Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 39
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Ultimate Bet actually has a decent and fairly extensive guide on heads-up play. Here is a couple of tips I have discovered from various web sites/books and my own experience in heads-up tournaments.
1. Don't start a HU tournament with a particular mind set. Some players think you have to be extremely aggressive to win heads up but this simply isnt true. Being able to adjust to your opponent is crucial and whoever is able to do it quicker/more effectively will usually win.
2. Play opposite your opponents style if he is playing to an extreme. If he is being very aggressive and overbetting the pot/raising huge often, you should actually tighten up and wait for a chance to trap him. Let him steal those little pots 5 hands in a row, you will make it all back plus more in one big hand. NEVER go all in preflop against this opponent with coin flip situations! He will eventually bluff at the wrong flop and you can take his stack with much less risk. If on the other hand your opponent is playing weak/tight, by all means steal as many pots as you think he will tolerate. If he raises over top of you or calls you need to be very cautious.
3. Be the bettor. HU rewards the bettor more than full ring games or even short tables. In order to call you must have the best hand, in order to bet you only need to think there is a reasonable chance your opponent will fold. Most of the hands you play heads up will never see a showdown and therefore you want to be the one with 2 chances of winning: hitting your hand or folding your opponent out.
4. Draws will be your demise. Unless you are the one betting your draw as a semi-bluff, dont call on flush or str8 draws alone. In order to call a draw you need pot odds but with only 2 players you are almost always getting horrible odds on your draw.
5. Sometimes making a call on the river is correct if the amount you stand to loose doesnt hurt you nearly as much as the amount your opponent stands to lose. For example, if you have 1700 chips, your opponent has 700 chips, and he makes a 300 chip bet on the river. If you lose this pot you will still be very much in the game but if your opponent loses he will be in serious trouble. And regardless of the outcome you can probably get a better read on him so I say go for it.
6. Finally, never risk all your chips calling your opponent's BIG all-in unless you are fairly certain you have him beat or you are already pot committed. If you are paying careful attention to his style then you are usually the favorite to win, dont throw the entire game away just because you "think" hes bluffing. You have to KNOW hes bluffing or its just not worth the risk of calling. If youre going to put a lot of chips in the middle, you are much better off being the one who does it first.
Ok hope this helps, if anyone has something to add or correct please feel free.
~scotty
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