one really wanted to take Polk on at the heads-up tables.

One of Polk’s most famous heads-up matches came against Ben ‘Sauce123” Sulsky, another player that you’ll find on our list. The 2013 match pitted Sulsky, then considered among the best poker players in the world at HUNL, against Polk, a young player who skyrocketed up the stakes ladder in the early 2010s.

Polk cemented his spot as the world’s No. 1 heads-up player by soundly defeating Sulsky for $740,000 over 15,000 hands.

Polk’s online success includes several big tournament scores as well. In 2016, Polk set the record for the largest tournament score ever recorded on a live Twitch stream. Polk took home $455,000 per the terms of a final table deal, officially finishing second in the $10,300 WCOOP High Roller on PokerStars.

That win broke the previous Twitch record, also set by Polk. Polk added yet another massive score on live stream in 2017 ($271,272 in a $5,200 buy-in event at partypoker Powerfest).

Polk doesn’t play much online poker anymore, but can still be found taking on all challengers in high-stakes heads-up matches at the Lodge Poker Club, which Polk co-owns in Austin, TX.

Check out Upswing Poker’s guide to the best heads-up players of all time:

The 5 Best Heads-Up Poker Players of All Time

The post The 10 Best Online Poker Players of All Time appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Heads-up No-Limit Hold’em (HUNL) still produces plenty of marquee matchups. Phil Hellmuth recently went on an astounding run on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel, with the poker tournament legend surprising many in the poker community with his run of high-stakes wins over some of his highly-regarded contemporaries.

Success at the highest levels of heads-up poker requires a commitment to studying poker strategy that’s perhaps more intense than any other poker format.

Upswing Poker presents its list of the top five best heads-up poker players of all time. This list is by no means exhaustive, but does include five players that stand the test of time as the top HU players the game has ever seen.

5. Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates

One of the most enigmatic and accomplished players in the game, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates holds a well-earned reputation as one of the best all-around poker players in the world.

Jungleman won back-to-back titles in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship at the World Series of Poker in 2021 and 2022. While the game mix in that tournament doesn’t include heads-up No-Limit Hold’em, Cates has certainly proven himself as one of the toughest HUNL players over the course of his 15-year career.

Cates is one of the only players willing to step up to the heads-up challenge issued by Doug Polk in 2022. Cates and Polk renewed their rivalry in a highly entertaining match at the Lodge Card Club in June 2022, with Polk getting a $53,000 win after a six-hour battle at $200/$400 stakes.

While the latest chapter between Cates and Polk had a lighthearted feel (and played very much as an old-school “Texas Hold’em match), the two players often battled among a shortlist of poker’s top players in the online poker games of the 2010s.

Cates took on Tom Dwan in what turned out to be the last installment of the “Durrrr Challenge” series, which pitted Dwan against various challengers in heads-up cash games on the Full Tilt poker site.

The matches were meant to go 50,000 hands at $200/$400 stakes. After playing through about 20,000 hands, Cates held a more than $1.2 million lead over Dwan.

While rumors persisted for years over the potential completion of the matchup (and the status of Dwan’s penalty payments to Cates for not playing out the challenge), the Cates-Dwan match remains unfinished.

Nonetheless, Cates’ reputation as one of the best players in the game persists, and he certainly has plenty of heads-up No-Limit Hold’em experience to back that up.

4. Ben ‘Sauce123’ Sulsky

Much like the other players on this list, Ben Sulsky is a threat at many different variants of poker. Sulsky owns deep tournament runs in NLH, PLO, and of course heads-up NLH formats.

Sulsky was at the top of the HUNL economy in the early-to-mid 2010s, earning a reputation as one of the top heads-up players in the world.

When Doug Polk rose through the heads-up ranks in 2013, Sulsky was one of the only players willing to step up to the challenge of taking on Polk. Polk and Sulsky engaged in one of the most legendary heads-up matches in poker history.

Sulsky played HUNL matches at nosebleed stakes against Viktor ‘Isildur1’, Phil Galfond, Alex ‘Kanu7’ Millar, and Isaac Haxton, among others. Some of those matches played out at $500/$1000 stakes, and included both NLH and Pot-Limit Omaha.

‘Sauce’ is still active in the online poker streets, most recently as an Elite Pro on Galfond’s now-defunct Run It Once poker site.

3. Henri ‘buttonclickr’ Puustinen

The online legend known as “buttonclickr’ told PokerNews that he doesn’t consider himself to be the world’s top heads-up No-Limit Hold’em player, ceding that honor to Linus ‘LLinusLLove’ Loeliger (who you’ll also find on our list).

The player behind that screen name, Henri Puustinen, does put himself in the top three, however. The Finnish poker prodigy is still just in his 20s, but is already considered by his peers as one of the top overall players in the game.

While HUNL is Puustinen’s specialty, he also regularly plays high-stakes six-max NLH games and pot-limit Omaha games online. ‘Buttonclickr” also recently began appearing in televised live poker high roller cash games in the U.S.

Puustinen played a role in Doug Polk’s victory over Daniel Negreanu in the highly-publicized High Stakes Feud HUNL match between the two poker legends. Puustinen was one of the HUNL coaches employed by Polk during the challenge, which in itself is one of the biggest indicators of just how good ‘buttonclickr’ is at heads-up hold’em.

In addition to an unknown but likely very large sum of money won in the online poker streets, Puustinen also finished third in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Championship at the 2021 WSOP.

2. Linus ‘LLinusLLove’ Loeliger

Perhaps the top all-around poker player in the game, Linus ‘LLinusLLove’ Loeliger crushes the toughest online poker games in world. Playing at the highest stakes and against the most respected players in the poker community, ‘LLinusLLove’ is always among the most feared players at any poker table in which he sits.

Carrying on a tradition established by Tom Dwan in the poker boom era on Full Tilt Poker, Loeliger often takes on the challenge of high stakes heads-up matches against the top players in the game. Analysis of some of his biggest pots in the HUNL streets can be found on many a YouTube channel in the poker realm.

