100-200 heads up hand

[J_V]

This hand is a great heads up limit holdem player and a pretty good heads omaha player.

I'm on the button. (Small blind) What percentage of hands are you raising?

Which of these five will you raise?

Jc 2c 6s 8h
Qc Qh Ts 2s
6h 6s 9h 9s
Kh Qh Jd 3h
Ac 6c 9c Jc

I have my thoughts, I'm just curious how most players are thinking.

Our opponent is an 8/10 on the aggressiveness scale for this level.

[Wintermute]

[ QUOTE ]
This hand is a great heads up limit holdem player and a pretty good heads omaha player.

I'm on the button. (Small blind) What percentage of hands are you raising?



[/ QUOTE ]

20% ballpark.

[ QUOTE ]

Which of these five will you raise?

Jc 2c 6s 8h
Qc Qh Ts 2s
6h 6s 9h 9s
Kh Qh Jd 3h
Ac 6c 9c Jc


[/ QUOTE ]
None on a routine basis, maybe 1 and 4 once in a while for advertising, shania, etc.

[J_V]

You are going to play a heads up blind game and only raise 20% of your buttons? Let's think about that one. From a Theory of Poker standpoint, do you see anything horribly wrong with this plan?

[Wintermute]

[ QUOTE ]
You are going to play a heads up blind game and only raise 20% of your buttons? Let's think about that one. From a Theory of Poker standpoint, do you see anything horribly wrong with this plan?

[/ QUOTE ]

No.

Of course, I haven't read theory of poker. So there's that.

[J_V]

Well it seems to reason that you should raise at least your top 50% of your hands as they are likely to be the best hand and you have position.

I like to raise in the 75% range because hands run very neutral in omaha and postion is so important. Most good players in both HE and O8 HU raise lots of buttons.

Don't you get more value out of your position by not raising? I mean, lets say position lets you control the size of the pot by plus or minus one big bet (primarily because you can choose to check behind on the turn or river). The larger the pot, the less effect that 1 BB has on your EV as a percentage. Going back to the TOP, your opponent is probably making smaller mistakes in a big pot then in a small one. Of course, if he folds too much than you definitely want to enlarge the pot.

[gergery]

[ QUOTE ]
No. You get more value by putting more money in the pot with the best hand. If you do this all the big pots will be played with your opponent in position.

[/ QUOTE ]

But 4 of 5 hands you list are unlikely to be the best hand. And if you are called, they are going to be the best hand even less frequently than that.


[ QUOTE ]
I think everyone is underestimating Jc 2c 6s 8h. I'm pumping it 100%.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why do you think this is so good? Bill Boston’s book rates it 4136/5200, putting it not even in the top 75% of hands. His sims are not poker, but still. And if you hit a decent hand like two pair or trips then its likely your opponent has low, or at minimum it will be hard to jam him with confidence.

I don’t disagree with raising a lot from the button, but how you’d play these necessarily, as long as you are mixing your game up.

[Phat Mack]

[ QUOTE ]
Well it seems to reason that you should raise at least your top 50% of your hands as they are likely to be the best hand and you have position.

I like to raise in the 75% range because hands run very neutral in omaha and postion is so important. Most good players in both HE and O8 HU raise lots of buttons.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're on the right track, but need to figure out what makes a better than average heads up O8 hand. It may be a little counterintuitive. Look at the difference between 9966ss and 8866ss.

Here's a freeware sim that might interest you:

pokercalculator

[Ironman]

JV,

When I play heads up in the small blind, if I'm coming into a hand...I'm raising. I don't know if it's 90%...but it's a lot.

Hands 2, 3, 4, and probably 5 are being raised.

But...I don't play this high.

Dave

[DougShrapnel]

Depending on a varity of factors.
prder of hands I like to play HU

Ac 6c 9c Jc normaly raise

Qc Qh Ts 2s normaly raise

Kh Qh Jd 3h flip a coin raise

Jc 2c 6s 8h raise only when a steal is likely to succeed

6h 6s 9h 9s raise only when a steal is likely to succeed