Q5o and QJo: HU Party structure question

Nick C · #1 12-05-2005, 05:56 AM

I mostly play full, but I don't always leave when my tables go short, and sometimes I end up playing heads-up.

Which brings me to my question. Now that Party's heads-up structure is backwards, I'm less inclined to use a strategy I used to try out, which was to raise anything semi-reasonable from the Button until my opponent demonstrated he wasn't going to put up with it. (I don't know. It just seems less likely to work once my opponent has actually completed and thus has chosen to enter the pot.)

Also, during my last couple of heads-up encounters, I found myself completing with a lot of hands I would raise if I had position and defending with hands I would muck (versus a raise) if I were out of position. Does this sound reasonable? I'm not really sure what my preflop standards should be.

I guess my question is theoretical, but here are a couple of examples. The first is 3-handed, but it became heads-up when the Button folded:

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (3 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
1 fold, SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: (4 SB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB calls.

Turn: (3 BB) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB raises, Hero calls.

River: (7 BB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 9 BB

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (2 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Button posts a blind of $5.
Hero calls, Button (poster) checks.

Flop: (2 SB) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, Button calls.

Turn: (2 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, Button calls.

River: (4 BB) 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, Button raises, Hero 3-bets, Button caps, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 12 BB

Stefan_K · #2 12-05-2005, 06:04 AM

first hand i think you played fine

secound i rais preflop rest is fine

Nick C · #3 12-05-2005, 07:15 AM

[ QUOTE ]
secound i rais preflop rest is fine

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, maybe QJo is strong enough that I should be raising it simply for value.

The thing is, if I were SB and the Button, I'd be raising a wide range of hands, so my raises wouldn't give all that much away. But when I'm simply the SB and out of position, I'm less inclined to raise a wide range (partly because lately I've been defending my BB versus SB open-raises with anything that isn't complete garbage, which possibly isn't the best reason and maybe isn't something I should be doing so much either). It seems to me that it doesn't have to be a raise-or-fold situation, and I've been experimenting with doing a fair share of completing, with both pretty good and fairly mediocre hands. Against some opponents, I think keeping the pot small makes stealing on the flop easier, too.

But I'm not really sure what I should be doing. And while I don't play heads-up all that much, the situation also arises with some frequency at full tables, and I wish I had a better idea how to handle blind-vs.-blind battles from the SB.

scotty34 · #4 12-05-2005, 07:20 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, maybe QJo is strong enough that I should be raising it simply for value.

[/ QUOTE ]

HU I raise Q5o for value

Nick C · #5 12-05-2005, 07:29 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, maybe QJo is strong enough that I should be raising it simply for value.

[/ QUOTE ]

HU I raise Q5o for value

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, okay, but here's what PokerStove just told me:

---
2,097,572,400 games 5.699 secs 368,059,729 games/sec

Board:
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) / tie (%)

Hand 1: 50.1201 % [ 00.48 00.02 ] { Qd5h }
Hand 2: 49.8799 % [ 00.48 00.02 ] { random }

---

I realize we may have some folding equity too, but we are also out of position.

#6 12-05-2005, 08:28 AM

your HU theories are right on the money.
it is very awkward to switch styles of heads-up, but it shouldn't be too hard to adjust. just play the way you normally do when it is folded to you in the SB.

as for the hands, hand 1 is an obvious trap unless villain has a history of not keeping the initiative heads-up. check the flop, fold UI whenever he gets around to betting.

hand 2 raise preflop.