Beating Usher In Round 1 (AKA how to play HU PL)

[Unarmed]

The facts:

- I have played exactly one game of PL poker.
- I have played exactly one game of HU poker.
- They were the same game.
- I got smashed by another 2+2er.

Now, considering this thing is going down in two days, I think I should probably construct some sort of plan. Problem: I have no clue where to start. Anyone care to help me out? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Hopefully others can learn something about the game through this thread too. I'll start by posting a real interesting thread that circulated through the HLNL forum a couple weeks ago. If any of you have other seminal HU posts saved I'd love to see em. Thanks.

How To Deal With a Hyper-Aggressive Tricky Opponent Heads Up

[Irieguy]

Your best approach will be to use the skills you already have, ie, playing for value and bluffing on the turn and river.

See flops, figure out where usher is, and then outplay him.

The only problem is that I've played with usher and he will not let you do this.

This should be a great match in spite of your lack of experience.

As far as how to become a great HU player... it is much different from other forms of poker in that your advantage/disadvantage is 100% dependent on the play of a single opponent.

So, HU play is all about adjustments. I've probably played about 1000 matches of HU poker against Zen... and while i've won around 800 of them, I've had to play each of them a little differently.

The only exception to the need for constant adjustments is my upcoming match against Yugo. I'm pretty sure I can just steamroll him in about 10 minutes. If he gets hit by the deck he has a chance, but otherwise it's likely that he won't win a single pot larger than the blinds.

Irieguy

[wuwei]

[ QUOTE ]
So, HU play is all about adjustments.
Irieguy

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the most important thing I've managed to pick up in my limited practice the past couple months. I'm still not very good at it, but at least I'm on the right track.

Anyone up for a 20+1 HUPL match on Pokerstars? I'll be ready to go in like 5 minutes...

[WebGuySteve]

for me, HU poker is a lot about your image and what your opponent thinks of this image. I like to throw out lots of little bets with position. If my opponent lets me take down these small pots with little fight, wonderful. I do this until he gets fed up with it. If he comes back with a raise, then I try to judge if he's getting fed up and raising with any pair, or if he has a real hand here. If I lay it down, this often gives him more confidence in his raises, and my calling standards go down.

In general, I try to pick up small pots, and if I play a big pot, I'll come with a very big hand.

You really need to feel your opponent out in the early stages. How does he react to min raises preflop? How about 3BB raises? What does he do when he completes from the button and you raise? This is all great information to get in the early stages.

I try to use this information to really get an understanding of why he's doing what he's doing with what cards. To do this, I try to see a lot of showdowns early, even if I have terrible cards.

IMHO, HU = raise or fold. Calling = bad unless you're trapping, drawing, or making a delayed bluff.

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]
IMHO, HU = raise or fold. Calling = bad unless you're trapping, drawing, or making a delayed bluff.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is very wrong against a player like me or usher. you will see why in due time. holla

[John Hurst]

My best advice would be to try and play the game near a roulette table. Constantly remark that the roulette table seems to be hitting certain numbers.

[IHateKeithSmart]

Agreed. Mixing it up is really the key. The villain described in OPs link is a good type to emulate.

Personally, I am more of a passive aggressive. I play the HU matches on stars a good amount, and my games can often take quite awhile. I have gotten lots of chat comments from villains that my style is very frustrating, which I take as a compliment.

[raptor517]

oh, btw, good luck with usher. hes pretty damn solid, and being the biggest luckbox in the world heads up doesnt hurt either [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] holla

[J-Lo]

raptor your avatar is broken, time for a new avatar?

I got my start playing HU .01-.02 on stars-- adjusting is important and staying agressive. The players there were very predictable. The players who i had the most trouble against were ones who were very very tight preflop/flop-- and then switched gears later, and start bluffing me on turn/river.