Strategies For Heads Up Play
Heads up no limit hold ‘em is an extremely exciting game to play. It can also be extremely volatile. Luck plays a huge factor, but like any other form of poker, skilled players are going to come out ahead over the long run.
When you’re on the button heads up, you’re also in the small blind. In almost every heads up structure that you’ll encounter, it’s generally correct to play any two cards on the button. If the blinds are 25/50, there’s 75 in the pot before the flop, and it only costs you another 25 to play. You’re getting 3-1 odds to call, and even if you hold 7-2 off suit, you’re only a little worse than 2-1 against any random hand, so calling is the correct play.
The only time when you shouldn’t at least call or raise any two cards from the button is when you’re playing an opponent who consistently raises when you limp in. If this is the case, you may want to fold some weaker hands, and start limping with your big hands in order to trap your opponent.
Position is huge in heads up play. You either have it or you don’t. Another thing you should understand is that hand values go way up compared to playing with more than two players. Any pair is huge heads up, any two big cards are a big hand, and more often than not, aggressive play will be just as much of a factor as being dealt good cards.
Being able to understand how your opponent approaches the game is also a very critical factor in heads up play. If you believe your opponent is a weak player, you might want to try and keep the pots fairly small, and beat him over the course of many different hands.
At the same time, if you’re playing a world class pro and feel you’re outmatched, you may want to push hard and force them into playing for all of their chips in a coin flip situation. This diminishes the skill factor and leaves more to chance.
A lot of heads up play comes down to playing well in marginal situations. There are going to be times when you have middle pair with a bad kicker, you’ll be facing a large bet, and you’ll have the best hand. There are other times when you’ll have top pair with a great kicker, facing a large bet, and be dominated by your opponents two pair.
This is why paying attention to your opponents tendencies is crucial. If you think you’re the better player, there may be situations where you’ll want to fold top pair types of hands. If your opponent is consistently making large bets to win small pots, you’re in a good position to wait for a strong hand in order to trap them for a large pot.
Heads up play is generally a battle of two unpaired hands. You’ll be forced to make big decisions with mediocre hands. There are many times when you’ll play correctly and still lose the match. Heads up play is fast and dirty. Play your opponent, force them to make marginal decisions, play aggressively, and try to trap with your legitimate hands.
It takes some practice and experience, but if you’re a smart player who can understand what your opponent is doing and how they approach the heads up game, you can exploit their weaknesses and come out a winner in the long run.