Heads up Tips

[Wyte22]

Recently, I started playing on another site and had mixed results but I noticed one thing, MOST people do not know how to play heads up tourneys.

- Conservative players do NOT make it in the long run in Heads up Tourneys. There's a very low probability that conservative players will get hands that fit their "playable" catoregy.

This is not to say, "Ok, let's re-raise everything including the kitchen sink with 62o" but waitting for the big cards is just pushing the win to the other guy.


- When you have a sizeable lead over your opp. (Say your +600) over him. Slow down alittle bit. I am WAY gulity of this. I am hyper-aggressive in HU tourneys and I find when I don't slow down once I get them under 1000 chips, they will come right back. Which leads me to my next point.

- When they are under 800 chips (for a fairly tight player) or 1000 chips (for the more aggressive), be prepared to get moved in with any two cards by your opp. If they sense weakness, they will move in, plain and simple. This is the absolute best time to work on your traps Even if the blinds are low, people will still put you to the test, unless you got top pair with a good kicker, don't even consider it unless you have a tell on that person (online tells = betting patterns/style).

- Even if your ultra, super-duper, pedal to the metal, I moved in before the cards are even dealt, do fold SOME, to give credit to your bluffs. If you consistently re-raise, and re-raise everytime, you will fail at bluffing, and you will lose alot of chips trying.

- Lastly, play small ball early, take the $80-120 pots in the early blinds, build it up, SHOWDOWN good hands, play aggressive solid poker and then once the blinds get to $25/$50, start mixing in some bluffs, anything before that, just isn't worthwhile in my opinion. What I mean by SHOWDOWN good hands (This only applies to upper level HU tourneys where people actually pay attention; the lower levels seems to be a crap shoot at best), is be willing to show him the AQ if he has AK, let your opp know that you do play good cards aggressively and your nature is aggression BUT don't try to bluff in the first few minutes, you might as well quit there and give your opp the win unless you catch monsters and he doesn't believe you

Your thoughts? I think a good HU thread would do some good and break people out of the boredom of full ring and 6max tables

[wilsonmja]

These are good tips. I'm pretty week heads up, but some of these principles I have been applying as of late and it's getting better.

[PointerJake]

Some pretty solid tips! I have to say I agree with all of them. Heads up poker is a true battle. Try not and let it get down to a coin flip.

[captainbirdseye]

when i play heads up tourneys i play a different way
basically if ur better than your opponent according to sharkscope then u try and play as many small pots as possible wit them as you are a better player. Thus there is no need to play hyper agressive as this takes the play out of it which works in thier favour

[Wyte22]

Originally Posted by captainbirdseye when i play heads up tourneys i play a different way basically if ur better than your opponent according to sharkscope then u try and play as many small pots as possible wit them as you are a better player. Thus there is no need to play hyper agressive as this takes the play out of it which works in thier favour

aww yes, I love people like you play small pots with me......I played a guy yesterday who saw my sharkscope (which is really bad but that's another story)....Thought he could small ball me into a victory for him, he lost the tourney by hand 10, I kept stealing from him, and when he finally got nerve to stand up, I was holding the nuts

Aggression is much needed in HU play!! HU play without aggression is like trying to drive your car up a hill with no gas in it, you only gonna go backwards.

Now Like I said, I don't recommend being ALL IN, raise it like you ain't got it, kind of aggression but I mix in alot of raises and ALL-INs with my play just to vary it. I play in a style that you NEVER know what I have, where you are in the hand or when I will set you all in, and yes it has bit me on the @$$ a few times but I am winning better than 78% of my HU matches over 150 games soo far

Now story: My sharkscope is horrible because I have trouble adjusting from HU to 6-9max SnGs, and I tend to overdo the aggression on those lol.