Heads up STUD at PARADISE

I have read very little regarding the quality of players at heads up stud on Paradise. I only know that the few times i have played i have done great and seemed to beat up on the regulars who sit there. Was i only lucky or is heads up easy money. Someone please tell me about the players here, who to play, who to avoid, and a basic heads up strategy u would use to win. Should i raise a lot on 3rd or slow play????????

Was i only lucky or is heads up easy money.


Since you're asking some basic questions, it suggests that you got lucky.


There isn't really a lot of good information on heads-up stud in print. There is much more material on heads-up/short-handed hold'em than stud. However, I think it's safe to say that you should be playing aggressively and that slowplaying is rarely correct since you're opponent will call with many more hands than in a full ring game.

Basically, everytime you have an overcard to your opponent's board you should be playing - otherwise you give up too much in blinds.

Trying to get every hand right is a horrible error: that is what results in you playing an exploitable strategy. Just make sure that in the long run you are "winning" more than he is.


"Winning" is:

Getting away when you are drawing thin to what he has.

Taking free cards when behind

Getting in double bets when ahead.

Having your opponent fold when he should be chasing.


A surprisingly high percentage of hands that get contested on third street go to the river in a high standard game, although it is very high variance and profits are a bet here or there.


Much better to be playing someone who is making fundemental errors and exploit them. The key errors are:

(1) They beleive your irrational raises in the middle of the hand too much. They'll fold too much on late streets when they have odds to chase. They'll put you on hands, whereas you are playing most hands the same way.

(2) They think you are mad and just wait for real starters against you. You'll rob their bring-ins and fold when they contest.

(3) They'll go competely mad, betting and raising. Call them a fair amount early in the hand, to keep them where they are (don't overdo it), but don't go past 5th street without a hand. If you get the percentages right, and let them hang themselves, these guys are the most profitable.

Nice post. Follow up question regarding third point.


(3) They'll go competely mad, betting and raising. Call them a fair amount early in the hand, to keep them where they are (don't overdo it), but don't go past 5th street without a hand. If you get the percentages right, and let them hang themselves, these guys are the most profitable.


Please elaborate. If they're going "completely mad, betting and raising" I'd think you want to be calling them down. It's the "don't go past 5th street without a hand" part that's puzzling me. It seems like you'd be in danger of folding too many hands. I guess that's why you put in the "get the percentages right" part. Could you clarify that a bit?

THanks for any feedback. Could u also tell me who to avoid in the heads up stud area at paradise poker?

You are just calling enough with weak hands on third street to stop him changing his strategy.


It depends on how much action he gives in in the big pots.


Against a lot of these bluffers you are about a 2:1 favourite in the big pot showdowns. The big pots have 20 small bets in them.


So every time you play a big pot you pick up 7 or so small bets.


It's worth giving back some of these calling thin on 3rd or fourth to keep him playing his absurd style.


How much all depends on how big the pots get/how likley he is change gear and how often he'll joust away to the end with shite

I'm not suggesting you fold a pair on fifth against a nutter.


If you have no pair you are usually facing having to put in 6 bets to win 10 by the end of the hand (approx.)


You'd need hand equity of 37% to continue.


No pair against 3 random upcards after 5 is usually somewhere between a 7:3 dog and a 6:4 dog, depending on the upcard situation.


Given your opponent will have slowed down on SOME of his hands you probably shouldn't continue: AK overcards against completely random cards are about 60% and could be played but it's so close that he doesn't have to give up on many bluffs to make it wrong to go on - assuming you can't make him fold by re-stealing.


Remember his error is that he can't fold, so there's no use counter bluffing him - although of course you need to test this in the session.