Heads up strategy?

[Rolls]

I use a very aggresive strategy when it comes to HU play (in a tourney!). Whenever i am the SB, i will raise a standard raise with just about any two cards if the blinds are low compared to my stack, and will do this more if i am the bigger of the two stacks. I will fold bad cards... you know the sort.. 72o and the like, but generally it is push push push.

When the blinds catch up though, i do play a lot more cautiously though. The thing about HU at these levels is that you pretty much know thatyour cards are going to be live and if you do get dealt an Ace you have got the odds to call any all in...

Just a question of how you play HU??

[The Professor]

How I play Heads up varies depending on a number of factors.

- My chip stack vs opponents
- Blind levels as a proportion to the chip stacks
- Type of opponent I’m up against

In general I play aggressively but with caution, this means I try and be aggressive and make my opponent make the tough decisions but if I get played back at and read strength I’m not so committed that I can’t get away from the hand with limited damage.

I see a lot of heads up play where every move seems to be all-in, which ok sometimes has to be the case in the case of a smallish stack compared to the blinds, but I see some people risking 10- 15x the blinds in a raise, where the same pressure could have been achieved with a raise of 3 - 5x the blinds and where they also have an escape route if it turns out their opponents actually has some strength.

If I’m the shorter stack I will just try and put maximum pressure on the bigger stack, and will probably take a few more risks with some weaker cards here and some over the top moves.

If I have a decent chip lead then I will play a bit more cautiously and try not to double up my opponent unnecessarily, but in the same light I will make sure that I don’t let my opponent roll me over with aggression.

If I’m playing against a tight opponent then I will be more aggressive and try and bully them, if I’m playing against a loose player (or mega-loose in terms of heads up play) then I may play a bit tighter and wait for a good opportunity to bust them.

I will tend to raise more from the big blind than I will from the small blind / dealer button as then I am out of position and would rather take the pot down before the flop, whereas on the small blind / dealer button I am in position and am happier to see a flop and just limp in at times.

The main thing to remember in Heads Up play is that hand values increase significantly – hands that are quite weak in full tables such as A-T, K-T, low pocket pairs, any Ace and even some really weak hands like mid suited connectors all become much more valuable against just one random hand in heads up play.

[Rolls]

Thanks Professor,I have been playing quite a lot of sng's on pokerstars, at the $5 level, and seem to be hitting the top three quite often, and HU is quite easy to get to from this situation. It is a long time since i have read up on HU play, so your concise explanation is really useful. My brother (who is a very handy poker player) has the opinion that you should always raise, and never call, as this does put the most pressure on your opponent. Of course he is not an all in raiser so he does have outs!

I on the other hand do try to mix it up, as I like to call on some hands that i would not ususally play, as it gets a bit old raising every time. It also breaks up the play, and it does make your oponent believe that you are playing somewhat better hands than you really are.. as they say perception is reality!!

[Olessia]

Here you are the tips from Roy Rounder, How To Beat The Short Stack In Heads-Up Poker:

"Have you ever been in a heads-up poker match and realized
just how much DIFFERENT one-on-one poker is from
multi-player poker?

Most players learn strategies for winning no limit Texas
Holdem when there are 4... 6... 8... or 12 players at the
table.

Not 2.

Yet, you can't win a game or a tournament without MASTERING
heads-up play. In fact, heads-up play is perhaps the MOST
IMPORTANT aspect of Texas Holdem... and here's why:

If you can't win at heads-up poker, you'll never come in
first place.

Period.

And I don't know about you, but I play to WIN. Not to come
in second place.

Most players-- when they make it to a heads-up match-- are
COMPLETELY CLUELESS and don't know what to do. Especially
when it comes to DEFENDING a chip lead.

Why is that?

I think there are three main reasons...

1. Most players only make it to a heads-up match once in
awhile.... so they have very little EXPERIENCE playing poker
one-on-one.

2. The strategies for starting hands, odds, tells, and
betting are so RADICALLY DIFFERENT for heads-up poker
versus-- say, at an 8-man table-- that most players don't
have the KNOWLEDGE needed.

3. Most players don't get to watch and study poker GREATS
play heads-up Holdem, because even the greats will only make
it to a heads-up match once in awhile.

With that said, let me share with you a rather EMBARRASSING
story of how I got "schooled" in a heads-up match earlier in
my poker career... and how I learned the "secrets" to
winning in heads-up poker:

I had fought my way through a 100-man tournament, and found
myself heads-up with someone named Brandon.

Brandon was (and is) a very skilled poker player who loves
to push the action... but at the time, I wasn't intimidated
by him. Because I thought I had this baby in the bag...

You see, I had been catching monster after monster in this
tournament, and I had JUST finished knocking out two players
at once with trip kings.

My chip lead was HUGE. 10 to 1 over Brandon, actually.

I was on a roll.

I had over $100,000 in chips, versus Brandon's $10,000, with
the blinds at $500/$1000.

