[sweetjazz]

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His short term luck was just that, and i'm fine with that. But I've realized that I depend on people making folds too much. I'm too aggressive and this hurts against these types of opponents.


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Unknowingly, your friend had a decent heads-up strategy. Even so, it can be countered.

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I know I should tighten up, bluff less, value bet more. Doing this effectively has proved difficult, especially if my opponents can feel the change and start betting into me relentlessly...I want to get to showdown more with mediocre hands rather than pushing them, but getting too passive headsup is death...

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Why do you say getting too passive headsup is death? Yes, in certain situations it is, but if you find someone who will bluff bet with 7 high throughout a hand, then calling down with K high has more value. Also, your friend should be stealing some pots from you from time to time. If he's not willing to let you steal any pots, then you will value bet him to death. (Of course, there's nothing you can do if you run card dead for a stretch of time.)

Some basic tips:
* Play more hands in position than out of position. You have more control of how many bets go into the pot when you're in position.
* Smooth-call the flop more often with top pair or medium pair, with the intention of raising the turn much of the time. (Of course, you should always reassess your plan based on what card falls on the turn.)
* A good hand to play passively is an A high or K high flush draw. Your hand has marginal showdown value and lots of outs to improve. Wait until you hit before raising and generally plan on seeing a showdown.