Gambling Articles: Heads up game - that is how to play one to one
Title: Heads up game - that is how to play one to one
Author: A&B
Date of subbmision: 01-06-2005
Heads up is a formula of "one to one" game which is getting more and more popular. Although there are still very few players who play well against one opponent, there are four reasons to change it.
Firstly, if you cannot play heads up, you will never win any tournament.
Secondly, the skills you learnt in heads up will help you get through to the higher stakes in a ring game. Thirdly, heads up is a very dynamic game where you play with a much bigger number of hands- if you play well against weak opponents, you "earn" more and quicker. Lastly, some people say that heads up formula is the future of poker. Playing heads up tournaments in a cup system are more and more popular, a very good example can be N B C National Heads Up Poker Championship organized in March. Our article will show you a simple outline which will help you win regularly one to one games.
Did you really think that you would find here a draft, an easy one? Well, I am sorry then. The key to a victory in heads up is to outwit your opponent by changing the style of the game as often as possible. You play tight a few deals, then you play loose. You are aggressive and then you let your opponent play for a while. You bluff tight only to "steal" blinds and a few minutes later you simply call no bid. Heads up is the opposite of Low Limit Hold`em. It is enough to play well, follow the rules, no jugglery- the statistics will make it for you and you will be "ahead" for a long time. Here, the main rule is that there are no rules.
Well, I suppose that is not what you expected in heads up strategy article. You may even feel more confused. You have heard that poker is a skill based game whereas heads up game seems to be random and chaotic just like a popular card game :the war". Look at it this way: the winner in heads up is the player who makes less mistakes. You can play the way you want, differently in every single deal. The essential thing is that you do not make any mistakes, you do not let your opponent win any money and take advantage of your opponent`s mistakes.
All that is very real and trivial… still you have no idea how to play it. You will learn it from the below article really. You have to play a few tens or a few hundreds of games to "feel" the heads up mood. I will try to draw your attention to a few essential elements that will hopefully "brighten the darkness".
1. The choice of card you come into play with.
You must have heard that in heads up you come into play with a much bigger number of different hands than in other versions of texas. It is true that according to some players any card is good enough to play with. It results from the fact that you have only one opponent thus it is very likely that opponent`s card is not better than yours (however, when you play against 10 opponents it is highly probable that one of them can have a card better than yours.) Statistically, any card is better than J 6 off suit, it has over 50% chances of winning with other random card and you should come into play with such a card.
However, you must remember about two things. Firstly, the necessity of style change and no rules- both mentioned above. Come into play with 8 3 off suit card only to make things a bit different so that your opponent can not make out "your outline". Secondly, adapt to your opponent. If s/he is very aggressive, raises before flop every single time and in the further stages of the game, change your style into a tighter one. A better card will come seldom but the opponent "will pay well for it". When the opponent`s style is quite passive, come into play with anything really. You have 4 3 off suit, you get the second three in river and you win, not much but it is something. It is quite a frequent scenario and your opponent does not tell you to pay for it, why not have a go!
Pairs and an Ace with any card are very strong in heads up "combat". It happens quite frequently that a player does not even have a pair after river so having a pair gives you a predominance at the start. The situation is similar with an Ace which often assures you winning a "high card "deal. The connectors are of les significance- they give you one straight/flash draws in a ring game, which you continue because of profitable "implied odds". It is of great importance that you have a better card and "control the situation" at the start in heads up. Picking up for straight or flush is hardly ever profitable ( it depends whether the opponent lets you do it).
2. Aggression
You have to play very aggressively, often raise, bring pressure on your opponent and drive him into a corner. It is a standard advice for heads up beginner player. The assumption is correct obviously but not everyone takes it seriously- their play is limited to raise, raise, raise. If you start playing like that, the raise will lose its value and your opponent will only wait for a better card just to get a bigger pool- thanks to you. So, remember to be aggressive and often change the style of your play.
It is quite interesting when you meet a player who has just begun the adventure with heads up and plays accordingly to habits learnt in a ring game. You can regularly raise when it is on big blind and s/he will humbly call "no bid" because (in his/her "wrong" opinion) s/he thinks s/he has a weak card. On the other hand, s/he will play hard with K Q off suit card- remember that you have predominance even with a pair of Twos.
3. Bluff
Bluff is a powerful and effective weapon in heads up. You will be surprised how often (and effectively!) you use it. However, remember not to use it too much because your raises may become an easy target for your opponent (and those are quite high amounts of money, after all the idea of bluff is to raise to such a sum of money that it is worth while for the opponent to check).
