Heads-up newbie question...

[crackzone]

Hi!
How does your starting hand requirements change when you´re playing heads up vs. a 6- och 7-handed game?
thanks!

[crockpot]

in a heads-up no-limit match, you should always be playing the man, not the cards. having a hand is a nice extra bonus, but it's basically only something to consider when he raises you, or if you want to let him bet your hand for you.

[tewall]

It depends how aggressive he is post flop vs. pre flop. You have to match your starting hand requirements against his. For example, if he played very aggressively pre-flop and very cautiously post-flop, you would just about have to play as many hands pre-flop as he did or he would win just on the blinds alone. On the other hand, if he plays the opposite (just limps in pre-flop and plays very aggressively post flop), you wouldn't need to play nearly as many hands.

Position is very important to take into account. You can play any two cards with position (which doesn't mean you should do this 100% of the time). Out of position will depend on how your opponent plays. If he's very aggressive, you'd want to play quite a bit tighter out of position and look to recoup the blinds you've lost to him when you have position.

The stack sizes are important too. If the stacks are large, you want to make big hands, like sets, straights and flushes, just like in a full ring game. If the stacks are on the smaller side, you're looking more at TPTK type hands and the game plays a lot like heads up limit (with the exception that drawing hands are worth a lot less).