Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

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prima has 10/20 and 20/40 HU tables

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How bad is the rake?

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

One thought not mentioned so far: the average pot size of the hands he plays out of position will be less than average pot size of the hands he plays in position.

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

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Not to side track this too much but where are you playing head's up poker and at what stakes? I'd like to play some at the 10-20 to 15-30 level. At party/stars you are lucky to get a few hands in before someone else joins the table.

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When I play heads up its at 5/10 and 10/20 at Absolute (usually on 6max tables). The traffic is light enough where you can get in some decently long sessions before people sit down usually.

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Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

I think this strategy is fine (close to optimal) against an opponent who always bets the flop when checked to. If the opponent frequently checks, I am pretty sure it's sub-optimal.

-v

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

Are Dreamclown's opponents adjusting? It seems like this strategy can be taken advantage of by raising any 2 preflop and checking behind a good # of flops (with made hands too, of course).

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

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Are Dreamclown's opponents adjusting? It seems like this strategy can be taken advantage of by raising any 2 preflop and checking behind a good # of flops (with made hands too, of course).

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What does checking behind flops do to counter the strategy? Just takes the battle to the turn instead of the flop and offers another variable that can be exploited if not randomized perfectly (flop check %).

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

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Are Dreamclown's opponents adjusting? It seems like this strategy can be taken advantage of by raising any 2 preflop and checking behind a good # of flops (with made hands too, of course).

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What does checking behind flops do to counter the strategy? Just takes the battle to the turn instead of the flop and offers another variable that can be exploited if not randomized perfectly (flop check %).

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I haven't thought about this that much, but to help demonstrate my point, consider an opponent who NEVER checkraises the flop but is otherwise solid. If we bet the turn every time after betting the flop, then his strategy becomes respectable (especially because bets double, but ignore that), since he makes up for lost flop value on the turn, and he gets to see the turn card before making a decision. So, if we counter our opponent's strategy by checking behind the turn when we wish, then his strategy is no longer sound. It magnifies our positional advantage by allowing us to bet the flop with impunity, knowing that we'll never get checkraised and can always take a free card.

The above situation obviously differs from the one we're discussing. But, I think it shows that Dreamclown's strategy allows his opponents to raise any 2 preflop with complete impunity, since they always have the option of seeing both the flop and the turn without getting played back at. IMO, it'd be foolish to never take advantage of this.

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

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What does checking behind flops do to counter the strategy?

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It increases the button's positional advantage.

The button has the option of selectively checking behind and taking the free-card or betting when he likes the flop, knowing full-well that Big Blind's average hand is stronger than it would otherwise be if he was 3-betting pre-flop.

Big Blind's whole game-plan is to forfeit some value (an extra SB) by not ever raising pre-flop, with the expectation that he will get that value back on the flop with a check-raise. And he prefers to do it on the flop because he'll have gained flop information. All Button has to do is not go along with Small Blind's grand plan and check behind him more liberally than he usually would.

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

very interesting.

if youre going to 3bet your monsters preflop then you also have to balance it with 3betting some weaker hands as well for deception. dreamclown has gone a different route with deception in never 3betting out of position preflop which allows him to not 3bet marginal hands.

i could be wrong about this, but if youre going to never 3bet out of position it is to conceal the strength of your hand so that you win alot of bets postflop. in order to extract alot of bets postflop due to deception, your opponent would have to play his paired hands very aggressively for alot of bets and the only way to make an opponent go alot of bets with his pairs is to overplay your hands or play them very hard. this is demonstrated by the A5o hand that oreogod posted where dreamclown goes alot of bets with a pair of 5s.

never 3betting preflop might be an excellent strategy but it might only be optimal if your opponent is very aggressive postflop like neverwin is. i really cannot see never 3betting as a viable strategy against passive opponents who go straight into calldown mode after being checkraised.

its also possible that dreamclown regularly does 3bet out of position from the BB but decided not to hear against this caliber of opponent. maybe he thought neverwin wouldnt adjust properly to his preflop smoothcalls since its not a standard line of play? id be interested to hear reports of dreamclown never 3betting out of position against other players or if he 3bets against some at all. i really have no idea how he plays.

Re: Heads Up Strategy Question
 

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never 3betting preflop might be an excellent strategy but it might only be optimal if your opponent is very aggressive postflop like neverwin is. i really cannot see never 3betting as a viable strategy against passive opponents who go straight into calldown mode after being checkraised.


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At the limits these guys play I think you rarely come across passive opponents. I'd also bet the few that you might come across don't last long. Just my impressions.

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