When to raise H.U. against a player who never folds pre-flop

bcubed72 · #1 08-13-2005, 01:36 AM

I was playing a $30+3 SNG tourney on Pacific Poker today. Eventually, it got down to HU action, me with T2500 and my opponent (an aggresive player) w/ T7500. As the chip lead seesawed back and forth, I noticed that he NEVER laid down a LB. This raises the question of when to raise. The standard I used for raises: 1. pocket pairs down to 66, 2. A-anything, 3. K-8 or better. I did okay against him (ultimately winning w/ 88), but I wonder if my strategy is sound. I am a winning tourney player, but have experienced fewer 1st place finishes than theroy predicts (10% 1st out of 46% ITM: about 120 sessions). How loose of a raiser should I be in this situation, and if I raise too loosely, aren't I opening the door to my opponent limping w/ KK or AA, only to reraise?

Bartman387 · #2 08-13-2005, 01:44 AM

I'm confused are asking when to reraise this guy from th BB because he keeps he never folds his SB or are you asking in general from either position, there is a big distinction.

Also I'm not sure how many follow this but I have adopted the style of at least always limping from the SB as Harrington talks about in HOH2. So he is probably playing this same style, get a hand that is top 20% and come over the top every couple of hands to keep him from running over you.

shejk · #3 08-13-2005, 01:50 AM

There's loads of factors here. Most importantly, did he fold more than he should postflop after he called your pf raise?

bluef0x · #4 08-13-2005, 02:03 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Also I'm not sure how many follow this but I have adopted the style of at least always limping from the SB as Harrington talks about in HOH2. So he is probably playing this same style, get a hand that is top 20% and come over the top every couple of hands to keep him from running over you.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it depends on the structure. In party format when it's headsup the blinds are often 250/500, if you call most of the time (vs a good opponent at least) you are going to lose 250chips when he raises allin over you.. which is quit alot in the 6s-33s.

HOH2 refers mostly to MTTs where early stages of headsup both players have huge stacks compared to blinds (Like D'agostino vs Ivey I think they both had 20-35BB's) In party, if it's even stacks at 250/500, each player has 8BB. Each time you limp/fold you are throwing away a shitload of chips.

Bartman387 · #5 08-13-2005, 02:08 AM

I understand, but doesn't Harrington say that the pot odds dictate that you at least complete every time, unless the BB has shown propensity to raise you in which case you start to fold with the bottom hands.

Maybe I have misapplied this or used it too often, but as I have understood he says to always call if villain keeps letting you.

lastchance · #6 08-13-2005, 02:14 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I understand, but doesn't Harrington say that the pot odds dictate that you at least complete every time, unless the BB has shown propensity to raise you in which case you start to fold with the bottom hands.

Maybe I have misapplied this or used it too often, but as I have understood he says to always call if villain keeps letting you.

[/ QUOTE ]
A hint: Harrington's wrong.

Push/folding is about push/folding. Any decent player is a maniac HU, and we're really not letting you see many flops.

verg · #7 08-13-2005, 11:52 AM

I think its very important to be agressive at the start of the HU because your opponent will fold quite a bit, but as they catch on to you, you may or may not want to slow down a little. When in the Sb i raise about 80% of the time to pick up the bb, but when they do call i have position.