Heads-up. General game strategy

Material from the site, the free encyclopedia of poker.

heads-up(English) heads-up or HU) - a way of playing poker, in which only two players participate in the game. A heads-up is also called a betting circle in which only two of all players remain ( "stayed heads-up").

Heads-up game

Playing one on one in any form of poker is fundamentally different from playing the same kind, but against a larger number of players. The main difference is that now every loss of the opponent is our gain, and vice versa - each of his gain is our loss. Thus, the main goal of the one-on-one game is to beat the opponent by any means available.

Unlike full- or short-handed games, there are no optimal strategy basically. What worked against one opponent may not work against another. Even optimal pre-flop raising ranges will change dramatically from opponent to opponent. Thus, correct adjustment when playing heads-up is the key to success.

The second important difference between heads-up and a game with several opponents is the overestimation of the strength of the hand. Depending on the structure of the board and the previous hand, even a hand like ace high will sometimes be a winning hand. However, as with a full table game, every player in heads-up will sometimes come across very strong combinations. The ability to get maximum value from your strong combinations and not pay off your opponent's strong hands is also very important when playing heads-up.

Thinking levels and game tempo switching

Many poker professionals rightly argue that in order to win in a heads-up match, you should always think one step ahead of your opponent. This statement is true, because based on the theory of levels of thought, beating the opponent one step ahead almost always guarantees the opponent's mistakes.

At professional game in heads-up, the players are constantly adjusting to the opponent, trying to outperform his thinking by one step. So they go round and round

AlexTop

07.07.2016 12:56

WhatsuchHeads-Up Sit & Go?

Heads-Up SNG (often referred to as HUSNG) is a 2-player tournament where the winner takes all, the blinds gradually increase and the tournament ends when one player has all the chips at the table.

All HUSNG tournaments are divided into three groups based on speed. Each of the tournaments has its own dynamics.

Regular (75bb / 6 minute levels) - the longest tournament with relatively deep stacks;

Turbo tournaments - blinds increase every 3 minutes;

Hyper Turbo (25bb / 3 minute levels) - much faster tournaments due to the small starting stack size.

Different blind levels require different strategies

To successfully destroy the HUSNG, it should be understood that the most effective strategy the game will change depending on the number of big blinds (bb) you have in your stack.

Depending on the stack size, there are 4 stages:

When we talk about 50+bb stacks, there will be a chart showing which hands to open from the button. When we talk about shorter stacks (0-23bb), we suggest you use the push/fold charts shown. These are mathematically proven ranges that cannot be exploited.

With these short stack ranges, make sure you don't fold or shove too often. This will help you make the right decisions against your opponents. However, if you know your opponent is making blunders, then it's best to deviate from this push/fold chart.

In the early stages of a HUSNG with fairly deep stacks, you should only avoid big pots if you have a really strong hand. Because it's not worth risking your starting stack in marginal situations when you have the opportunity to wait for the right situation, since the blinds are not big yet.

But that doesn't mean you should fold everything except the nuts. A big part of success in HUSNG is being able to read your opponent and adapt to him. For example, if you notice that your opponent is constantly stealing pots, consider expanding your calling/raising range so you don't get exploited.

Another key element of playing deep stacked HUSNGs is a wide raising range from the button - at least 75% of hands. This should be seen as an attempt to steal dead money and, at the same time, as an opportunity to realize your positional advantage.

The following chart shows what a 75% preflop raising range means:

The standard raise size is 2.5BB. If your opponent is playing too loose against your raises, then you should either narrow your range or increase your sizing. If Villain, on the other hand, is playing too tight, then use an extended range and/or reduce your sizing to the minimum size.

You should also bet the flop (known as a c-bet or c-bet) fairly often, as your opponent will hit the board about 35% of the time and fold the rest of the time.

Don't forget to adapt to your opponent. For example, if your opponent is opening a noticeably wide range from the button, then you can 3-bet against him to punish him for being too loose. Similarly, if your opponent never folds to a c-bet on the flop, try checking back more often if you miss the board.

At this level, the stacks are still deep enough to open or call a wide range of hands. You should act on the basis of information received from the opponent at earlier levels. If he's playing loose, narrow his range, and vice versa.

There are some points that differ when playing 23-50bb from 50+bb. Given the smaller effective stack size, you should reduce your preflop raise size. Being able to maintain a higher stack-to-pot ratio will give you an advantage over your opponent.