Some of Loeliger’s heads-up opponents have included Wiktor ‘Limitless’ Malinowski, Stefan ‘Stefan11222’ Burakov, ‘Berri Sweet’, and Timofey ‘Trueteller’ Kuznetsov. Another of Loeliger’s frequent opponents, Henri ‘buttonclickr’ Puustinen, considers Loeliger as the world’s top heads-up player.

You can check out Upswing Poker’s analysis of a heads-up hand between Loeliger and ‘Berri Sweet’ here.

While it’s impossible to track just how much the Swiss poker pro has won at HUNL, Loeliger routinely finds himself in six and seven-figure pots online.

The #1 player on our list might not be able to beat Linus head to head in 2023 (though they’ve never played), but his incredible list of accomplishments earned him the top spot.

1. Doug Polk

Upswing Poker founder Doug Polk undoubtedly sits among the world’s best No-Limit Hold’em players in almost any format. Polk built his legend, however, in the heads-up streets.

Polk began his poker journey in the online micro stakes in 2009 (under the PokerStars screen name ‘WCGRider’), and in the early 2010s began to focus on heads-up NLHE play. By 2013, Polk was widely considered to be the best heads-up poker player in the world, to the point where no one even wanted to play him at HUNL.

One of the biggest heads-up matchups in poker history played out in 2013, with Polk taking on Ben ‘Sauce123’ Sulsky in heads-up NLH at $100/$200 stakes. Sulsky was one of the most feared heads-up players in the world at that time, and was one of the few willing to take on Polk at the high-stakes HU tables.

Polk took $750,000 off Sulsky over 15,000 hands, and won an additional $100,000 side bet.

Never one to shy away from a heads-up challenge, Polk’s resume includes high-stakes heads-up matches against Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Victor ‘Isildur1” Blom, Alex ‘Kanu” Millar, and poker legend Daniel Negreanu.

The matchup against Negreanu played out in late 2020 and early 2021, and the match dominated poker news headlines throughout that period. Polk and Negreanu engaged in 25,000 hands of heads-up play at $200/$400 stakes, and Polk came away with more than $1.2 million in winnings against his longtime foe Negreanu.

While Polk briefly retired from poker in 2018, the match against Negreanu seemed to reignite his interest in the game. Polk issued an open heads-up challenge to the world in 2023, and anyone willing to take him on at $200/$400 stakes can step up to the plate:

https://twitter.com/DougPolkVids/status/1639362683156987905?s=20

Some of Polk’s challengers at the Lodge so far have included billionaire Cates, Bill Perkins, and poker pros Scott Ball and Kevin Rabichow.

Polk’s poker resume includes millions of dollars in winnings across multiple formats, including multi-table tournaments, online poker cash games, and live cash games.

A three-time WSOP bracelet winner at the time of this writing, Polk almost claimed a fourth WSOP championship in 2023. Polk came in second in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Championship, and at this point a HUNL bracelet might be the only major accomplishment that still eludes the poker superstar.

Check out this analysis of five high-stakes HUNL hands from Upswing Poker coach Dan ‘DougieDan’ McAualay:

5 Heads-Up Poker Hands Analyzed By A Pro

The post The 5 Best Heads-Up Poker Players of All Time appeared first on Upswing Poker.

The “poker boom” era of the 2000s made mainstream celebrities out of some of poker’s most prolific personalities.

Some of those names are still prominent in the game today, while others aren’t active in the modern era of poker. Other big-name poker players rose to fame in more recent years.

None of these players, however, will ever be forgotten. Let’s take a look at 10 of the most famous poker players of all time, including five male and five female players:

Most Famous Poker Players (Male)

Doyle Brunson

Is Doyle Brunson the most famous poker player ever? The man known as “Texas Dolly” was already a legend of mythical proportions when poker hit the mainstream in 2003.

Doyle Brunson’s resume and reputation in the poker world is unmatched. Brunson is a 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, including two wins in the WSOP $10,000 Main Event.

The poker G.O.A.T.?

Brunson was one of the definitive poker strategy authors from the pre-poker-boom era. His Super System and Super System 2 strategy publications are still two of the most famous poker books of all time.

“Texas Dolly” officially retired from poker in 2018, making it to another WSOP final table in his final appearance. Brunson has been one of the world’s most famous poker players for most of the past half-century, and that status isn’t going away any time soon.

Daniel Negreanu

Perhaps the most famous player from the modern era, Daniel Negreanu’s rise into mainstream notoriety began in the poker-boom era of the mid-2000s. 

“Kid Poker” was ubiquitous on the classic poker television shows from that era. Negreanu was the face of PokerStars for more than a decade, serving as the company’s most high-profile ambassador from 2007-2019.

Hendon Mob, the world’s most comprehensive poker database, has a listing for “Most Popular Players”. The rankings are derived from how many times a player’s name is clicked from any list on the site.

Negreanu is number one on that list, by far. If Doyle Brunson is the all-time face of poker, Negreanu is the poster face of the modern era.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey, like Negreanu, entered mainstream consciousness with the rise of poker in pop culture. Ivey was another player seemingly invited to all of the high-stakes, televised games of the 2000s.

Unlike Negreanu, whose face and voice are inescapable for anyone who follows poker, Ivey carries a mystique that no other poker player can touch. Even though we’ve seen hundreds of hours of Ivey playing poker over the past two decades, we really want to know more about what he does when the cameras are off.

The Phil Ivey story is something straight out of a movie. It includes sneaking into card rooms when he was under 21, 10 WSOP bracelets, $20 million in online winnings on Full Tilt Poker and multi-million dollar baccarat cheating allegations. 

All of those things are just a part of the overall story arc for Phil Ivey, one of the most famous poker players ever. 

Doug Polk

Considered by many to be the top heads-up (1 on 1) poker player of all time, three-time WSOP bracelet winner Doug Polk has had a very unique rise to poker fame.

While most on this list were essentially the most famous players during the poker boom era — which exponentially increased their notoriety — Doug Polk leveraged the power of the internet to become a well-known player.

