HU Question

[Schneids]

You're playing someone HU in a SBB game and the opponent isn't totally clueless. Should you be open folding to him some pct of the time when he raises PF and you call in the BB and then flop air? What effect do you think this can have on your opponent? Is it worthwhile to pursue?

[timprov]

Maybe, if you like free cards more than check-raises.

I'm not sure of the terminology here. If by open-folding you mean folding on the flop, then yes.
It's always good to mix things up when playing HU, and there's no shame to admitting you have AIR by folding sometimes. After all, he won't know this until after he bets, so you really aren't giving out much info.

If open-folding means surrendering preflop with no action, then yes to that too. If your opponent pays attention, this will result in more liberal raises from him. Your play to combat that is to loosen your slow play standards for bigger hands and loosen your bluff standards on later streets.

[admiralfluff]

By open-folding he means folding on the flop when he has the option to check. The point would be to induce your opponent to give a free card. I don't play much HU, but I think you give more information than you gain in deception.

[brazilio]

This would seem to indicate to the opponent that when you check, you've got something more often worth getting involved.

For instance, say you fold 30% of the time at some random board when he bets to you but you open fold any significant percentage of time within that 30%, and you have another action the other 70% of the time c/r, c/c, what have you.

That would indicate to me that when you don't open fold, it's more heavily leaning towards you getting involved in the pot even if often you're going to be folding to his flop bet.

Getting the free card might make it worth it because it more clearly defines his hand as weak. At the same time, his flop bet when you check also more clearly defines his hand as strong(er).

[ALL1N]

haha seems like a cool image-enhancing trick at no cost. good one!

[admiralfluff]

The problem is, you're giving the opponent correct information. If you only open-fold air, your opponent will know you have a strogner range when you check. The information you gain from your oppoenent is a distorted reflection of the information you give to him by open-folding x% of the time. HE should obtain a more accurate definition of your range than you of his, and he'll be in position to boot.

OK, I understand now.

Being the opponent....
If someone is willing to open-fold like that, I'm more than happy to let him. I think it's a mistake as I would be checking some flops behind with air in order to disguise my monsters.

[ QUOTE ]
You're playing someone HU in a SBB game and the opponent isn't totally clueless. Should you be open folding to him some pct of the time when he raises PF and you call in the BB and then flop air? What effect do you think this can have on your opponent? Is it worthwhile to pursue?

[/ QUOTE ]
Did the standard check/bet options get too boring for you?

[cartman]

I think this is a fabulous idea. Your checks would certainly indicate some nonzero amount of strength because of this.

I had a related brainstorm a couple of days ago. Let's say you are heads up our of position after raising preflop against an opponent who will almost never fold the flop in a spot like this. If you wait a few seconds and then check, if he instabet then you would know that he had the bet/raise button checked, right? A pause of any kind would tell you that he wasn't going to raise the flop had you bet.

All of this is assuming that he uses the autobuttons ahead of time of course, which in a fast HU game is probably the case, right?

What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Cartman