When and how you bluff:
a) pre-flop - bluff in this stage is not really worth while , bearing in mind the risk. If you absolutely must "steal a blind", stake 3x big blind or 4 x if you have a reasonable card giving you a good chance for winning. In this stage you should treat bluff as some kind of a game variety, outwitting your opponent, not as a chance to get more counters.
b) flop - is the stage which, in my opinion, give the best possibility of an effective bluff. Generally speaking, you bluff when there is no flop in your cards and, as you may assume, it isn`t in your opponent`s cards.
Here are two standard scenarios:
1. an Ace showed up on the table (or any other high card) and you raised or bluffed before flop. In other words, you let your opponent know that you have the highest pair.
2. there is a pair on the table- raise and simulate getting a three.
c) turn - hardly ever does the fourth card on the table change the situation and generally it is not the best situation to bluff .
d) river - bluff in this stage is very risky, spectacular though. Firstly, because of the pool size it takes engaging quite big means to encourage the opponent to check. Secondly, your opponent will not give up only because you suggest that river gave you a better pair. The opponent may get scared when the third card of the same color shows up on the table and your strong bluff says: I have flush. The problem starts when you bluff in river!
Sometimes it happens that your bluff hits the opponents monster hand (the above example with flush). The opponent re-raises when you raise. In most cases your opponent has a better card and you are on a lost position. You have to accept the failure and forget about that deal. In no way should you keep on playing it with another re-raise or even worse all-in.
It is even worse when the opponent with a better card answers with a call to your bluff, not with re-raise. As long as you do not play against a weak player, "a call station type" (the one who checks every card), you should be watchful. The opponent was not scared of your raise and checked you, probably s/he knows that s/he has a better card. S/he controls the situation. You can expect that the opponent`s call is so called "milking bet" which simply means that it is supposed to milk you off your money. Your opponent talks you into it counting on your next raise in the next stage of the deal. Forget about aggression and be defensive- your next and only step is check or fold!
You can use bluff very often and it is often used against you as well. My important advice for you is- do not fight with it! If you do not have a monster hand or you do not play against someone who keeps on bluffing, do not try to catch your opponent on bluff. Let him/her win, your aim is not to win each deal. It is not about the opponent or to be right every single time.
Often after a good bluff your opponent will show you his worthless card. You should not be bothered on the contrary you should smile graciously. Why is s/he doing it? Is it a need to show off with a good bluff? Or perhaps s/he wants to get on your nerves (a good idea) but you do not go for it. Anyway, do not let yourself think: oh perhaps I should have checked him/her, I will not let anyone make a fool of myself next time! Next time you can give your opponent quite a lot of your counters but as long as you do not put them in the pool, his/her bluff will not bring him/her too much profit(although it is very risky).
4. All-in
a) Let`s start from the situation you should not get yourself into. You are short of stack, you are running out of counters. If you have less than 20% of all your counters left, it means that it is no good and being honest your options are (to say it gently) limited. Do not hesitate to call in all-in with any pair (even a pair of twos) or a hand with an Ace( although it may happen that you will not get any" great" cards for a while, and you will have to risk all-in with something weaker). If your opponent checks, OK, that is what you wanted, you double the stack or say goodbye.
If your opponent folds, that`s OK too, you get a blind which is worth a lot at this stage.
b) The opponent comes into play all-in when both of you have the similar number of counters. What do you do? It depends on the opponent. There are opponents who play only to be in all-in. If your opponent came in to play all-in four times in ten last deals, you can check him/her with every better pair. The story is different when there is a player you can tell what s/he knows is doing. S/he comes in to play all-in and has a monster hand and counts on your mistake. Check him/her only with A A, K K or A K s hand
c) The oponent comes into play all-in but you are the one with 80% counters predominance. You know that his/her all-in does not have to be followed by a strong card (and it is not most cases). Check your opponent if you have a pair or a hand with an Ace- you may even win this deal.
Your attitude towards all-in (and risk generally) should depend on the type of tournament you take part in and what your aim is. Taking part in a huge tournament you get J J in the first deal. The opponent comes into play all-in it might be bluff, anyway, this way or another you probably have a better card. Despite that you prefer not to risk losing in the first deal. And you are right. There will be plenty opportunities to win the opponent`s counters. Sit & Go tournaments are a completely different story, taking into consideration that such a tournament lasts about 10 minutes. And you can play dozens of them in two hours. So you should treat it like another deal in the ring game. Thus, in the above example with a pair of Jacks (like in any situation when you think you are a favorite) do not hesitate to come into play all-in. And you should also initiate all-in yourself if the opponent is prone to check you. Even if you get a few bad beats, you maximize the expected value of your winnings in the long term.
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