He started as a low stakes 9-handed player online, but eventually moved on to heads-up. It’s at those heads-up tables where he rose to the top of the online poker food chain until eventually no one would play him.

Then Doug turned his sights to the content game. He started his now famous YouTube channel DougPolkPoker where he posted videos reviewing hands and recapping events in the poker world.

It was in 2017 that Doug locked up his biggest tournament score ever, winning the World Series of Poker $111,111 buy-in One Drop tournament for $3.7 million. His vlogs from this event, which came out as it was happening, have amassed around 1 million view on YouTube.

In 2020, Doug Polk challenged his longtime rival and fellow famous poker player Daniel Negreanu to a 25,000 hand heads-up match. Surprisingly, Negreanu accepted the challenge despite heads-up being Doug’s game.

The pair of pros battled it out over the course of several months with all hands streamed live on Doug’s YouTube channel. In the end, Doug netted $1.2 million from his battle against Kid Poker.

In 2022, Doug announced that he had partnered with poker vloggers Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen to purchase a stake in The Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas. Doug’s focus since then has been growing and improving that room, which is considered one of the best places to play poker in the USA.

Phil Hellmuth

We can’t have Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey on this list without including Phil Hellmuth. The “Poker Brat” has the most all-time wins at the WSOP in history, with 15 bracelets to his name as of 2020.

While many of the stars of the poker boom aren’t really a part of the modern-day poker scene, Hellmuth’s star has persisted. His win in the 1989 WSOP Main Event as a 24-year-old was just the start of a lifetime in the poker limelight for Hellmuth.

Bracelet No. 15 for Hellmuth

Like Negreanu and Ivey, Hellmuth was one of the players that seemed to be on every poker television show in the 2000s. Fast forward to 2020 and Hellmuth is still a major presence in the game, with the Poker Brat persona perfected and now timeless in the annals of poker history.

Hellmuth has plenty of detractors, but he can still get it done in live tournaments. Hellmuth added to his record bracelet total with win No. 15 at the 2018 WSOP.

Most Famous Female Poker Players

Jennifer Harman

Another star from the rise of poker in the mainstream, Jennifer Harman rose to prominence in the poker-boom era. As one of the pros from Full Tilt Poker, Harman was one of the most recognizable poker personalities of the 2000s.

Harman doesn’t make too many appearances on modern poker television shows, but she was a mainstay on programs like Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, and WSOP episodes from poker’s golden era.

Harman is still remembered as one of the major players from the 2000s, and is still one of the most well-known female players in the game.

Vanessa Rousso 

Vanessa Rousso’s emergence into the poker mainstream coincided with the peak of the poker boom. A seventh-place finish and a $263,625 payday at the 2006 WPT Five-Star World Poker Classic ignited Rousso’s rise in the game, after which she became one of poker’s instantly recognizable players.

Rousso landed sponsorships for GoDaddy and PokerStars in 2006, as well as another big tournament score. Her win at the 2006 WPT Borgata Poker Open was another milestone on the way to more than $3.5 million in career tournament earnings for Rousso.

Let’s take a look at a memorable moment from Rousso’s career, pitting her in a verbal battle with Tony G:

Maria Ho

Maria Ho is one of the most prominent female personalities in poker’s current era. Her roles as a host on PokerGO coverage of the Super High Roller Bowl, PokerMasters and other high-profile tournament series put Ho in the spotlight frequently on modern-era poker programs.

Ho also boasts an impressive resume at the poker table. Her career earnings total of more than 4 million includes numerous six-figure cashes.

Her biggest tournament score came at the 2011 WSOP, where Ho earned $540,020 for a second-place finish in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event.

Liv Boeree

Like Maria Ho, Liv Boeree owns an extensive resume of work in front of the camera, as well as at the poker table. 

Boeree’s poker career took a massive upturn after her first major victory. That score came at the 2010 European Poker Tour Sanremo, in which Boeree cashed in for €1,250,000 in a first-place finsh.

For the past decade, Boeree has consistently held status as one of poker’s most famous female players, including a long stretch as a PokerStars Team Pro.

Here’s a look at Boeree clinching the win at the 2010 EPT Sanremo, still the biggest cash of her career:

Vanessa Selbst

Vanessa Selbst is the winningest female tournament poker player of all time, by a longshot.

A career of big scores for Selbst began in 2006, the beginning steps of a resume that includes nearly $12 million in career earnings as of 2020.

Selbst sustained that success throughout the better part of the next 15 years, adding a trio of seven-figure paydays in the 2010s. Her biggest career cash came at the 2010 Partouche Poker Tour Cannes Main Event, netting a €1,3000,000 payday for Selbst.

Selbst announced her retirement from poker in 2018, but she still makes the occasional tournament appearance. Retired or not, Selbst is one of the most famous poker players from the modern era, with an enviable list of accomplishments in the game.

Other players throughout poker history are certainly worthy of making this list, but these 10 players have cemented their status as some of the most famous poker players of all time.

Check out the article below for more on poker’s top players:

The 10 Best Poker Players of All Time (Earnings-Wise)

The post 10 Most Famous Poker Players Ever (Male & Female) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Slim’s legacy in the game encompasses far more than his accomplishments at the poker table. A legendary figure in poker for decades, Slim’s reputation among his peers and the general public took major hit in 2003, when he was indicted on charges of indecency with his 12-year-old grandchild.

Let’s take a look at the life and times of Amarillo Slim:

Brining Texas Hold’em To Vegas

Chris Moneymaker’s win in the 2003 WSOP Main Event vaulted poker into an unprecedented profile in the mainstream. Amarillo Slim was already one of poker’s most recognizable figures by then.

Amarillo Slim was born as Thomas Austin Preston Jr. in  Johnson, Arkansas in 1928. His parents moved to Texas when he was an infant, and Slim eventually moved to Amarillo, TX with his father.

He eventually took on the name of his of residence as a moniker. Amarillo Slim embarked on a life of gambling, hustling in Texas pool halls, and poker playing that would eventually make him one of the most well-known figures in the poker world.

