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Author : Kevin Leverett (Blackinks on THF)
Article Written : 9th October 2006
Heads up play is probably one of the least understood concepts in poker, as most strategy is geared towards full table play. Think about it… we rarely play heads up. The only practice a lot of players get in heads up is when either the tourney goes heads up, or the SB/BB confrontations. But, with some good strategy, and knowing some simple facts, heads up can be much easier.
- Fact 1: There are 1,326 different possible starting hands in Hold ‘Em. There are 78 ways to make a possible pocket pair preflop. That means that you will only hold a pocket pair 1 out of every 8 hands on average.
- Fact 2: If one player only gets a pocket pair 1 out of 8 hands, the odds of both players having a pocket pair preflop drops to 1 in 17. This means that the majority of confrontations in heads up play are just pocket pair vs. big cards, or big cards vs. big cards. If you have a good pair, 10’s or higher, and he re-raises you, it’s likely he just has big cards. Pair over pair situations heads up are extremely rare.
- Fact 3: Calling and Raising standard drop during heads up. With less players in the hand, you cannot wait for premium hands to play. They just will not come often enough. While K-10 offsuit is not playable in early position at a nine-handed table, it is actually much stronger heads up. It’s only behind pocket pairs, ace-x, or a bigger K (domination). Domination is when both players share a card, but one player has a bigger kicker (example: AK, vs A8s). Also, keep in mind that drawing hands are weaker heads up. Flushes and straights are more rare heads up, so you have to play a more solid style. Remember that being suited pre-flop only give you about a 2-3% edge post-flop over the same two cards unsuited. If they aren’t worth playing offsuit, they just are not worth playing for the simple fact that they are suited. Now, this is not to say that you should never draw to your hand heads up. Only draw if the implied odds make it favorable.
- Fact 4: You are getting pot odds to call pre-flop. In the small blind, you are getting 3 to 1 to call. You can call with virtually any two cards. It helps if your opponent is passive, but you can call. This does not mean that you should call a raise with rags, but occasionally even this can work out. Do you remember what Joe Hachem won the WSOP Main Event with? He took it down with 7-3 offsuit ; yeah, it does help when you flop the straight, but rags do occasionally take it down, and it is a good way to change gears. On the flip side of this coin, you can also start folding your small blinds often, and lull your opponent into thinking that you are waiting on good hands. Then when you wake up and bet, he will be more likely to give you credit for a hand.
- Fact 5: Position is vital in heads up play. At a full table, position can be a little dodgy. You may raise from middle or late position, but unless you are the button, there is no guarantee that someone in later position will not enter the pot. Heads up position is static. If you are the button, you have the disadvantage of acting first pre-flop, but it shifts to the advantage of having position post flop throughout the entire hand. As such, I advocate playing more aggressively when out of position. Try to end the hand quicker when you are at the disadvantage.
General Strategy
There are really two ways of playing heads up. We’ll call them “small ball” and “long ball”. Small ball refers to a grinding method, where you try to keep the pots smaller, and force solid play post flop. Long ball is the big bet, big raise play. Your chip stack, along with your natural style of play generally dictates which strategy you use. When you are heads up, with a large chip lead (at least 4 or 5 to 1), you need to use your chip lead to your advantage. Be more willing to play your coin flips. If you have a 4 to 1 lead, you only need to win one of two coin flips to end the match. If your chip stacks are relatively even, it’s more advantageous to play small ball. You want to grind him down through solid play to take a big chip lead. Wait for the key hands to really make big moves. This makes getting away from marginal hands post flop much easier, and simplifies your decision making process, while still looking for positive expected value situations to arise. Once you have the big lead, then switch it up. Put your opponent to the test with aggressive play. If you are the short stack (he has you more than 4 to 1)… you have to play long ball. You just don’t have the chip stack to grind it out. You have to find your hand and double up. Put him to the test with any good hand (top 15% or so).
General Tips
Play your game. If you entered a STT or an MTT, you got to heads up for a reason. It is obvious that you know what you are doing, and probably have your own style. If you are very aggressive, and suddenly change to being passive, it will not work. Mix in your style with knowledge and patience.
Study your opponent, and test him. Watch what he is showing if a hand goes to the end, and keep notes on it. It gives you ranges of hands that he plays, and you will notice tendencies, such as overvaluing paint, or playing draws too aggressively. These will come in handy in tough situations, where you can turn your hand into a winner.
I rarely slow play hands heads up, pre-flop (less than 20% of the time), as it cuts down on the possible value that you will get. Post flop, however is different. If he is willing to call a raise pre-flop, and you flop a monster, give your opponent a chance to commit himself before you push him out of the pot. If you can feign weakness long enough, he will often try to buy the pot, knowing he cannot win it in the showdown.
When in doubt, err on the side of aggression. Force your opponent to make the hard decisions. Heads up is not the time for the timid. Heads up is a battle of wills, and if you can frustrate your opponent, this can be a huge edge. It can force him to make the mistakes that can be a key to your success. The winner of a heads up match is generally who makes the least mistakes. Yes, you can get outdrawn, but positive value is always positive value. In the long run, you will come out a winner.
Practice your heads up play. Most online poker sites offer Heads Up Sit n Go’s for a pretty cheap buy in. Play several in a row, and keep at it. If you notice you are losing regularly, pull the hand histories and review to see where your leaks are. If you play live also, get a friend or two that play, and run a series of heads up matches for low buy in. Try to play several matches against players with different styles. Not everyone plays the same way heads up. You need to be familiar with each style of player you could end up facing. This practice will help out immensely when you are fortunate enough to make it to heads up for big money
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