Heads-up. General game strategy
Previously (or “one-on-one”) was a rare occurrence. The idea of poker in general involves several opponents, so heads-up was played very infrequently. Casinos were rarely arranged heads-up games, because in this case they would have to allocate many more dealers and separate tables to accommodate a large number of pairs of players.
However, as the popularity of tournaments grew, more and more opportunities appeared, since a tournament cannot be won without a final meeting, when heads-up poker is at stake(of course, unless the finalists agree to end the tournament in a draw). Moreover, with the growing popularity of online poker, it has become very easy to select a couple of players who would like to play heads-up, and for this there would no longer be a need to allocate a table and a dealer.
Principles and rules of the heads-up game
A one-on-one poker game is quite simple if we already have some experience in playing regular poker. Actually, it’s much easier to understand heads-up as poker with fewer players. However, there are some nuances. Heads-up is quite complicated. Here the player necessarily makes decisions for each hand, taking into account the characteristics of the opponent, and online he cannot play many tables at the same time. That is, this is not the case when you open twenty nine-max tables and “grind” the rake.. Heads-Up poker is “tailored” for experienced players who know how to adapt to the opponent and outplay him in the literal sense. T Since in "heads up" the player has only one opponent, it is necessary to put in a lot of effort to defeat him. And in most cases, statistics that are aggregated using special programs like . And if we have a new opponent in front of us, then next time it will be much easier for us.
When playing heads-up, as a rule, variations of no-limit Texas hold'em are used. Poker with a limit and, for example, with a pot limit, like Stud, is not the best suited for heads-up play, but is theoretically possible. The main difference between heads-up and Texas Hold'em, as a full-fledged poker, is as follows - in heads-up, the dealer starts with. That is, the small blind goes in front, last in subsequent rounds; and in full-fledged poker, for example, the small blind is already second to last before the flop, but after the flop - first.
Otherwise the game is on according to usual. Traditionally, players start heads-up poker with the same number of chips. In tournaments, players will continue their play until one of them wins all of the opponent's chips. In the game in Heads-Up Poker With cash, players can start with a different number of chips, but can buy them an unlimited number of times until one of the players gives up.
IN Lately, in we see a certain picture: dozens of regulars sit at different limits at heads-up tables, waiting for fish or weak opponents. This is that feature modern poker, which must be taken into account and try not to fall into other people’s networks scattered in the online poker ocean. Fish hunters (
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Basic winning styles in Heads-up
There is a lot of information out there today about one on one play and for some people it is their main source of income.
Today, there are quite a large number of styles of winning games in Heads-up, which are united by only one thing - the player’s aggression. Each of these styles allows you to manipulate passive opponents and counter overly aggressive ones.
The first style is called basic and allows you to feel its benefits with minimal use. It involves making a constant mini-raise preflop, regardless of the strength of the cards and position, and a mini-bet at subsequent stages of trading.
If the opponent constantly calls or folds before the river, then the game does not depend on his cards at all, but in the case of a raise or bet, you should act depending on the strength of the hand. The advantage of this style is that the opponent has no chance of obtaining information about the player's hand, except in a situation where he is also playing aggressively.
However, this style is not without its drawbacks, the essence of which is the lack of flexibility and the possibility of getting the opposite effect in the case of all-in preflop and a miniraise during subsequent betting.
Also, when playing this style, it is impossible to make a large bet, since the opponent can call it, but a constant bet of 20% of the pot will eliminate this problem.
Loose alternative
The loose-aggressive style of play also involves playing a large number of hands aggressively, but mini-raises and mini-bets are the exception, not the rule. The biggest disadvantage of this style is the incredible pot odds for an opponent who calls a continuation bet.
It is also worth noting that when using this style, the player cannot offer the opponent good opportunities on call bets.
Player - flint
The tight-aggressive style is the most advantageous when full table and allows you to immediately throw off weak opponents with a clear advantage. It is worth raising preflop only when the player's hand is the strongest, and if the bet is called, it is worth continuing.