The name “Amarillo Slim” was derived as a polar opposite to pool legend Minnesota Fats, one of Slim’s chief rivals.

Slim stands as one of a group of players credited with bringing Texas Hold’em to Las Vegas in the 1960, along with fellow poker legends like Doyle Brunson and Crandell Addington. That trio of players, and others, brought the game to Vegas from of the backrooms of Texas.

No-Limit Texas Hold’em eventually became the most-played poker game in the world. Poker rose in popularity in Las Vegas in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the first annual World Series of Poker took place in 1970.

Slim won the $10,000 WSOP Main Event in 1972, albeit in hindsight the win came in controversial fashion. Only eight players entered, with Slim, Brunson, and Puggy Pearson emerging as the final three players.

Neither Brunson nor Pearson wanted to win the title for various reasons, so the three poker legends (along with tournament organizer Benny Binion) orchestrated a plan that would allow Slim to win the championship, while looking like a legit poker game to the public (as legend has it, at least).

By 1979, Slim was promoting his own poker series, which eventually came to be called the Super Bowl of Poker. The Super Bowl of Poker ran annually from 1979 through 1991, and for most of that time rivaled the WSOP in terms of prestige.

Building a Legend

The WSOP, along with the Super Bowl of Poker, grew in popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Amarillo Slim stood as one of the centerpieces of that era in poker.

Slim’s three biggest recorded tournament cashes happened in Pot-Limit Omaha events at the WSOP. 

He took down the $5,000 PLO event at the 1985 series for $85,000, and won the 1990 edition of that same event for $142,000. In 2000, Slim cashed for $97,500 in the $2,500 PLO event, finishing second to Phil Ivey.

While it’s impossible to calculate how much money Amarillo Slim won at poker over the course of his life, his recorded tournament earnings finished at $560,001 according to the Hendon Mob database.

Slim’s legend includes much more than his tournament poker exploits. He once challenged tennis champion Bobby Riggs to a pingpong match, allowing Riggs to choose between coke bottles or frying pans as the paddles. Slim had been practicing table tennis with both for months, and defeated Riggs.

Other parts of Slim’s legend include:

• Winning $300,000 from Willie Nelson in a dominoes game
• Winning $2 million off Hustler founder Larry Flynt at poker
• Being kidnapped by Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar while in Colombia for the grand opening of a casino
• Appearing in the 1974 movie California Split, which starred Robert Altman
• Playing poker with U.S. presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon 
• Appearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

Slim was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992. By the time Moneymaker’s win in the 2003 WSOP Main Event vaulted poker into worldwide popularity, Slim was poised for a profitable run as one of the game’s most famous figures.

Amarillo Slim won four WSOP bracelets over his career, including a win in the 1972 Main Event. (Photo courtesy Hendon Mob)

The Downfall of Amarillo Slim

Slim entered 2003 as one of the most well-known poker players in the world. That year would prove to unfold as a time of unprecedented growth for the game.

Moneymaker’s win in the 2003 WSOP $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship preceded an explosion in the popularity of poker around the globe. Slim’s peers, such as Brunson, profited from this growth by way of marketing deals, ownership in online poker sites, and presence on ESPN and other poker television shows.

Slim stood to become one of the poker pros that would massively profit from the mid-2000s poker boom. 

As 2003 began, author Greg Dinkin was working on a publication called Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People: The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever Lived. The autobiography was slated to become a feature film, with Nicolas Cage playing the starring role as Slim.

Slim also started working on a poker strategy book, titled Amarillo Slim’s Play Poker to Win. By the time booth books came out in 2005, however, Slim’s life had changed drastically. 

In March 2003, Amarillo Slim was accused of indecency with his 12-year-old grandchild. The alleged incident took place at Slim’s Texas ranch.

In August 2003, Slim was indicted on the charges. Preston took a plea bargain in February 2004, by pleading no contest to reduced the charges of misdemeanor assault.

The incident significantly changed the public perception of Slim. The proposed movie starring Cage was dropped, and many of Slim’s peers in the surging poker world shunned him.

While Brunson, Ivey, and other stars of the game profited from the poker boom, Slim became a pariah.

In a 2009 interview with poker journalist Nolan Dalla, Slim denied the indecency charges. His public reputation, however, never recovered.

Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston Jr. passed away from colon cancer in 2012, at the age of 83. 

The post The Poker Legend of Amarillo Slim appeared first on Upswing Poker.

…but he just went up against the impenetrable fortress that is elite poker pro Jason Koon.

This article will retell the story of that match by recapping (and briefly analyzing) the 9 most notable hands.

But first, let’s set the stage.

Note: All images in this article are screenshots from PokerGO’s coverage of this match. You can watch the full match (and other poker content) by becoming a PokerGO subscriber.

Featured photo credit (edited from original): Drew Amato

Background

PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel is a series of ongoing heads-up matches in which the buy-ins escalate (starting at $50,000 and doubling after each match).

Hellmuth was 9-1 on High Stakes Duel going into his match earlier this week. He had beaten a number of strong (and arguably not-so-strong) opponents including Scott Seiver, Antonio Esfandiari, and Daniel Negreanu.

Across the 10 matches, Hellmuth had netted $1,250,000 in profit. But he had to risk nearly two-thirds of that in this $800,000 buy-in match against his most formidable opponent yet — Jason Koon.

Koon is one of the most feared poker players in the world. He’s cashed for nearly $42 million in live poker tournaments (7th most all-time) and has also put up big numbers online. He’s a well-rounded beast who you do not want to see at your table.

With that out of the way, let’s get into how this match went down.

Hand #1: Hellmuth Mistimes Big Preflop Bluff

The first 45 minutes of play were uneventful, with both players trading small pots and their stack sizes hovering close to the 800,000 chips with which they started.

Then, this hand happened.

Preflop action: With the blinds at 1,500/3,000, Hellmuth limps on the button with Q 6. Koon looks down at A A and raises to 10,500.

Nothing super unusual yet. Hellmuth’s limp with Q6o is reasonable and Koon has a must-raise with Pocket Aces. But then the hand starts to fly off the rails.

