adjusting your strategy

[hot tub man # 1]

I could have posted this in the short-handed section, but here it goes. Im playing heads up 10-20 with a very weak player. He is calling me down with ace high routinely, and is pushing a lot of hands with nothing.

The problem is, the deck was running over him. Also, I made the mistake of trying to put some moves on him, (leading out with nothing on the flop, check raising some draws on the turn,) and he would call down everytime. Finally I got him to agree to change the game to 20-40, and he wasnt as comfortable and the cards changed. However, its very hard to play heads up agaist a player who will call every flop, (and I do mean every,) and bet about 80-90% of the time he is checked to. Also, he was following through on the turn almost every time he bet the flop.

Im curious to hear what others have to say. I found myself having to back off on the flop and let him pick up a lot of the money when neither of us had a hand, and just profit from all of his bad calls when I did have a hand.

[Ed Miller]

Im playing heads up 10-20 with a very weak player.

He is calling me down with ace high routinely, and is pushing a lot of hands with nothing.

However, its very hard to play heads up agaist a player who will call every flop, (and I do mean every,) and bet about 80-90% of the time he is checked to. Also, he was following through on the turn almost every time he bet the flop.

I found myself having to back off on the flop and let him pick up a lot of the money when neither of us had a hand, and just profit from all of his bad calls when I did have a hand.

So... after all of this... how on earth do you come to the conclusion that he is a "very weak player"? Sounds like his aggressiveness gave you fits... and it sounds like he called you down when you were bluffing.

[SoBeDude]

Read HPFAP by S&M

There is a section where they specifically discuss why he got your money. He played a "proper" heads-up strategy against your style. His play is textbook S&M.

Sounds like he did also get lucky if the deck hit him as you say.

Sounds like you did the right thing by finding a way to change the game to limits he was less comfortable with. Good move.

Perhaps there is no way to counter when your opponent gets hit with the deck in a heads-up game? Perhaps others here wiser than I can give some other advice?

-Scott

[Louie Landale]

Play about half your hands. Continue on the flop if you have something. then either ... [a] Expect to win MOST of your hands without ever betting. [b] flail away with any hand that may win the show-down unimproved (possibly K or higher).

Don't bother trying to outplay him, just out-show-down him.

- Louie