If a hand is strongest preflop, it will most likely be strong on the flop, which is not the case with your opponents' hands.
This style is very similar to the loose-aggressive style, as it involves continuing to bet if called preflop.
The main difference between these styles is the continuation of playing stronger hands postflop, which will force opponents to fold.
Danny "IowaSkinsFan" Steinberg - a professional American poker player in both cash and tournaments - will talk to us today about his experience in heads-up cash poker, which he has thoroughly moved into recently.
Here's what IowaSkinsFan himself says:
So, let's go!
1. The most important thing in heads-up is attention and control. If you have a tendency to tilt, then you need to curb them, otherwise you will be forced into HA. Since adjusting is the cornerstone of heads-up play, you must be able to quickly spot your opponent's tendencies and play patterns, which requires attention and control.
If in 6-max you could still be more or less distracted by some messenger or call, then in HA you will not have such an opportunity. All eyes on the game!
2. Play from your opponent. As I said above, the ability to adapt to your opponent is a prerequisite for playing HA.
If you don’t know how to adjust, then you have nothing to do in heads-up.
After all, it is the flexibility of strategy and adjustment that distinguishes an average heads-up player from a good one.
What should you pay attention to first when determining your opponent's playing style? The most basic indicators in XA are 3-bet frequencies; How wide does your opponent call 3-bets; and how wide it opens on BU. Many XA players call 3-bets up to 75%, which is a giant leak. And the only adjustment you can make in this case is to 3-bet strong.
If, on the contrary, your opponent will call your 3-bets a little, then you should:
- 3-bet more often
- Polarize your 3-betting range (strong and weak hands only), while shifting it more towards bluffs (light hands).
- With average hands you just need to call. Hands type KJ, KT, Q.J., AT, 88 , 77 They play well in a simple raised pot, but poorly against a tight 3-bet calling range.
There are many other weaknesses to look for in your opponent's game. For example, perhaps your opponent with top pair always raises? How often does your opponent raise with draws? Is he bluffing? Is it tilting? Does it give out? Etc.
3. Tight play from the start. In fact, you can be a nit in HA and still make money. This is especially true when playing against an unknown opponent at an early stage. Many mediocre HA regulars may start to tilt when playing against tight players because they won't be able to make quick money against a nit. Besides, tight game in the first couple of minutes it will not allow you to make expensive mistakes in the absence of reads on your opponent.
4. HUD is practically useless in heads-up. It's more of a distraction than a help. HUD is needed only to form an overall picture of the player.
5. In HA, everyone thinks you're bluffing. And if you saw your opponent bluffing in a previous hand, this does not mean that he is bluffing now. Always put your opponent on range, on every street, no exception. If you meet a maniac and you middle couple or top pair doesn't mean you have to play for your stack. Likewise, if you're playing against a tight player, that doesn't mean you need to bluff him every street.
6. The vast majority of opponents don't fold a pair of aces postflop.
7. Having top pair top kicker (TPTK) or weak two pair doesn't mean you can't fold.
8. If you are having difficulty with any opponent - even if he is worse than you - leave! There's no point in staying. There's a good chance you'll start tilting and make a bunch of bad calls. The game is usually enough, so find yourself another opponent.
9. On the flop, being the preflop raiser when you have hand with ShDV, such as bottom pair, A-high and in some cases K-high, it is often better to check and watch the turn. Most often, your opponent will have 3 to 6 outs, which is very little to warrant a defense. Hands like top pair with a weak kicker, when playing against a decent opponent, should also sometimes be checked, especially on boards like K33. The reason is still the same. Yes, by betting we will not allow our opponent to draw his 3 outs for free, but with the rest of the range he will still pay us a maximum of 1-2 streets of value.