Preflop action (continued): Hellmuth responds with a 3-bet to 32,000. Koon 4-bets to 120,000. Hellmuth 5-bets to 260,000. Koon raises all-in. Hellmuth folds.

And just like that, Hellmuth loses a big chunk (31%) of his stack with a mistimed move. He’s still got nearly 200 big blinds, however, so he’s still very much in this match.

This did prompt Hellmuth to break out his signature “stand up in frustration” move for the first time in the match.

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Hand #2: Hellmuth Strikes Back

The blinds are still 1,500/3,000 and Hellmuth’s got around 550k to start this hand.

Preflop action: Koon raises to 7,000 with 9 7. Hellmuth 3-bets to 30,000 with A 4. Koon calls.

Koon makes a standard raise with his suited one-gapper.

Hellmuth 3-bet with A4o is unusual. Weak offsuit Aces perform much better as calls in this spot. By 3-betting, he’s bloating the pot out of position with a hand that doesn’t have much playability and will often be dominated. If his hand was suited or if he had a low/connected offsuit hand (like 54o), 3-betting would be more appropriate.

Koon is being laid fairly good odds (3-to-2) to call the 3-bet. Plus he has the advantage of position, a hand with great playability, and deep stacks behind. Fairly trivial call for him with the 97s.

Flop action: The flop is K 8 6. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 30,000. Hellmuth quickly calls.

Hellmuth has a hand that could go either way (bet or check) on the flop. He opts to check and Koon takes a half-pot-sized stab at the pot with his open-ended straight draw. With the Ace of hearts in his hand, you can’t fault Hellmuth for peeling a card.

Turn action: The turn is the (K 8 6) K. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 75,000. Hellmuth calls.

Hellmuth checks to the aggressor and Koon continues to represent a strong hand (trip Kings or better) with a medium bet. With the nut flush draw, Hellmuth wisely isn’t going anywhere.

River action: The river is the (K 8 6 K) T. Both players check.

Hellmuth could lead out now that he’s rivered the nut flush, but checking is a fine play as well because it allows Koon to continue bluffing with hands like 75s. Koon will also likely bet for value with some worse hands, such as a Queen-high flush.

With a rivered straight on a four-flush board, Koon has an easy check back. It’s unlikely he would have paid off a lead from Hellmuth anyway.

And with that, Hellmuth pulled himself back to nearly even.

Hand #3: Koon Is Locked In

The blinds are 2,000/4,000 and the players are nearly even (Koon has 856k, Hellmuth as 744k).

Preflop action: Hellmuth limps on the button with 8 2. Koon checks J 9.

Hellmuth’s limp with 82o is too loose. If there was an ante in play (which would improve his pot odds) or if he was up against a weak opponent (which would allow him to realize more equity), an argument could be made to limp with hands as weak as this. But there is no ante and Koon is a world-class player who will not make it easy for Hellmuth to win pots after the flop. He’d be better off ditching this one and moving onto the next hand.

Koon’s J9o is not strong enough to raise for value and not weak enough to raise as a bluff, so he wisely checks.

Flop action: The flop is A Q T. Koon checks. Hellmuth bets 4,500. Koon calls.

Hellmuth decides to take a stab at this pot, which seems a little ambitious since he’s going to have very little equity when called. Koon makes an easy call with his straight draw.

Turn action: The turn is the (A Q T) J. The action goes check, check.

River action: The river is the 9. Koon bets 4,000. Hellmuth raises to 9,500. Koon re-raises to 30,000. Hellmuth folds.

Koon opts to block bet for value with his two pair, hoping to get called by a hand like an Ace. Hellmuth decides to raise small for value with the low end of the straight, but Koon reads him well and comes back over the top, which elicits a quick fold from Hellmuth.

This wasn’t a big pot — Koon netted just 18,000 chips in this one — but it shows just how dialed-in he was in this match.

Hand #4: Koon Snap-Calls With Ace-High On River

After a few small and medium-sized pots, this ego-bruising hand went down with the blinds still at 2,000/4,000.

Preflop action: Koon raises to 10,000 with A Q. Hellmuth 3-bets to 26,000 with Q J. Koon calls.

One interesting note here is that Hellmuth 3-bet quite small with this hand, whereas he had 3-bet to 32,000 just a few hands prior with 7 4. It’s possible he has a sizing tell, going smaller with medium-strength hands. Whether that’s true or not, I’m certain Koon noticed this change in 3-bet size.

Flop action: The flop is 9 9 2. Hellmuth bets 32,000. Koon calls.

Hellmuth should be c-betting with a very wide range on this flop, but a smaller size would be optimal. While Hellmuth does have the stronger overall range, here, Koon is the player who is more likely to have flopped trips. When you have the stronger overall range but your opponent has more super-strong hands, betting small is the way to go.

Koon can’t go anywhere just yet with Ace-Queen high on a flop like this. Let’s take a turn.

Turn action: The turn is the (9 9 2) 3. Both players check.

Hellmuth has a decent hand with which to continue bluffing, but he opts to slow down. Koon has showdown value and no good reason to bet, so he checks back.

River action: The river is the (9 9 2 3) T. Hellmuth bets 52,000. Jason calls instantly.

Hellmuth decides to represent an overpair that slow-played the turn or a rivered top pair, but his size is too small to truly test Koon. If he had a hand like QQ or AT, he’s almost certain to have the best hand and can go for a big value bet around the size of the pot.

Against this less than half pot size, Koon is getting an amazing price (better than 3-to-1) against a range that contains many potential bluffing hands. Remember, Hellmuth had 3-bet with 7 4 just a few hands earlier, so it’s not hard to imagine him having a junky hand that takes a stab at the pot on the river.

Hellmuth’s face after this hand, which put Koon well above 1 million chips, says it all.

“Alright, now we’re playing the game. Finally! This is what I need! I need him to call me with Ace-high. Oh my God. Great call. Okay, I let him run me over, and he still called me down with Ace-high. Okay, I don’t see any path but up here now. Let’s go Philly!” -Hellmuth moments after the hand

Hand #5: Let’s Play Another 3-Bet Pot

Hellmuth is down, but far from out. His 532,000 chip stack is still over 100 big blinds going into this hand.

