Note: This poker course was discontinued by Upswing Poker in late 2018 in anticipation of their new poker tournament course. You can find my complete review of Upswing Poker's brand new tournament poker course right here.
So when I heard that Upswing Poker had launched it's own poker tournament course with Doug Polk and Pratyush Buddiga I knew I had to check it out.
Buddiga is a well known tournament pro with a vast knowledge of this format and Polk is a 3-time WSOP bracelet winner with millions of dollars in winnings both online and live.
So I have recently spent the last few weeks studying all the material in their Tournament Master Class. And in this article I will be giving you my complete Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class review.
You will get a complete walkthrough of what you are going to learn in each section of the course including an insider's look at the dozens of videos included.
Before I get started though I need to warn you that this is a high level poker tournament course taught by world class professionals. The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class is therefore not for poker hobbyists.
This poker course is for serious poker tournament players only. With all that said, let's dive in!
1. Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class Preflop Section Review
Anyone who has ever played poker tournaments before at any level knows just how important the preflop stage of the hand is.
Since the stacks in a tournament are often considerably less than in a cash game, your decisions on this street are much more important.
That is why I was happy to see that the Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class begins with a comprehensive breakdown of poker tournament preflop strategy.
In the very first video in fact Pratyush provides a complete analysis of what hands to RFI (raise first in) with from every single position at the the poker table.
And what I liked even more is that below the video there are links to download all of the ranges that he talks about.
Therefore, you can study them again in your spare time and make sure that you are implementing these ranges correctly every time you play.
The preflop section of Tournament Master Class continues on with many more videos analyzing every situation possible before the flop.
This includes:
- How to adjust RFI for various stack sizes and player types
- When to flat call 3Bets (complete ranges from every position)
- How to react versus a 3Bet
- How to re-steal from the big blind
- When to put in the 4Bet
- Adjustments versus short stacks
And much more.
This section is one of the most comprehensive preflop strategy analyses that I have ever seen. I think it covers what to do in nearly every situation imaginable.
I particularly liked the fact that you can just download the hand range suggestions that Pratyush and Doug suggest.
This is especially helpful for newer poker players who want some guidance on exactly what hands to play in each situation.
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2. Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class Flop Section Review
The postflop section is where we get into the real heart of the Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class poker course. And once again the material is comprehensive.
In fact this section of the course contains so much high level information that it is broken down into strategy specifically for the flop, turn and river.
The flop section begins with an explanation of exactly how we should approach this street in tournament poker. It is very different from a cash game.
There are then 8 more videos explaining what to do in every conceivable flop situation in a poker tournament.
I really liked how it is broken down into what to do various board textures: high boards, low boards, paired boards, monotone flops and so on.
The flop section concludes with a complete breakdown of how to approach facing a CBet, a donk bet and a check/raise.
Overall the flop section of this course provides a solid explanation of how to play like a world class pro in all situations for both new and advanced players.
This is an integral component of any good poker training course.
The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class continues on the turn with a comprehensive breakdown of how to react to every situation on 4th street in a poker tournament.
You will learn:
Once again there are close to 10 videos with a thorough discussion of what to do in each of these situations.
Dozens of example hands are also provided to explain what to do versus various player types, stack sizes and board textures.
You can also download all of the ranges provided once again which I think is particularly helpful for newer poker players.
The final strategy section of Tournament Master Class covers how MTT pro's play the river. And this is especially important since everybody knows how much this street matters in poker tournaments.
This section of the course is extremely example heavy because tournament river situations are so often specific to the specific player and situation you are in.
So there are dozens of examples of what to do in various spots when facing a river CBet, when to CBet yourself, what to do versus a stop and go river bet and so on.
Overall I felt that this section provided a solid gameplan for how to approach nearly all river situations that you will face in a poker tournament.
It takes out a lot of the guesswork so that you know exactly when to make the big call, raise or when to lay it down.
The next section of the Tournament Master Class is arguably the most important in the entire course in my opinion. And that is because it covers so many common issues that are specifically related to poker tournaments.
This is exactly the kind of thing that I have not been able to find in most other poker courses or books online even if they cover MTTs.
So for example, how to approach the bubble, what to do against stallers, ICM math, live adjustments and dealing with tournament downswings and variance.
These are all extremely important topics that only poker tournament players face.
The bubble and dealing with downswings sections in particular should really help a lot of newer poker tournament players. Because they often struggle the most in these two areas.
3. Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class Turn Section Review
The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class continues on the turn with a comprehensive breakdown of how to react to every situation on 4th street in a poker tournament.
You will learn:
- When to turn CBet
- When to make a probe bet
- When to delay CBet the turn
- How to float the turn effectively
- When to check/call the turn
- When to check/raise the turn
Once again there are close to 10 videos with a thorough discussion of what to do in each of these situations.
Dozens of example hands are also provided to explain what to do versus various player types, stack sizes and board textures.
You can also download all of the ranges provided once again which I think is particularly helpful for newer poker players.
4. Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class River Section Review
The final strategy section of Tournament Master Class covers how MTT pro's play the river. And this is especially important since everybody knows how much this street matters in poker tournaments.