10. Against the stack<30 бб you need to change the preflop a lot. This is an unproven strategy, but it has worked well for me. With high cards you need to raise, and with middle and weak cards you need to limp. The reason is that with 20-30bb in the stacks we don't want to get into the pot too much with weak hands as that will only hurt us. In addition, the position factor in such short stacks is practically leveled out.
11. Mix up your game. You don’t need to raise with draws 100% of the time, as you are used to, or re-raise with strong hands, lead in limped pots with top pairs, etc. In HA, everything needs to be balanced and mixed.
Let your opponent always guess!
12. Having met a real LAG, you should not try to imitate him and return fire with fire. Instead of trying to suppress his aggression with more aggression, come from the other end - use a counter-strategy. Start betting more thinly for value by expanding your calling ranges. Just because your opponent is a maniac doesn't mean you have to play him every pot... if you do, you'll be playing his game.
We call them maniacs because their strategy doesn't work. Just play your game and if you think you have the best hand, call, if you think he will call with worse hands, bet.
13. When playing against nits, reduce your bluff lines to one street. In most cases, if a nit calls the flop, he will not fold to the second barrel, except for scary cards.
14. Against most opponents open 60% of hands with BU would be the right strategy. If your opponent defends the blinds too vehemently, then obviously this value needs to be reduced a little.
15. If you want to expand your flop raising range against a nitty opponent, make sure it's not all air. Hands like those on the board would be great candidates for this role. If our opponent calls, we can hit our gutshot or catch another diamond or over card on the turn to charge again and put enormous pressure on our opponent.
16. If your opponent calls your 3-bet wide and folds a lot postflop, playing fit-or-fold, significantly expand your 3-bet range.
17. Tight opponents are really difficult to play against preflop. This is why I recommended that you be tight preflop against opponents on whom you have not yet collected reads.
18. Yours playing on the button will directly depend on how widely the opponent is willing to defend the blinds. If he doesn't call/3-bet too often, you should be opening very wide. But at the same time, wide calls and wide 3-bet are different things. For example, if our opponent calls wide, we can afford to open 86s, but if he 3-bet a lot, then no.
19. K-, Q- and J-high flops are great for float. Most opponents don't play hands like Q7-Q2, but they play easily 87 . (It should also be said that most players in XA open absolutely all aces, regardless of the situation).
20. It's hard to make good money from a nit heads-up, so I don't recommend playing against them. But if you find yourself in such a situation, then you should know what to do. The entire strategy against a tight opponent is mainly based on aggression on the early streets. First, open 100% of your hands with BU. Secondly, if your opponent calls less than 25% of 3-bets, then you should 3-bet very often, but not every time, so that he does not begin to adjust. 3-bet your suited Oh hands as they play well against his calling range, as do low suited connectors.
21. Practice good game select. If the table is bad, leave! It's simple.
If there are no good tables at all, don't play. It's not worth your time and mood.
Choose a good time to play. This is usually at night and on weekends.
22. Play maximum 3 heads-up tables simultaneously. Your win rate will likely drop significantly as you try to play more. (And this is coming to you from someone who thinks 12 tables of 6-max is boring!).
23. If your only reason for hero calling is "He can't have a strong hand every time!"... fall!
24. Never fold automatically without even trying to put your opponent in range.
25. If you force your opponent to passively play his range, then you've already won... all that's left is to take his money!
If you decide to try yourself as a heads up player, PokerTask will give you some tips that will help you avoid some of the mistakes common to beginners.
Overall, this is a very interesting and promising discipline. And what’s most interesting is that it’s quite simple. Many winning players choose heads-up as their specialty, which is why Isaac Haxton recommends playing it. The most important thing is to understand the fundamental principles of successful heads up play and follow them relentlessly. The main point is that HU is a unique discipline, and it needs to be played differently from others. If you're good at multi-table tournaments or full ring cash games, these skills won't help you much in heads-up play. So, tips for heads up beginners.