Preflop action: Koon raises to 12,000 with J T. Hellmuth 3-bets to 36,000 with 7 4. Koon calls.

It’s okay to 3-bet some junky hands preflop in heads-up poker, but it’s preferable for them to be a bit more connected so you have some extra postflop playability when called. For example, 65o is a good 3-bet bluffing hand. 74o, not so much. In any case, Hellmuth 3-bets 74o for the second time in a 10 minute span.

Koon’s call with JTo would be somewhat borderline in theory, but against an opponent using a small 3-bet size with a range that includes a lot of junk, it crosses the threshold into “easy call” territory.

Flop action: The flop comes J 8 6. Hellmuth checks. Koon checks back.

Hellmuth decides to not bluff on the flop despite picking up a straight draw, which seems fine considering how well this flop connects with Koon’s range. Koon’s hand could go either way, but he opts to check to keep the pot small and allow Hellmuth to bluff turns and rivers.

Turn action: The turn is the (J 8 6) T. Hellmuth bets 62,000. Koon calls.

Hellmuth picks up a double gutshot straight draw and goes for a very big bet, 62,000 into a 72,000 chip pot. The size might be bigger-than-ideal, but he has a great hand with which to bet.

Koon is clearly not going anywhere with top two pair. He could raise to get value and deny equity, but he opts to string Hellmuth along with a call.

River action: The river is the (J 8 6 T) 7. Hellmuth checks. Koon checks.

It’s hard to say what Hellmuth should do on this river because, frankly, he should never reach this point with 74o. His measly pair of sevens is likely never good, so he has to bet to win the pot. It’s tough to imagine him having many worse hands, which makes me lean towards bluffing.

Hellmuth ends up waiving the white flag. As Koon is stacking his new chips, Hellmuth rips into Koon for playing too loose preflop.

Hellmuth to himself: “C’mon Phil you got him calling 40,000 with Jack-Ten offsuit. Just fucking finish this. It’s not hard. You already see what’s gonna happen. You already see the writing on the wall, he’s gonna give it to you.”

This hand vaulted Koon to around 1.2 million chips, good for a 3-to-1 lead.

Hand #6: Hellmuth Snap Calls River

The blinds are 2,500/5,000 going into this one.

Preflop action: Koon raises to 12,000 with 6 5. Hellmuth calls with A 8.

Standard stuff.

Flop action: The flop is 7 5 4. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 16,000. Hellmuth calls.

Hellmuth checks to the aggressor and Koon makes a good bet with his middle pair plus open-ender. Hellmuth has an easy call with Ace-high, two overcards, and a gutshot.

Turn action: The turn is the (7 5 4) J. Both players check.

Koon still has a strong hand, but it’s not quite strong enough to continue betting for value. He’s going to try to steer this to showdown unless he improves on the river.

River action: The river is the (7 5 4 J) 8. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 56,000. Hellmuth quickly calls.

Unfortunate river for Hellmuth. He could bet for value with his rivered second pair, which will often be the best hand. But checking to induce bluffs from Koon is a good play as well.

Koon goes for a big bet (pot-sized) which makes sense since he is representing a very strong range of value bets (two pair or better, mostly straights).

Even versus the big bet, Hellmuth has to call with a hand this strong against a player who is more than capable of bluffing.

After this hand, Hellmuth’s stack is down to about tree fiddy (350,000).

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Hand #7: Ambitious Bluff

Hellmuth seems to feel like he’s on the ropes going into this hand, but he’s still got some room to maneuver with a 35 big blind stack.

Preflop action: Koon raises to 12,000 (blinds 3,000/6,000) with A 5. Hellmuth calls with 9 8.

Standard play by both.

Flop action: The flop is Q 5 5. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 6,000. Hellmuth calls.

Koon has a big range advantage on this tough-to-connect-with flop, and he wisely leverages that advantage with a small bet. He has trips in this instance, but Koon would make a similar bet with most, if not all hands in his range.

Hellmuth’s call with 9-high is very loose. He clearly has devious plans for future streets.

Turn action: The turn is the (Q 5 5) 6. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 25,000. Hellmuth raises to 60,000. Koon calls.

The turn brings a possible flush, but Koon’s hand is still worth betting to extract value from draws and worse made hands.

Hellmuth’s raise with his turned gutshot is ambitious. His hand simply doesn’t have enough going on to make this play profitable. If he had a single club, this would be reasonable.

Koon can’t go anywhere when he’s holding trips with the nut kicker.

River action: The river is the (Q 5 5 6) 3. Hellmuth checks. Koon bets 40,000. Hellmuth folds.

Hellmuth decides to wave the white flag and Koon makes a super sharp play by betting small. Hellmuth had less than a pot-sized bet behind, here, but Koon correctly recognized that Hellmuth’s range is mega weak (probably a weak pair at best) after he plays the hand this way. Against such a weak range, a small bet is best to put Hellmuth’s weak range in a tough spot.

Hand #8: Hellmuth Hero Calls King-High

Hellmuth’s stack is 190,000 going into this hand with the blinds at 3,000/6,000.

Preflop action: Hellmuth limps with K 2. Koon raises to 24,000 with 6 4. Hellmuth calls.

Well played by both players preflop. Hellmuth has the perfect hand to limp and call a raise. Koon has a great hand to raise over a limp (you can think of it as a sort of preflop semi-bluff).

Flop action: The flop is J J J. Koon bets 30,000. Hellmuth calls.

Koon continues representing a strong hand with a relatively big bet (as far as flop bets go). Hellmuth, knowing Koon can have some low hands, makes a good call with King-high.It’s tough to have much better on a board with three jacks!

Turn action: The turn is the (J J J) Q. Both players check.

Koon slows down on the Queen, which is a good card for Hellmuth’s range. Hellmuth checks, hoping to steer this hand to showdown.