This section of the course is extremely example heavy because tournament river situations are so often specific to the specific player and situation you are in.
So there are dozens of examples of what to do in various spots when facing a river CBet, when to CBet yourself, what to do versus a stop and go river bet and so on.
Overall I felt that this section provided a solid gameplan for how to approach nearly all river situations that you will face in a poker tournament.
It takes out a lot of the guesswork so that you know exactly when to make the big call, raise or when to lay it down.
5. Tournament Dynamics Review
The next section of the Tournament Master Class is arguably the most important in the entire course in my opinion. And that is because it covers so many common issues that are specifically related to poker tournaments.
This is exactly the kind of thing that I have not been able to find in most other poker courses or books online even if they cover MTTs.
So for example, how to approach the bubble, what to do against stallers, ICM math, live adjustments and dealing with tournament downswings and variance.
These are all extremely important topics that only poker tournament players face.
The bubble and dealing with downswings sections in particular should really help a lot of newer poker tournament players. Because they often struggle the most in these two areas.
See my mega article on tournament poker strategy for more on this.
The next section in this poker course is one of my personal favorites because you get to see the actual decisions that a world class tournament pro makes.
Over roughly 10 more videos Pratyush talks about important hands that he has played in 3Bet pots, bubble situations and of course, the final table.
And perhaps most interestingly of all, he goes over all of the most important hands that he played in a 2nd place finish in the Party $5000.
Being able to essentially look over the shoulder of an experienced tournament pro as he explains all of his decision making is invaluable in my opinion.
And that is why I think this is one of the most important sections of this poker course especially for beginner and novice poker players.
The final section of the Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class is kind of the cherry on top in my opinion.
It closes with a 12 part video series featuring every important poker hand that Doug Polk plays in the WCOOP high roller 10k buyin tournament.
This is the same guy who won the 2017 One Drop for $3 million USD by the way. And he has 3 WSOP bracelets to sport display his dominance as well.
In this particular poker tournament (covered in this course) he took 2nd place for $455,000.
I think for any aspiring poker tournament pros out there, it doesn't really get much better than this.
You get to watch the decision making of one of the best high stakes tournament poker players in the world with hole cards revealed.
The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class is probably the most impressive tournament poker training program that I have ever seen. There is no stone left unturned.
The specific information for tournament players on stuff like bubble play, dealing with short stacks, final table adjustments and so on was particularly helpful as well.
And lastly, the ability to look over the shoulder of two world class pros like Pratyush Buddiga and Doug Polk while they explain their decisions is worth the price of admission for this course alone in my opinion.
Now with all that said, will you suddenly start winning million dollar tournaments after studying this poker course? Probably not. That takes time, effort and a real commitment to consistently learning and improving your poker game.
However, if you are a serious poker tournament player who is struggling to produce real and consistent results right now, then I would recommend checking out this course.
Lastly, if you want to learn how to start consistently making $1000+ per month in low stakes games, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Let me know your thoughts on The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class in the comments below.
6. Play and Explains Review
The next section in this poker course is one of my personal favorites because you get to see the actual decisions that a world class tournament pro makes.
Over roughly 10 more videos Pratyush talks about important hands that he has played in 3Bet pots, bubble situations and of course, the final table.
And perhaps most interestingly of all, he goes over all of the most important hands that he played in a 2nd place finish in the Party $5000.
Being able to essentially look over the shoulder of an experienced tournament pro as he explains all of his decision making is invaluable in my opinion.
And that is why I think this is one of the most important sections of this poker course especially for beginner and novice poker players.
7. WCOOP $10,000 Runner Up Finish
The final section of the Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class is kind of the cherry on top in my opinion.
It closes with a 12 part video series featuring every important poker hand that Doug Polk plays in the WCOOP high roller 10k buyin tournament.
This is the same guy who won the 2017 One Drop for $3 million USD by the way. And he has 3 WSOP bracelets to sport display his dominance as well.
In this particular poker tournament (covered in this course) he took 2nd place for $455,000.
I think for any aspiring poker tournament pros out there, it doesn't really get much better than this.
You get to watch the decision making of one of the best high stakes tournament poker players in the world with hole cards revealed.
Final Thoughts
The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class is probably the most impressive tournament poker training program that I have ever seen. There is no stone left unturned.
The specific information for tournament players on stuff like bubble play, dealing with short stacks, final table adjustments and so on was particularly helpful as well.
And lastly, the ability to look over the shoulder of two world class pros like Pratyush Buddiga and Doug Polk while they explain their decisions is worth the price of admission for this course alone in my opinion.
Now with all that said, will you suddenly start winning million dollar tournaments after studying this poker course? Probably not. That takes time, effort and a real commitment to consistently learning and improving your poker game.
However, if you are a serious poker tournament player who is struggling to produce real and consistent results right now, then I would recommend checking out this course.
Lastly, if you want to learn how to start consistently making $1000+ per month in low stakes games, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Let me know your thoughts on The Upswing Poker Tournament Master Class in the comments below.
Very helpful review. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks glad it helped!
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