Heads Up Strategy?

[NoPeak]

Playing SNG's at Stars, I have had horrible luck playing heads up while short stacked. Basically, when I make it to heads up and am short stacked, I usually either fold or push. Otherwise, it seems as though you just pass the blinds back and forth. I have been getting beat with my AQs and TT by J8o and other similar hands. I play much better and don't seem to have a problem when I am the chip leader. Should I start min raising with good hand instead of pushing? Any input would be apprecaited.

[golFUR]

Considering there are entire books on the subject any post is going to be a light treatment, however...

It seems to me that most people's problems heads up stem from not being nearly aggressive enough. Heads up play means a much greater range of starting hands and a lot more dependance upon reading the flop and your opponent's reaction to it.

To turn my own heads up strategy into a pithy soundbite: 50% bluffing and 50% trapping.

Any pocket I remotely like I'm raising. I raise in only two or at most three amounts so as not to give my opponent a handle on my pockets. I inject a greater amount of random play into my hands. I'll raise 8s once, sneak em in the next. I'll raise 8s to double the blind once, bet pot the next. I'll check on AK preflop and raise 49 off preflop when its just called to me.

In practice you are paying very close attention to how s/he reacts to different raises in different positions, how s/he played certain pockets etc. You are also trying to build a tempo up, get your opponent used to certain things from you (so pay very close attention to what you show and what you don't) so that you can yank the rug out from under them at just the right time.

I'd love to be able to give rules of thumb or a starting hand list or whatever, but its based on 'feel' to such a great extent you can't always know whats right until you are there.

Concentrate on playing back at them, regardless of stack size. They don't want to double you up anymore than you want to go out. Don't worry too much about not making a bundle on your trapped AA, just letting them know you are trapping monsters sets you up for stealing later.... I dunno what else, I'll come back when others have posted and see if there is any more I can contribute.

I like heads up play, from equal starting stacks or uneven chip distribution, either way... My success is not based on statistics though, it is based on that feeling for when to yank the rug and when to waltz away from it.

[t_perkin]

Read my FAQ:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=844952&page=1&view=co llapsed&sb=5&o=2&fpart=1#844952

not that it provides a cure-all, but it should send you in the right direction. For a beginner I would stress what I have written in the FAQ: You have the best hand 50% of the time. When you have the best hand you should be usually be raising.

Tim

[patrick dicaprio]

if the blinds are high you cant minraise because a good player will come over the top. just keep pushing with good hands and hope to be called. but the right play is really chip and blind dependent.

Pat

[SixgunSam]

Awesome FAQ, t_perkin! Bookmarked.

[DontPlayScared]

Whoa... thanks Perkin.

Sorry for doing the newbie thing last week and ASKING some of the FAQ's, everyone.