River action: The river is the (J J J Q) 4. Koon bets 36,000. Hellmuth quickly calls.

Brutal river for Hellmuth. Koon goes for a small bet to extract value from King-high and Ace-high hands, and Hellmuth obliges by paying him off.

After seeing the bad news, Hellmuth erupts out of his seat and gets some steps in.

He took 27 steps (I counted).

The Final Hand: Hellmuth Picks Up Big Slick

Hellmuth starts this hand with 103,000 chips (to Koon’s 1.5 million). The blinds are 3,000/6,000.

Preflop action: Koon raises to 12,000 with Q 8. Hellmuth 3-bets to 35,000 with A K. Koon puts Hellmuth all-in for 103,000 total. Hellmuth calls.

Koon’s all-in here is very non-standard. So, non-standard, in fact, that I decided to turn to Twitter to get thoughts from other people as to why he decided to stick it in with Q8o.

I think poker pro Amit Makhija’s answer makes the most sense.

Thinks Helmuth will jam most of his good hands, and will random bluff many hands for smaller sizes as we’ve seen in past matches, and has too many random hands to make up for the few small size monsters. I think he expected hands like AKo to be in jam.

— Amit Makhija (@amak316) December 8, 2022

To build on Makhija’s point, Hellmuth once made a big 3-bet in a tournament with Q4o and called off versus a shove, so perhaps that hand (and ones like it) were sticking in Koon’s mind when he made this shove.

Anyway, let’s run out the board.

Board runout: Q T 4 T 3

Koon drags in the last of Hellmuth’s chips and wins the match.

What Do You Think About Hellmuth’s Play in This Match? What About Koon’s?

Let me know in the comments below.

I watched a lot of the hands from Hellmuth’s past High Stakes Duels, and he always seemed to bob and weave at the right times. This was the first time he seemed, dare I say, outclassed by his opponent.

Koon did run very well in this match, but as the hands above show, he got the best of Hellmuth in a number of spots that had little to do with luck. I’d be surprised to see Hellmuth opt to rematch Koon, who is now waiting for a challenger in the next match (which will boast a massive $1.6 million buy-in).

Note: You want to get better at poker, right? Get 2 free poker strategy articles sent to you every week. Learn how to win more money and improve your skills with Upswing Poker. Click here to sign up in seconds!

The post How Phil Hellmuth Lost His $1.6 Million Match Against A Top Pro (Analysis) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Taught by elite poker pro Nick Petrangelo, the brand new Smash Live Cash course is made to help you transform every live poker room into your personal ATM.

Most people know Nick as one of the world’s best tournament players, but he started as a cash game grinder and hasn’t stopped. He’s been a dominant force in live cash games around the world, including the TV show High Stakes Poker, and many of his private students (like Brad Owen) are primarily cash game players.

Nick has been perfecting this course and the accompanying Live Cash Preflop Mastersheet for over 2 years, and it shows. Here’s a look at what’s inside including 2 sneak peek videos at the bottom of this article.

What’s Inside Smash Live Cash?

The course comes with 25+ hours of video training content divided into 6 sections:

1. Introduction
2. Preflop (including the Live Cash Preflop Mastersheet with 4,808 charts)
3. Postflop
   1. Single Raised Pots
   2. 3-Bet Pots
   3. Multiway Pots
4. Coaching Brad Owen
5. Play & Explains
6. Going Forward

Let’s run through each section with a quick description.

Introduction

A short section that sets you up for success by introducing you to key tools and concepts that are used throughout the course. Plus, Nick walks you through his cash game background, going all the way back to his $1/$2 days.

Preflop

Maximize your edge before the flop and set yourself up for postflop success. Nick reveals key adjustments you should make to your ranges based on stack depth and opponent tendencies.

Nick also included the most comprehensive set of charts you’ve ever seen. His Live Cash Preflop Mastersheet includes a staggering 4,808 preflop charts that cover all of the common situations as well as live poker-specific situations.

Expand the sections below to see the full list.

What’s more, there’s a RAKE and a NO RAKE chart for every situation. The RAKE charts assume you’re playing in a game with significant rake, which is the case in most $1/$3 and $2/$5 games. The NO RAKE charts assume $0 is taken out of the pot (like in timed rake games).

Postflop

Become a dominant force on the flop, turn, and river. Nicky P instills in you the theory-based strategies and exploitative tactics that you need to know to maximize your hourly in live cash games.

Single raised pots. 3-bet pots. Multiway pots. You’re gonna be ready for all of them.

Coaching Brad Owen

Sit in on exclusive 1-on-1 coaching sessions between Nick and his most famous student.

The 5+ hours of videos in this section mirror the style of Brad’s poker vlogs, but with in-depth analysis from one of the world’s best players.

Brad went from a $65,000 winner (in 2021) to a $140,000+ winner (in 2022 so far) after getting coached by Nick. Now, you have your chance to learn from Nick in this course just as if he was your own personal poker coach.

Play & Explains

Watch and learn as Nick reviews hands from popular poker shows at a variety of stake levels, from $2/$5 to $200/$400.

Going Forward

Nick “teaches a [poker player] to fish” by showing you how to continuously improve your game after finishing the course.

Deep Stack Dominance (Bonus Course — Free During Launch Week Only)

When it comes to deep stack tournament play, Nick Petrangelo is arguably the best in the world. That’s what this course is all about.

Deep Stack Dominance costs $399, but you can get it for free if you get Smash Live Cash before midnight on Friday, October 21st.

Sneak Peek Videos

Here’s a super valuable 5-minute clip from the Postflop (Single Raised Pots) section about when to check-raise top pair:

Video not loading? Click here to watch it on YouTube

This clip from the Coaching Brad Owen section will give you a good idea what that much-anticipated section of the course is like:

Video not loading? Click here to watch it on YouTube

Smash Live Cash FAQ

Q: How much does the course cost?

Smash Live Cash costs $999 for lifetime access. Nick’s Deep Stack Dominance course costs $399, but you can get it as a free bonus if you sign up for Smash Live Cash during launch week (offer expires October 21st at midnight).