Sit’n’Go or cash heads up
We recommend starting to play heads-up with sit-and-go tournaments. Whatever you say, at first you will make a lot of mistakes and possibly lose for some time. By playing SNGs, it will be easier for you to maintain your bankroll at the desired level. Of course, the winnings will also be small, but it’s better to accept this until you get the hang of it. In addition, the format of these tournaments implies a time limit for the match. You will not play one tournament for more than 15-20 minutes, they often last 5-10 minutes, after which you can rest a little or analyze the game right there.
Table selection
Never sit down first at the table. Experienced regulars scour the lobby in search of weak players and will be happy to sit down with a novice heads-up player. They almost never sit down first at the table. Do the same. If you see someone already waiting to play at the table, most likely he is also a beginner and you will be comfortable playing against him.
Number of tables
Heads-up is a very active discipline. You will have to come to the flop in almost every hand; you won’t be able to fold weak hands for a long time, since the blinds are constantly passing through you. To stay in control, even advanced heads-up players only play one or two tables at a time. There's plenty of action here, believe me.
Position
Play extremely loose in position. There is no time to wait for premium hands; your main tool in heads-up is the ability to act last post-flop. Often, after your opponent checks the flop, you will take the pot with a continuation bet, regardless of whether you hit the board or not, although you will often find yourself on the turn. This means that you should raise almost every hand preflop, with any cards, and have at least some idea of how to do it. Only sometimes should you temporarily slow down if your opponent begins to frequently re-raise your bets. Without position, you should exclude completely trash hands like 93o or 25o from the spectrum. Regular calls are generally not encouraged, you should tend to reraise or fold. This makes it easier to play mid-range hands, since being the aggressor preflop will take away a lot of pots that you would otherwise be forced to give away.
Stop loss
Even good heads up players can lose a lot of money by going on tilt. Unfortunately, all poker players are susceptible to this condition to one degree or another. We recommend that you exercise self-discipline responsibly. Set a point for yourself after which you should stop playing for a while. For example, losing five tournaments in a row, or losing two tournaments to one player in a row. Even if it seems to you that he is weaker than you, do not try to win back, this will save you a lot of money.
Notes
Most of your opponents will have obvious leaks that you need to know how to use. In heads-up, players' weaknesses are more pronounced than anywhere else. For example, if you notice that your opponent has fallen to a continuation bet twice in a row, make it now almost always. If your opponent bets twice himself, after you check, check-raise next time. Mark the “autoresponders” and bet all streets against them, even with an average hand.
Adjusting to your opponent
You have to be able to adapt every time you sit down to play against a stranger. The first few hands are enough to understand who you are dealing with. Whether it's an aggressive maniac or a passive phone, you should have different strategies in store against each of them. For example, aggressive players will constantly bet and re-raise. A good strategy against them is to call down with any match. Frequent raises from you can scare them away and prevent them from bluffing. You shouldn't bluff too much against answering machines. They call hard all the way to the river, so make sure you have at least a pair.
Heads up bet size
In this matter, attention should be paid to the size of bets preflop. A standard raise of 3-4BB, as in other disciplines, is too wasteful here. It is enough to open raise 2-2.5BB in order to be in the black when you take the blinds in two out of three cases.
Psychological pressure on the enemy
This is a rather subtle issue, but it is worth paying attention to. If you can keep your opponent off balance, you will gain a big advantage. Of course, this applies to a greater extent to aggressive, temperamental opponents. For example, you can open your cards after a successful bluff, this will guarantee you to collect the maximum with a strong hand next time. Long thoughts can also anger your opponent, even more so. After all, many of them come to play heads-up precisely because of the action. If you deprive them of this, they will begin to play too aggressively, make excessively large bets, and tilt. All you have to do is wait for a strong hand.
Follow these tips and you can quickly conquer the heads up discipline. Even if you are a tournament player, playing heads-up periodically will be a very useful activity, as we wrote about in.
Good luck at the tables!
