Heads-Up Limit Hold'em PF

[AlwaysWrong]

On one of the sites I play there is quite a bit of heads-up limit play, with the button being the small blind (unlike Stars).

From my observations, the majority of people limp in most of the time from the button. This seems wrong to me, as I want to push my positional advantage as much as possible, especially when A-high and K-high can win unimproved.

Here's a brief outline of some possible reasonings behind each possible pf strat:

1) Always limp - You get to see more flops in position, you might be able to play more hands than if you always raise (???), the pot is smaller on the flop, so your bet will have more levarage when your opponent checks, and you can throw away more marginal hands when your opponent leads into you.

2) Always raise - you push your advantage early, you don't give your opponent's really poor hands a chance to hit for free (they have to pay to play).

#1 and #2 share the property of not giving away much about your hand at the start.

3) Raise sometimes, limp sometimes - You can start pushing with your high card hands and go for odds with hands like 45s, 34s, 22.

Obviously with 3) you have to mix it up, limp with high cards hands sometimes, raise with drawing hands sometimes, limp re-raise sometimes, etc.

It's quite clear that against all but the worst opponents you have to mix up your play, but before the flop just doing the same thing every time seems like the most deceptive and most profitable play.

Comments?

[ALL1N]

With the SBB setup, raising every hand preflop from the SB is not far off the optimal strategy.

[naphand]

Only if your opponent is sometimes folding PF.

[Glenn]

"Only if your opponent is sometimes folding PF. "

No, this is irrelevant.

[Peter_rus]

HU I raise from SB 50% of hands and fold the rest. Never limp. If SB completes i raise 33% if hands. The rest i check.

[Glenn]

That is terrible. If you want to know why, go back like 2 years in the archives and look for my discussions with tewall.

[sqvirrel]

[ QUOTE ]
Concept one - you can play every hand in heads-up Hold’em and defeat an opponent who is not as good as you. In fact, it may not be a bad idea to even play every hand against anyone, including WCPs.

If you ask me, “How can you play every hand and win?” I will ask you,” What are you going to do with an opponent who raises every pot on the button and calls every raise when you have the button?”

The people who sit and wait for a hand, like they are in a ring game, will soon find they have lost numerous buy-ins in blinds. Others will often raise every pot on the button and call every raise when you have the button.

[/ QUOTE ]
Heads Up Poker

[Dov]

[naphand]

No it isn't, and it is a tactic that is easily countered. A cursory glance through the HU section in HFAP clearly exaplains why and when it is most effective.

[sqvirrel]

Link.