how to play heads-up situations.

[brick]

My play has improved leaps and bounds thanks to Bob T, Homer, Clark, ect.

But hands that become heads-up on the flop are giving me fits.

For example, B&M average 3-6 game. You've been playing tight, raising big hands and you've been getting paid off.

You open-raise in MP with AQo. It's folded to the Button (average player. somewhat loose but not too aggresive) who cold-calls. Then SB and BB fold.

Flop is J/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/club.gif 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif

You bet, BB calls.

Turn 4/images/graemlins/club.gif

You bet, BB calls.

River 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

this is a made up hand anyway. So who knows what I would do on the river. (it depends!) Point is that I don't understand strategy or anything regarding pots that end up with only one player.

Here are a few of my thoughts without having read anything about the this type of situation.

-Play the person more than a normal 3-6 situation.
-Be more aggresive with overcards.
-Be more creative (slow-playing, bluff raising)

I simply want to learn how to win more than I put into these situations. Right now I gain more expected value by folding these marginal situations. Next hand.

[LetsRock]

The button you are describing is a classic calling station - if he has any part of the flop or any dream of making a hand, you won't be able to get him to fold. You could try a check-raise, but you are just giving away bets by just betting in to him on every street unless he's calling on a dream and doesn't hit.

Out of position vs. a calling station is very tough if you don't make a hand. The "nothing but aggressive" types here probably wouldn't advocate this, but if you bet flop and turn and he calls, a bet on the river is probably not going to steal the pot so just check it and hope your Ace is good.

Against calling stations, it's ususally going to be a showdown so don't keep putting money into a pot if you din't catch a decent hand.

[BigEndian]

I consider myself on the aggresive side and I will sometimes check-call the river here depending on the player and board. I will also attempt to check-raise with only my overcards in these scenarios off and on.

- Jim

[danish69]

How about checking the river, when you have some kind of hand (2nd or 3rd pair) and betting when you have no hand at all (except ace high).
By being aggressive at the river, you might get the button to fold a low pair. If there is 4-5 BB´s in the pot, you only have to succeed this every 4th time to be profitable.
Whereas if you have 2nd or 3rd pair, you might take down the pot by showdown. And if your opponent has a better hand, he will call anyway, so no need to put in extra bets.

[BigEndian]

I meant check-raising the turn, not the river. In general, you won't get anyone to fold heads-up on the river if they have any hand at all and have come that far.

As far as checking a hand, but betting only overcards on the river. It just depends. I might check-call a weak hand such as low pair, but there's no way I'm checking middle pair or better and I've been in the drivers seat. You have a hand, bet it.

Also, if you make anything a routine play in a heads-up situation, you'll lose your most powerful tool in those instances. So I don't recommend routinely betting out with only overcards, even if you only think you'll need to take the pot down one every four times (which I think is not the case).

- Jim

[mosch]

I like a check on the river here.

A bet has two problems, first of all, if the opponant rivered trips, you're exposed to a raise. This means you're also exposed to a bluff-raise (admittedly not likely from a calling station, but very possible against a more aggressive opponant who has gone passive for some reason)

The second problem with a bet is that it's unlikely to be called by somebody with a worse hand than yours. Any pair will call one bet, trips will definitely call, and probably raise. QT and T8 are unlikely to call, Ax /images/graemlins/spade.gif might call, but it's not definite, AK/AQ might call on the hope that you just have a blown straight or flush.

I like checking the river here.

[James282]

Hey, lots of draws there, check-call the river, don't blow up with anything crazy before that - this guy isn't going to dump a jack or anything he was going to call you with anyways if you check-raise him. Furthermore, and this is an important point, check-raising draw filled boards as a bluff almost always sucks when you don't actually have the draw or a made hand. This is because, even if your bluff works and your opponent is freaked out, he may be drawing, and now your awesome play just gets you raised on the river because your opponent believes he has caught up to you.

The river should be an easy check for a couple reasons. First, you will almost always induce a bluff from QT clubs, AT clubs, and hands of a similar nature. Most people will bluff away with KQ or any other miscellaneous garbage they managed to bring to the river. He also might turbo-muck some crap anyway. This seems like a classic, "he isn't folding if he beats you, but isn't calling if he doesn't" situation. You might fold AK or AQ here but that is about it.
-James