Heads Up
I have been thinking about heads up play recently, relating directly to a heads up match I witnessed the other day between a friend of mine Rikkidee and some unknown. Rikkidee had a 7-1-chip lead and ended up losing the match. If you can’t play heads up you’re not going to win the big tournaments that’s a given. But how do you improve?
I haven’t read much about heads up play but I know that aggression here pays. How much aggression I haven’t really determined yet. Over the past few day’s I’ve been playing heads up super aggressive and loose. Rising with any hand on the button and betting the scary flop when first to act. This has proven to be pretty detrimental to my game getting more 2nd place finishes the one would like.
The problems I found with this is if the blinds are not very big compared to you stacks you will almost always lose, especially if you are playing a passive patient player. They just fold, and fold until they catch a hand play possum and trap you. This has happened to me on several of the last heads up matches. If the blinds are getting into 10% or more of your stack it’s basically a crap shut anyway and the player that hits the board will usually win.
Another pit fall that I ran into was raising on the button with hands like Ax. Sure this is a good hand heads up but if your opponent knows your style they’re hand can be easily disguised with your button raise and if an ace hits you going to lose a fair chunk of chips.
Wining with this style I think takes a lot of practice and knowledge of your opponent. I find my self-becoming more and more willing to risk as the match goes on playing in this manner. The only matches that I won playing in this manner were where my opponent got tired of me raising with everything and would call with second pair. It basically comes down to my opponent going on tilt and pushing with 2nd best. Personally heads up I wouldn’t want to put 1st place on the line hoping that my opponent will go on tilt (much to much a risk).
The requirements become very different when playing heads up. I find that some times I will try and play my opponent instead of my cards. I see some bad or fishy play and I push hard, what happens next is either they fold or I lose because I can’t let go of my hand I’ve already determined that my opponent is on some draw or I have him beat.
Respecting check-raises and all-ins. This I have a real problem with, when someone pushes real hard and I have a decent hand I rationalize with myself that I have the best hand. Knowing in my gut that the strength being presented usually has me dominated.
Things to think about and explore:
· Playing tighter on the button, still raising but folding as well.
· Trapping more
· Bluffing less, and respecting strength, but not to the point of passive
· Check-raising all-in on nut straight draws and OESD (this is pretty dangerous though considering most people if they caught the flop will call with TP)
· Using some type of calculated raising method to vary up the pre flop raising. Min raising more (This is a huge aspect of the game that I’ve I had problems with. I give no respect to the min raise. Maybe that should change.)
-So Say La P
I haven’t read much about heads up play but I know that aggression here pays. How much aggression I haven’t really determined yet. Over the past few day’s I’ve been playing heads up super aggressive and loose. Rising with any hand on the button and betting the scary flop when first to act. This has proven to be pretty detrimental to my game getting more 2nd place finishes the one would like.
The problems I found with this is if the blinds are not very big compared to you stacks you will almost always lose, especially if you are playing a passive patient player. They just fold, and fold until they catch a hand play possum and trap you. This has happened to me on several of the last heads up matches. If the blinds are getting into 10% or more of your stack it’s basically a crap shut anyway and the player that hits the board will usually win.
Another pit fall that I ran into was raising on the button with hands like Ax. Sure this is a good hand heads up but if your opponent knows your style they’re hand can be easily disguised with your button raise and if an ace hits you going to lose a fair chunk of chips.
Wining with this style I think takes a lot of practice and knowledge of your opponent. I find my self-becoming more and more willing to risk as the match goes on playing in this manner. The only matches that I won playing in this manner were where my opponent got tired of me raising with everything and would call with second pair. It basically comes down to my opponent going on tilt and pushing with 2nd best. Personally heads up I wouldn’t want to put 1st place on the line hoping that my opponent will go on tilt (much to much a risk).
The requirements become very different when playing heads up. I find that some times I will try and play my opponent instead of my cards. I see some bad or fishy play and I push hard, what happens next is either they fold or I lose because I can’t let go of my hand I’ve already determined that my opponent is on some draw or I have him beat.
Respecting check-raises and all-ins. This I have a real problem with, when someone pushes real hard and I have a decent hand I rationalize with myself that I have the best hand. Knowing in my gut that the strength being presented usually has me dominated.
Things to think about and explore:
· Playing tighter on the button, still raising but folding as well.
· Trapping more
· Bluffing less, and respecting strength, but not to the point of passive
· Check-raising all-in on nut straight draws and OESD (this is pretty dangerous though considering most people if they caught the flop will call with TP)
· Using some type of calculated raising method to vary up the pre flop raising. Min raising more (This is a huge aspect of the game that I’ve I had problems with. I give no respect to the min raise. Maybe that should change.)
-So Say La P
posted by Joseph at 6:52 AM
1 Comments:
What I think is key to heads up is really adjusting to your opponent. If the blinds are significant and you've noticed he has been folding a lot when you bet, then start taking stabs at all the pots. Limp in with any 2 and if he checks the flop, steal it. As long as you arn't investing a large % of your stack for the steal, this seems to work for me.
The hardest opponent for me is the very loose player. Doesn't matter if they are passive or aggressive. When they are loose, your bluffing/aggression is a lost cause since they are going to call you down with bottom pair or ace high every time. Therefore you have to pick up a hand, which isn't always the case in heads up.
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