Heads-Up Play

Hey all. I played a NL Hold-Em home game this weekend. I got heads-up with my opponent, with tight play being the norm.


My heads-up game is weak, and I know it. At one point, I had about 4 times the chips of my opponent, but still lost.


I feel as if I don't bet properly in the right situations, and that I may give my opponent too much credit for his/her cards.


How does one rectify his/her heads-up play? What are the general conceptions on heads-up play? Ones that will better someones game?


Thanks,


Bill

Here is a link that shows the winning percentage for every holdem hand when played head to head. If the hand wins 50% or more of the time a preflop raise is in order.


http://www.gocee.com/poker/he_ev_hand.html

This is not good advice. Whether to raise, call or fold a hand preflop in hu has little to do with percentages. It can be correct to raise 7-2, limp with A-A, or do anything in between - its situational.


eg. I have only been raising with big cards (A-Q), limping with medium cards (9-8), and folding small cards (5-2). This means when I raise and the flop comes small, my opponent can force me to make some tough calls, and when I limp and the flop comes high he can bet regardless of his holding and win the pot. So I begin to invert the strategy. But he gets wise to this in time. So I begin to mix it up. Finally my opponent is mystified as to my holdings.

So hold on - why didn't I just mix it up to start with and save the money I lost while I was playing predictably?


Percentages also do not take into account position, bluffing, semi-bluffing, tilt-induced plays - they deal with poker in a vacuum. It is hard for me to imagine a less hand value oriented form of poker than heads up.


While I will not set myself up as a target by either revealing my PP user name, or stating that I am the biggest winner there, I can back up the statements above with $2.7K in four months of intermittent heads up play last year, and coming on for $1K so far in 2002 (at 3/6 and 5/10 limits).

WOW, THATS AMAZING CONSIDERING THE RAKE AT PARADISE, ALTHOUGH I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE YOU COULD HAVE MADE SO MUCH AT THESE LIMITS.


SWIFTY

Its just game selection. Two out of three people who play hu on Paradise at my limits, I will not even contemplate playing against. Therefore I get to play the weakest band of players. It always amuses me to see two excellent hu players butting heads aimlessly. At 3/6 and 5/10, there are enough fish around to make it lunacy to play anyone who you do not have a significant advantage over.

Believe me, I am by no means a brilliant hu player (though I have gotten pretty decent lately), nor would I even rank myself in the top 10% of hu players on PP. The difference is that whereas most of the top 10% spend their time playing each other, I spend it playing the bottom 10%.

Also, the rake at 3/6 does not impact you as much as the rake at 10/20 because you can go ten or twelve hands and never pay a cent. The pot size has to be $20 or over before they rake anything, and I'd say two in three hu 3/6 pots contain under $20.

thanks for your reply. I just started doing a little heads up (3/6) at paradise. I'm up almost $400 in two weeks. Can you please tell me who some of the better players that I should avoid are?


Thanks,

SWIFTY

I'm not sure they'd thank me, but anyway....

In no particular order,


Flat Top

BALLSTREET

Daniel123

dumbo-122

ehutch26

train222

MANBAIT

The Assassin

dunga

benbo

CrazyCharles

MasterCard

These are, I believe, the best players at low limit PP hu. I've probably missed out a few, but this is a long enough list to significantly improve your results by exercising the poker player's most vital tool - the right not to play. You can also learn to recognise a good hu player who sits with you. They will tend to buy in for a decent amount, play very fast, and not lose a great many showdowns. Contrast this to the average hit and run artist, who will sit with $30 or $50 and hope to make a quick score.

Whats your user name on PP?

I have played assassin, and dumbo and beat them both. dumbo is an extremely poor player, a calling station. If he is hitting though, you ought to run for your life because you will not know where you stand cuz he hardly ever raises. If the cards are even you should be able to kill him by playing sound poker.


Good Luck,

SWIFTY

I notice that most of you r talking about holdem. I'm fairly new to PP and was looking for more input into the heads up stud room? Can anyone offer me advice on proper heads up stud strategy or info on players???? Always looking to learn more. I've had mixed results and have been struggling!