Just lost heads up for WSOP package . . .

[yabastid]

Man this hurts. Played really good poker for over 3 hours to get heads up with slight chip advantage. Then went card dead. UGGGH! This one is stinging. Blinds were 6,000/12,000 (Stack about 130,000) and guy miniraised PF almost every hand. Called a couple of times and flop was no help. Got down to 5BB's and raised half my stack with K10o. He went into tank then called. Flop comes x,10,J (2 spades). I push he thinks, then calls. Flips Qs8s and rivers flush. Did I say this hurts. He played well though.

Thanks to everyone for all the help in this forum, my game is so much better than it was just months ago.

Now you can call the WAAAAAHBULANCE. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[betgo]

With blinds 6000/12000 and stacks 130000, if the guy is minirasing practically every hand, I would be inclined to push if I play a hand rather than call. You also might bet some of the flops you missed.

Also, you mention raising half your stack with 5xBB. If you are going to do that, you should probably put the rest in no matter what hits. With 11xBB and less, I would just open push when I wanted to play a hand.

[burningyen]

Congrats on getting that far. I'm no expert, but I don't think there's any such thing as being "card dead" when heads up. 1/2 the time you have the better hand, whether or not you hit the flop. And when your opponent has the better hand, you will often be able to convince him otherwise. I.e. be aggressive and switch gears. You might want to consider playing a lot of full-table or heads up SnGs to get better at heads up. It's completely different even from 3-handed.

[betgo]

This is good advice in general for heads up, but when both players are this short stacked, I just push if I have any kind of hand.

[yabastid]

[/ QUOTE ] Also, you mention raising half your stack with 5xBB. If you are going to do that, you should probably put the rest in no matter what hits. With 11xBB and less, I would just open push when I wanted to play a hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

yes

[ptmusic]

Was this the final Bodog guaranteed tourney? I made it to the last 2 tables. At that point everyone at the table was <20BB, most <10BB. It was an all-in fest with bad beat/suckouts aplenty. I gave and I received!

It was fun, but I was so close I could taste it. I'm sure you felt that even more.

I'm still going to try elsewhere....

-ptmusic

[A_PLUS]

Tough one bro. For some reason, missing out on WSOP packages always hurts worse than losing $$

[MicroBob]

I hear ya.
That's gotta sting.

First time I got heads-up for a WSOP package I had a big chip-lead....then blew it...then sucked-out with my 33 vs. 88 (3 on the river) and then went on to actually win the seat.
Would have stung to lose but I got REALLY lucky.


From the sound of your post it seems you were playing REALLY passive heads-up and he was pushing you around and taking advantage of you.
I can't see how a 2.5xBB raise with just a 5BB stack would be a very good idea.
Others in this thread seem to agree with me.
Heads-up play is a different animal and you have to play pretty aggressively and sometimes need to ALWAYS operate on the assumption that the flop was VERY likely to have completely missed your opponent (which is true).

Even though it's limit...the heads-up advice in HEFAP is a worthwhile read (in the short-handed play section).
Sklansky points out how a strategy of ALWAYS raising can be profitable if against an opponent who doesn't come back at you enough and/or doesn't realize what's happening to them.

His strategy of ALWAYS 2xBB probably wasn't too incorrect if you were playing as passively as I think you might have been.


My heads-up play got better (not great...just better than how sucky I was before) back when UB did their SNG-crazy promotion last July and I played a TON of 6-max SNG's so found myself in a LOT of 3-handed and heads-up battles (with still pretty deep stacks).
doing the pushing-around is MUCH better than BEING pushed-around if your opponents will let themselves be pushed like that.


I suspect you were folding anytime the flop missed you...and that you were folding a lot to his pre-flop raises.


Still, I don't agree though with the other poster that it is so impossible to go card-dead heads-up.

I was in a heads-up tourney yesterday and I got so many 92o's that it REALLY sucked.

Every time I had JJ or AK or something where I'm licking my chops would also coincide with the rare occasion that he would fold his SB to me.


I suspect this poster's situation though was a combination of going somewhat card-dead AND also being pushed-around and not being aggressive enough and willing to take chances (as indicated by the 2.5xBB raise with only 5BB stack which I just think is kind of bad).

[yabastid]

Hey, guys.

Thanks for the support. Today has been difficult just thinking about what I missed.
I've played a fair amount of HU on Stars to try and improve my game and I have been pretty successful. I do think that I was card dead- lots of 92o, J2o, 83o and once I had AJs and 66 both of which my opponent folded to my PF raise. I did call his miniraises PF with 45o and 89o. Both times I whiffed and both times I was called when I bet out. Then I'd check the turn and he'd bet and I'd fold. Anyway, perhaps I couldn't shift gears fast enough and when it sank in what I was playing for I may have tightened up and been too passive.

MicroBob:
I really appreciate you taking the time for the extended post- lots of it makes sense. I've played many heads up matches and caught flop after flop and just been hot. I don't know if this is what happened with this guy but it sure seemed like it was. And if it wasn't he did a great job of giving that impression. I should have pushed the K10o and then again, who knows if it would have been the same result. I also found it hard to call a raise with 92o, 73o, and 62o- should I? and push if I catch any piece of the flop? Today is tough I'll get over it and hopefully soon other successes are around the corner.

Thanks,

yabastid