Heads up evaluation

[Jason Strasser]

I'm curious about how most people play heads up. I have a strategy that works for me, but I'm sure I could fine tune it a bit. Here it goes:

Assuming 10k starting chips, and blinds are at least 200/400 blinds. (usually 250/500)

If I have less than 2k before posting:
1) In the SB push regardless.
2) In the BB call with anything.

If we are even:
1) From the SB push with any ace, any king, any pair, any suited connector, any 2 broadway, and hands like Q9s, and J9s.

2) Call all in with any ace, any king with a ten kicker or higher, any pair 55 and above. I'd also move over the top of any min raise with any of these hands.

With my opponent less than 2k:

1) Push with anything with paint on it, any ace, any pair, any connector. Sometimes this can be any 2 cards.

Alright, its ultra agressive, but it works. Here is my thinking.

I have a tight image. It sounds funny to most of you who have been reading my crazy 83o posts and such, but I really have a tight table image. On the bubble I am very selectively aggressive, but I am not going to do anything where my opponents (most of the time) lable me as a maniac (unless of course someone calls me with the 83o /images/graemlins/laugh.gif).

Of course, this will change heads up, but I often start off HU stealing the first 2-3 blinds, which is a huge advantage. When Im low stacked, I play with the impression that I am no worse than a 60/40 dog regardless of what I hold, which means that folding a 20-30% of my stack in the blind make no sense.

Sometimes I completely run people over with this strat. Sometimes I run into a big hand, and most of the time I take coinflips, but where I have a 2:1 chip lead because I've been stealing blinds.

I have run into opponents that play so tight, that they virtually have no chance of winning. They will wait for an ace or king, and by the time they got it they have 2k chips.

Impressions? How far is pushing all in on every hand from optimal? Aren't blinds too high to be any more selective than this?

[Grivan]

This is almost how you have to play heads up. If you are confident in your play you can lower the raises from all-in raises when you are even. This way one big hand won't break you if you run into one in the blinds. If the oppoenent comes over the top of you you can still push it all in if you think you are ahead, but you can get away from it too. This is especially affective against opponents who will let you steal to much, because you would rather just chip them down then have one big hand.

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]

How far is pushing all in on every hand from optimal? Aren't blinds too high to be any more selective than this?

[/ QUOTE ]

With blinds like this, the answer is "not very." No matter what your oppponent does, he can only get a small edge on you, something like 5-7%.

With a little selection, you can reduce the optimal opponent's strategy edge to around 2%. And most players don't play anywhere near optimal against it (giving you a strong edge on them.)

eastbay

[Jason Strasser]

Eastbay,

What shouldn't I push with? Like am I wrong not pushing Jack 6 offsuit?

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]
Eastbay,

What shouldn't I push with? Like am I wrong not pushing Jack 6 offsuit?

[/ QUOTE ]

J6o is borderline against an optimal opponent in a heads-up, all-in or fold, large blinds tournament.

If you sense any tightness, J6o is any easy push. (For that matter, with much more than moderate tightosity 32o is an easy push.)

I would warn against getting too formulaic in an attempt to find an "optimal" strategy based on your hole cards. While you can do reasonably well with a generic "optimal" strategy, finding and exploiting your opponent's specific weaknesses are where the big edges are.

All IMO.

eastbay

[carpola]

Pretty much how I play.

[ QUOTE ]
any pair 55 and above

[/ QUOTE ]

I pretty much call any pair headsup.

[ddubois]

[ QUOTE ]
If I have less than 2k before posting:
1) In the SB push regardless.
2) In the BB call with anything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please explain the logic of this to me. I suppose I can see the logic of pushing any 2 if you are in position to be the aggressor, given the fold equity you get. I won't feel good about pushing garbage like 83o, but I can see the rationale.

But I am even more uncomfortable with calling a raise with that 83o. Even if I only have 4 BB in my stack, isn't there any value in waiting? You have a very good chance of getting a better holding on the next deal. When you say call with anything, are there any assumptions about the play of your opponent here? For instance, are we assuming that he is pushing every hand? Because isn't there room for adjustment if your opponent is folding some portion of his SB to you, and/or doing a mix of min-raising and pushing?

[Jason Strasser]

This all comes under the assumption that regardless of what my opponent holds, I am no worse than a 60/40 dog. About this time, with my stack and the amount in the pot, Folding is a mistake. If you have 2k and double up you get to 4k. If you fold, and you double up, the best you can get to is 3k. This is my rough logic, but I really think you can't fold when you are 2k or smaller with blinds 200/400 and up. It just kills your stack, and when I am the big stack bullying a small stack, nothing pleases me more.

[ddubois]

all comes under the assumption that regardless of what my opponent holds, I am no worse than a 60/40 dog

Ok, so you're assuming your opponent has a random hand, and not two cards higher than your highest. That's not completly true. You are a 30:70 dog with 83o to for instance, Q9s. Even Q4o is a 64:36 favorite over 83o. Not to mention what a massive dog you are to 99+, like 87:13.

Anyway, I don't think all players will push random crap hands as aggressively as you presume. I've seen players more passive that will fold the SB into the BB, even with a big chip lead, so they don't risk doubling #2 up. I presume they are doing this with like 9 high. If your opponent is one of these players, then you're base assumption is wrong. You have to put them on a range of hands starting at, maybe, jack high or better. If they play too tight, then you might want to doge out of their raise and stay around to take advantage of that flaw in their play.

So if it's 200/400 blinds, and you have 4 BB, you are risking 1600 to get 2400. 16:24 is a higher cost:benefit ratio than the win:lose ratio of 30:70 or 35:65. I think to literally "call with anything" you need your stack to be smaller than 4bb. I think I can wait for another hand in that situation... Maybe I'm wrong, please correct me if so.