Tips on Heads Up Poker Strategy
There are only three parts to a great Heads Up Poker strategy:
- Luck
- Winning (This sounds obvious but there is a difference between you winning and your opponent losing)
- Making your opponent lose
You have no influence over the first method but you can master the second and third.
Conventional wisdom encourages a loose-aggressive style of play for winning Heads Up (if you are not familiar with the four styles of poker play, see the explanation at the end of this article) but this is not always the wisest decision.
When a game has reached the Heads Up or Short Table stage, all bets are off. It is the time when 99% of players throw caution to the wind and bravado becomes the key difference between players.
A smart poker player will not totally abandon their own natural style of play at the Heads Up stage. Rather, they will combine their own style with a combination of the other three to confuse and unnerve their opponent. A confused opponent is a losing opponent and all that is left for you to do is cement your win.
This is an (almost) foolproof way to win. Add in a little luck and you can walk away from the table smiling every time.
A few tips to remember
- There are only two of you left at the table which means you are playing against only two whole cards instead of twelve or more. This gives you much better odds of holding the best hand. Unfortunately, it also gives your opponent the same great odds. If you incorporate a certain amount of aggression into your normal style, while still retaining the more passive elements like minimizing the number of bluffs you make, your chances of winning increase.
- The blinds are big. This means that if your normal playing style is tight or passive, you will lose your bankroll if you constantly fold, waiting for the high pairs or strong face combinations. Again, the best way to combat this is to throw a few bluffs in (unless luck is on your side and you are dealt hand after hand of high pairs or face cards). Don´t allow bluffing to become predictable though. Bluffing - and other aggressive play - will become as predictable as constantly folding. Try to bluff around one in four hands to throw your opponent off your game.
- Good Heads Up poker strategy allows your own natural style to be adapted. If you are a tight or passive player, begin to consider the cards differently. If you would normally fold on a pair of tens or lower, try only folding on a pair of fives or lower. Remember that you are only facing down two cards and Heads Up is not a game for the faint of heart. If you are normally an aggressive player, try a more passive style for around a third of all hands. Fold on any pair below nines. Make it obvious to your opponent what you are doing. Your change in playing style is likely to occupy enough of their attention for them to become distracted from their own game, giving you a better chance of identifying their strategy as their play becomes sloppier.
- When you are playing a full table, it is often easy to pass the time watching TV or surfing the net while you wait for other players to make their move. Under NO circumstances should you allow this to happen when you are in the middle of a Heads Up game. This is a really easy mistake to make and is the kind of thing you should let your opponent do. Taking as much time as you can in between plays will make an opponent bored and their attention will hopefully wander. Giving them enough rope to hang themselves with is a sneaky way to win your game, but all’s fair in love and poker.
- Always fold a 2-7 hole deal. No matter what style of player you are, unless you are going for the mother of all bluffs, stay away from this hand. It is the lowest possible combination you can be dealt that doesn’t give you a shot at a straight on the flop.
- Expect less of your opponent. Heads Up poker strategy is like exam strategy: This work will never be anyone’s best, so don’t look for perfection. It’s amazing how many good players lose it in a Heads Up situation, so don’t think it’s an amazing bluff when your opponent begins to be so obvious in their play that they are practically sending you a letter. The chances are that they really are that stressed and you really can take an advantage. It’s like fishing with dynamite. Too easy.
Your best Heads Up poker strategy always begins with keeping a cool head. This might be the first time you have made it this far, probably after hours days and weeks of being picked off the tables, but try to treat it as if it the first table you have sat at all day. Be calm and enjoy. There’s nothing like a Heads Up win.
Info Box - The four styles of poker player
Tight-agressive: Will wait for big hands and then bets wildly. Dangerous when skilled and also one to emulate if you are new to Texas Hold Em
Loose-agressive: Possibly the most dangerous style of player. The kind who will raise pre-flop (sometimes without checking their hole cards)
Tight passive: Almost never bluffs and will wait for the killer hands. If a large raise is seen from this player, other players wisely fold.
Loose passive: Usually a new player. Undefined playing style without courage or understanding.
Thank you to Imogen Moore for this “Heads Up Poker Strategy” article. |