This thing is OVER, right?

The first hand I looked at was Q-9 while I was small blind.
I limped in, and the action went to Brandon.

"All in," he said.

I folded.

I didn't want to give him the chance to double up.

The next hand was K-4 offsuit. Once again, Brandon went
all-in.

I folded again, and Brandon raked in more blinds.

The next hand I was dealt was A-4. Brandon goes all-in
AGAIN.

This time, I called.

He threw over pocket 4's. The flop, turn, and river come
out:

K-7-9-2-Q

So I didn't hit my ace, and Brandon doubled up.

By this time, he was sitting on $24,000 in chips, and I was
at $86,000.

The next few hands played out... and Brandon continued to go
all-in time after time... and I continued to fold hands like
K-7, Q-9, J-8, and so on.

I just didn't want to risk doubling him up AGAIN with such
"mediocre" hands.

But before you knew it... it didn't matter.

Because I'd let Brandon right back into the game. He had
taken about 10 straight pots from me...

I was frustrated as all hell, and went on tilt. As you
probably guessed, I blew the rest of my chip lead and lost
the match.

Honestly, I think this CHOKE should go down in the history
books right next to the Yankees versus Red Sox in the 2004
ALCS.

Just writing this newsletter makes me sick to my stomach.

Anyway, what's REALLY IMPORTANT is what I did AFTER I lost
that tournament.

I called up my buddy Don... and I told him he was going to
come over and play in me $20 heads-up games.

I think Drew could hear the frustration (and DESPERATION) in
my voice... so he came right over.

We started playing at 7 P.m. and didn't finish until well
after 5 A.M. in the morning. We completed OVER 50 GAMES THAT
NIGHT...

Now let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that night for ANY
other experience in my poker career.

It changed EVERYTHING for me.

And here's why:

Because I crammed in YEARS of heads-up experience into that
one night...

I learned how to play with a big chip lead... how to play
when I was short-stacked... how to "lean" on my opponent
with a small chip lead... and so on and so on.

And since then, I've done this same exercise with TONS of
other poker players... to keep my skills FRESH and to master
the techniques needed to win against different playing
styles.

When I was up against Brandon in that tournament, I had made
a TON of mistakes.

You see, when you have a big chip lead in heads-up action,
the first secret is YOU MUST ATTACK.

To get a perspective on this, think about how you play when
you're the SHORT STACK...

You're prepared to go all-in as soon as possible, right?

Well, you must use this to your ADVANTAGE when you're the
big stack, and PUT YOUR OPPONENT ALL-IN right away... rather
than the other way around.

When you have a big chip lead, YOU must be the one to create
"coin-toss" situations... and fast.

A coin-toss situation is when both players have virtually
equal odds... and the winning hand is determined by whatever
the flop, turn, and river cards are.

In heads-up poker, any starting hand with a FACE CARD is
playable. Or any pocket pair. It's that simple.

If you've got a big chip lead on your opponent and he CHECKS
or LIMPS-IN (calls the blinds), then you should IMMEDIATELY
put him all-in.

He wouldn't be checking or limping-in if he had ANYTHING
DECENT at all...

If he folds, you've stolen the blinds from him, which is
crucial. If he calls, you've created a coin-toss situation.

Odds are you'll win at least one out of every two coin toss
situations. Or at the very least, you'll win one out of
three.

Here's a basic summary of the "rules" you should follow when
playing heads-up poker with a huge chip lead. When I say
"huge", I'm talking about 10 to 1 or more...

Of course, you won't START with a 10:1 chip lead very often
(like I did against Brandon), but you will frequently BECOME
the 10:1 chip leader in a heads-up match if you're a skilled
player.

And that's the exact moment when you MUST PULL THE TRIGGER
AND WIN THE GAME.

If you don't, the chip stacks can quickly even out again and
you may lose your chance forever.

Anyway... here are the RULES you should follow:

1. Any starting hand with a face card or any pocket pair is
good.

2. You should either FOLD or go ALL-IN every time. Nothing
else.

3. Force COIN-TOSS situations... In other words, leverage
the 50/50 ODDS as much as possible. Do this two or three
times and you will almost always win the match.

4. If you're playing against a tight player, it will be even
easier. Keep going all-in on just about every hand and let
the blinds eat him to death.

Read and re-read those four principles and you'll be
prepared the next time you make it to a heads-up match."

[The Professor]

Thats some good advice but it's important to note that this is just one style of playing heads up.

Just with normal poker play, there are many different styles and there is no definitive answer on which style is best.

Just as a point - to get some real experience with Heads Up play then you should be playing in some 2 player Heads Up SitnGo tournaments which you'll find at most sites.

[Rolls]

I quite like that advice in regards to the 10:1 rule, however it is not a new rule by far, and it can be used at any point in a tournament if you have 10:1 stack size over an all in's push.

Look forward to putting it in to practice, however i will put it in process on the 9 man sng's, as i say, i am getting plenty of practice!