How to Play Heads Up Monsters

[Vuron00]

Here is a hand from a $50+5 Sng on Party from last night. I think that I'm a pretty decent HU player, but I have a tough time deciding what to do when I get a monster hand and want to get paid off.

The problem with the way that I played this one is that sometimes is comes back to bite me in the rear. I don't think that checking the flop with a flush draw is the best play.

What is the normal risk vs. reward play in these situations. After looking at the results, this could have really ended ugly if I hadn't gotten a little lucky.


Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t500 (2 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

BB (t4520)
Hero (t5480)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif.
Hero calls t250, BB checks.

Flop: (t1000) 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (t1000) 6/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, Hero checks.

River: (t1000) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">BB bets t1200</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t2400</font>, <font color="CC3333">BB raises to t4020 (All-In)</font>, Hero calls t1620.

Final Pot: t9040
<font color="green">Main Pot: t9040 (t9040), between BB and Hero.</font> &gt; <font color="white">Pot won by Hero (t9040).</font>

Results in white below: <font color="white">
BB shows 4s 3s (straight, six high).
Hero shows Qs Qc (full house, queens full of sixes).
Outcome: Hero wins t9040. </font>

[Lori]

Have not looked at results.
I often play this the same way, although I also often mini raise to try to tempt the reraise preflop.
After flopping the monster I gamble like mad with the check button.

Lori

[Lori]

Having now read the results, it's pretty amazing your opponent didn't try to bluff this sooner.

Lori

[chill888]

When monster (set of QQQs) becomes Godzilla (QQQ66), don't even try tempting with small bet on turn. Hope he catches up on river. Well played. If you only had a set at turn then careful with str8s flushes and free cards.

[ThingDo]

Only way I play this any differently is to raise the min preflop. Once he calls I check the flop check the turn and bet the river or raise the river depending on position. Obviously though if I'm first to act on the river I'm not checking. Sorry I was a little confused on position! lol

[eMarkM]

People worry too much about draws in HU pots. In multiway pot, sure, bet to charge draws. This is HU, and you played it beautifully.

[Vuron00]

I agree with most of you about normally min-raising preflop. The reason that I didn't do this was because of the read. He was one of the guys that would normally raise big if I just called the big blind. I thought that if I just called and got him to raise big preflop that this would be the only way to get any chips in the pot because he had been folding to most of my raises.

Normally, at the beginning of heads up play I like to just call a few times to try to get the other player to start raising my calls. This can set up a good trap situation when you get a very good hand.

Turning the boat really saved me. I've lost a few hands playing like this when guys will catch small flushes and straights and I'm still not sure if the is the best way to play. It seems if it gets played like this, it turns into an all or nothing hand.