Q: Is the course appropriate for new players?

Players at most skill levels will benefit greatly from Smash Live Cash. Even relative beginners will learn a lot, particularly from the Live Cash Preflop Mastersheet. That said, many of the videos cover very advanced concepts and strategies.

If you’re just getting started playing poker, you’re better off going with the Upswing Lab until you understand the basics.

Q: Can I get a free trial?

We do not offer a free trial. However, you can try Smash Live Cash risk-free with our 30-day money back guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied, contact our support team and we’ll make it right.

We know if you go through just a small part of the course, regardless of your skill level, you’ll see improvements with your game.

Save your spot in the Smash Live Cash course here >>

The post Sneak Peek Inside Smash Live Cash with Nick Petrangelo (ft Brad Owen) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Nick Petrangelo finished second in Super High Roller Bowl VII, taking home $2,016,000 in the process. The latest chapter of the $300,000 buy-in tournament finished on Oct. 5, 2022, and saw Petrangelo walk away from PokerGO Studio at Aria Las Vegas with the second-biggest cash of his career.

The Super High Roller Bowl saw 24 of the world’s top players compete in one of the highest-stakes live tournaments on the poker calendar. With the runner-up finish, Petrangelo’s career tournament earnings now stand at $26,654,001.

Petrangelo finished as one of only four players to make it to the payout ladder in the Super High Roller Bowl. Other cash finishers included Daniel Negreanu (1st – $3,312,000), Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger (3rd – $1,152,000), and Justin Bonomo (4th – $720,000).

PokerGO commentator and fellow poker pro Nick Schulman said of Petrangelo:

“Every time I play with Nick, or watch him play, I’m always left with the feeling that he’s one of the best players in the world,” Schulman said. That commentary came from a clip that you can watch in the Twitter post linked below:

Coach Nick Petrangelo is chip leading the Super High Roller bowl with 5 players left and $3+ million up top!

This clip of his heroic call yesterday is from @PokerGo!

You can watch the final 5 (featuring Nick and Daniel Negreanu) play out at 1pm PT on https://t.co/1HSwYJ7ik3! pic.twitter.com/tl1h9JdN2k

— UpswingPoker (@UpswingPoker) October 7, 2022

Petrangelo’s “Smash Live Cash” Course Launches on Upswing Poker This Month

Petrangelo is the lead instructor for a pair of standalone courses on tournament play at Upswing Poker. His Winning Poker Tournaments and High Stakes MTT Sessions courses are designed as extensive courses for serious tournament players.

Petrangelo’s poker experience also includes thousands of hours at the live cash game tables. He began his poker career playing $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em cash games, and over the course of the past year has put in more hours than ever at the high-stakes cash tables.

Upswing Poker will release Petrangelo’s live poker cash game course later this month. Titled Smash Live Cash, the course features Petrangelo’s live coaching sessions with poker vlogger Brad Owen.

Viewers of Owen’s vlog have watched as Brad climbed to the highest cash game stakes of his poker career over the past 12 months, Owen attributes much of that success to coaching from Petrangelo.

Smash Live Cash allows students to look in on Owen’s sessions with Coach Petrangelo. The course also includes thousands of preflop charts, covering just about every scenario and player profile you might encounter in live cash games.

The standalone course features 25+ hours of high-level content from Petrangelo, and debuts later this month.

Save your spot in the Smash Live Cash course here >>

The post Nick Petrangelo Wins $2,016,000 in Super High Roller Bowl appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Then a teenager on a hiking trip, Tim Jenkins didn’t fare well in his first poker game. The match sparked a new interest in poker for the New Zealand native, however.

When Jenkins returned home from that trip, he started playing micro stakes poker online. After losing a pair of $20 deposits, Jenkins put $30 more in his account and began to take the game more seriously.

“After this point I never looked back,” Jenkins says.

Tim Jenkins’ Road to Poker Success

Jenkins began to run the $30 into a legitimate bankroll, beginning with heads-up sit & gos online. He transitioned to 10NL Zoom cash games from there.

After initially struggling with the 10NL Zoom games, Jenkins joined Upswing Poker as a student and began to study the game more thoroughly.

“I joined Upswing in 2016,” Jenkins says. “Kept climbing through stakes until I found my place battling in 500 Fast Forward rake races on partypoker. Played about one million hands (a lot was untracked) in the last years of uni, generating a small win rate to go with huge rakeback from the leaderboard (often >100%).”

Jenkins graduated from university with a degree in physics and computer science. He chose a career path as a professional poker player, however, and crushes some of the toughest online games in the world in 2022.

Here’s a look at Jenkins’ online stats from the past 12 months:

“Growing up I was always very competitive and loved my sport but was never good enough to play at a very high level,” Jenkins says. “Poker became my arena for competition particularly after I left school and stopped playing sports.”

“The more I understood poker the more I admired its complexity and to this day love that aspect of the game.”

Approach to Poker and Joining Upswing as a Coach

Jenkins brings his solver-based approach to Upswing, which aims to implement a simplified strategy to some of the game’s toughest spots.

“My studies tend to focus on describing complex spots as simply as I can with a focus on understanding (not memorization),” Jenkins says.

“I try to explain why different parts of strategies are important (in a solver) and look to build frameworks for different spots which describe how ranges should be constructed in certain situations.”

“This is a fairly unique approach to the game which allows me to describe spots simply,” Jenkins says. “Coaching for Upswing is a new and exciting challenge and I hope to explain the complexities of poker in a way that adds value to players of all levels.”

Jenkins produced six-figure winning in tracked online cash games over the previous year. The now 24-year-old crusher contends that results like his are still very much possible in the modern era of poker.

“Poker in 2022 is still amazing,” Jenkins says. “I never got to experience the true glory days of online poker but you see countless mistakes every day even playing in very competitive games.”

“Personally, I have had my best results to date this year and think that the rate at which the games are moving is often exaggerated.”

Learn from Tim in the Upswing Lab!

The post Tim Jenkins Joins the Upswing Poker Coaching Team appeared first on Upswing Poker.