General Headsup Poker Strategyby Chichi@headsuppoker.com |
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When you have come down to heads up and all that remains between you and a bracelet is one more player, the rules are quite different. You are not playing a different game, but you are playing a different numbers game. A two player field means most hands must be played. All hands become playable and aggression must be opened up even more to successfully gain chips and control. Every opportunity to steal a blind must be capitalized.
Be focused on playing the player more than the cards. This is obviously more manageable in live play, however, tendencies can be analyzed and interpreted on the Internet - making tells a possibility. A tell successfully read through a computer may be the timing of a bet or check, whereas when playing poker in person the reads become more personal and less robotic. Much can be read in someones eyes or in their posture. Or if you want to work some answers out of them, get them to speak, it matters not what about - just analyze the way they answer the questions. When playing heads up, you must take the lead, you must be in control. Many better than average players become weak in a short handed environment. When heads up, this style of play must be exploited by raising. Advanced plays become more defined and distinct to make as the number of opponents shrinks. At all times be on alert for weakness in your opponents hand, when you see weakness – raise. You will find that in a competitive intense heads up battle, a substantial portion of hands do not make it to the flop. This is because a battle of aggression is taking place preflop as should be the case if two tight-aggressive solid players are facing off. So for example: Your opponent has raised about half of the hands over the course of the most recent three dozen hands. This tendency can be exploited in a number of ways. An advanced method to utilize against this type of super aggression is to "catch his bluff" or simply raising his constant “betting with nothing” tendency. When your opponent raises and continuation bets the flop and it is crystal clear obvious to you that he has nothing - you can raise him off his hand or you can even just smooth call. If your opponent truly has nothing it will be difficult for him to muster another continuation bet if you smooth call (particularly if you time your call to act as if though you may have the nuts - when playing online or live- this technique can be applied). Always remember if a player is raising half of the time preflop - more than half of the time he is doing so, his hand is likely very weak. The blinds become an issue for all players near the end of tournaments. Timing your blind steals on a short stack is essential all while noticing other players stacks and calculating the likelihood of them liking their hands if you raise. This same strategy must be installed when playing heads up in order to maintain control/dominance of the heads up match. When you see any opening - exploit it. Your opponent limps in and you KNOW he will fold if you raise, then raise! There is never anything wrong with winning a pot without showing your hand. When doing so the success rate is always 100%. Whereas if you get all your chips in heads up with AA and get called by a fish with 33 - you are going to lose one out of five times. Never be upset if players fold to your raises and you have a monster - 100% winning is 100% winning. Exposure to being bust in a tournament must be limited and avoided whenever possible. Always protect big hands, don't let players draw free - and of course do less trapping. HeadsupPoker.com Law #1The key to heads up poker is AGGRESSION!Remember you are playing the poker player, you are playing what the opposing poker player thinks of you and last of all you are playing the cards. |
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