Heads-up with KK

[dfscott]

Sorry if this seems a little elementary, but I'm still getting my hands around heads-up play:

Home, single-table tourney. Heads-up, blinds 100/200. I have about 4300T and my opponent has about 3700T. Opponent is an experienced tourney player and we have just been stealing each other blinds for the last 10-15 hands, only seeing one flop since play went heads up.

Two questions:

1) I'm dealt KK on the Button. I call. Bad play? My thoughts were that I didn't want to just steal the blinds with this hand.

2) In response, opponent raises 500 (putting 900T in the pot and dropping him to about 3000T). What's my play?

[Richard Tanner]

I wouldn't push here, I would raise about twice what he raised. I don't usually think in strict terms of odds when I'm heads up. Rather, I tend to go more by feel. That in mind, if he likes his hand he'll push and as you're holding the second best hand possible you beat him to the pot (I'm not sure about this particular player but I would also recommend you start praying against an A at this point /images/graemlins/grin.gif).
If he just calls then he's probably on a pocket pair and all the money (your's at least) will be in on the flop.

Cody

[jboltz]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't push here, I would raise about twice what he raised. I don't usually think in strict terms of odds when I'm heads up. Rather, I tend to go more by feel. That in mind, if he likes his hand he'll push and as you're holding the second best hand possible you beat him to the pot (I'm not sure about this particular player but I would also recommend you start praying against an A at this point /images/graemlins/grin.gif).

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't like a raise at this point at all. Your on the button, so you'll have position on him.

Put yourself in his shoes... Your opponenet merely completes/calls the blind, and you raise to 500. Then your opponent that merely calls now re-raises you twice that, practically begging for a call? If that doesn't scream MONSTER that I don't know what does.

The play here is to flat call, hope no ace falls. He'll lead out a bet and you push all in.

[wjmooner]

Smooth call. If opponent has a hand or is just plain aggressive he'll bet out on any flop. Raise all-in on any non A flop.

Now, when the Ace hits, that when it gets tricky... /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Chris

[Mikey2k4]

Would your initial CALL be raising alarm bells? If you two have been stealing each other's blinds, a sudden passive move on your end may signal strength. (Or not - you would know better than I.)

Then you have to read your opponent - is he the type to get pissed that you're trying to shove him out and re-raise your raise? If so, then raise him. If not, just call and play the flop. Any non-ace flop, bet away and make him think. When an ace flops, you are probably in trouble, but at least you can get away.

[mikey checks]

Highly unlikely. I like the smooth call heads up when someone is playing at you with a monster. Heads up strategy usually dictates to follow your aggressive raises.

With position, I'll call and either raise him all in on the flop or go straight all in on the flop.

[eastbay]

Preflop: Flat call. No raise.

Flop: Raise him all-in on any decent bet. If he checks, underbet the pot a little, maybe 750.

If an A falls, well, it depends. If he gives you an opportunity to show strength without pot committing yourself, take it. Otherwise, you may have to get out.

eastbay

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
Would your initial CALL be raising alarm bells? If you two have been stealing each other's blinds, a sudden passive move on your end may signal strength. (Or not - you would know better than I.)

[/ QUOTE ]

I was wondering about that myself. My oppponent was a close friend that I work with so we talk about it a lot. One of the comments that I had made in the past was that we see lots of bad players that will just call the BB in heads-up play, giving the BB a free look.

So, I have no idea what he might've been thinking by my flat call, but it must have started him thinking about something.

[ QUOTE ]
Then you have to read your opponent - is he the type to get pissed that you're trying to shove him out and re-raise your raise? If so, then raise him. If not, just call and play the flop. Any non-ace flop, bet away and make him think. When an ace flops, you are probably in trouble, but at least you can get away.

[/ QUOTE ]

We play very much the same. It's rare that we get emotional about hands and we both understand that discretion is often the better part of valor. However, we both are very aggressive.

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
Preflop: Flat call. No raise.

Flop: Raise him all-in on any decent bet. If he checks, underbet the pot a little, maybe 750.

If an A falls, well, it depends. If he gives you an opportunity to show strength without pot committing yourself, take it. Otherwise, you may have to get out.

eastbay

[/ QUOTE ]

It's the Ace falling that concerns me. If it's checked to me, what would be a bet that "shows strength without pot committing myself?" 500? 800? 1000?

[dfscott]

I re-raised him all in before the flop (putting him on an A) and he immediately called (putting me on an A). I think I got lucky here, because he had QQ. The flop did have an A (which of course, didn't matter to me now), and no cards came to save him.