It is also appropriate to play a tighter range in this depth, as well as limp with some hands.

At this point, the stacks are significantly shorter than in the early stages, which leads to a change in strategy. When you're on the button, use a mixed strategy of limping and min-raising.

You can still open a fairly wide range of hands since stealing the blinds is especially profitable right now, but keep an eye on your opponent and adjust accordingly. If your opponent 3bets too much, limp more often and narrow your raising range.

When you are playing in the big blind, we suggest using the following 3bet shoving range when stacks are between 11bb and 16bb.

Note that this range is best against players who open a wide range of hands. We recommend using a narrower range against a tight opponent.

At this level, you'll either have to go all-in, fold, or limp occasionally. The effective stacks are too small to use any of the other options.

In today's article, we will talk about such a thing as heads-up in poker. So what is a heads-up? This is a type of poker game where only two players take part, regardless of whether it is tournament game or at the cash table. Even heads-up can be noted the stage of the game, when at the poker table after losing the rest of the opponents in the hand, the last two players participate in the duel.

Players without experience do not really like this kind of poker confrontation, since here you need to have professionalism, and not rely on luck all the time. From this it turns out that such a kind of poker as heads-up should be played only by the user who knows everything about poker, because only here you can demonstrate all your skills.

Features of playing heads-up poker

To poker heads game up went in a positive direction, it is necessary to be focused in the process and not be distracted by extraneous objects, since the circle of bets is small. It is difficult to take part in the game at more than one table, since it is impossible to transfer your attention so quickly. So there is no such option as with other games, in the sense of playing at ten tables at once.

The best option for such a game is to take part in only one table, because here you have to try to understand what the opponent is thinking about. If there are a lot of tables, then there will be no opportunity to properly observe your opponents, and this will lead to the fact that in the end you will lose, or not earn the winnings you were counting on.

If heads-up poker was chosen, then you need to understand that victory belongs to the participant who understands the opponent's actions well. To be able to do this, you need to gain good experience in the game and have all the skills that relate to poker. It would be nice to use the available statistics.

Most of the poker heads-up events are mostly played according to the rules of Texas Hold'em, which is played without limits. There are also options for playing on the pot-limit and limit Stud and Omaha sites. As for the rules of the heads-up game, they will be similar to those used in regular poker, only for small changes, in some points.

If you are playing at a table with two players and your bet is only the second, then your turn will be the first at the beginning of the hand, and the last after the flop. When the game is played in high user mode with the small blind, be the first to bet after the flop.

As time goes by, heads-up poker becomes more famous and more people play it. Professional Players with great joy they meet participants who are too confident in their abilities, or do not understand all the nuances of this type of poker, that is, fish. If you think it's time for you to learn how to play this type of game, then do not relax, because there are mostly real poker masters sitting there, and they will do everything to leave you without a stack.

Those players who are just starting out in poker should not start with heads-up poker until your skill reaches the level where you can beat at least a few opponents. If you decided to play exactly this kind of poker, then you will definitely lose your entire stack. But if desire exceeds common sense, then make sure that the pot at this table is as small as possible. The designation of these tables is very simple Sar and S.

If a king or an ace comes into the hand after the distribution, paired with a small card, where the type of poker is heads-up, then this is considered a very strong hand. In this scenario, you can’t conduct passive tactics, but you need to start making good bets. If we take this option as an example: you have an ace and two in your hands, then you need to play it in 55 percent of the hands. And a pair of king and two, then it is played in 53 percent of the hands. Such percentages will help the player see how likely it is for you to win, taking into account which combination will come to the opponent.

The value of the second card and the pair determines your chances of picking up the winning pot. For example, a king and eight different suits make it possible to win in 56 percent of hands, and when it hits the hands of an ace and eight of different suits, they make it possible to win 60 percent of the hands. You can safely add another two percent if the pocket cards are of the same suit. But do not think that if you get an ace and a king during the distribution, then you will immediately win the distribution, because it gives only 67 percent.

You can make a good bet if you get a queen or a jack. If during the flop a pair falls to these cards, then we can assume that the victory is almost yours, since you have a 90 percent chance of winning. So don't be afraid to bet even long distances and don't worry about the flop getting bad hands for a while. Don't expect too much to win with a pair of queen and seven, jack and six. It won't bring you much victory.

Remember! Only 6 percent of the drawn hands in no-limit hold'em in heads-up poker come with pairs. It is necessary to calculate as follows: every 17 hand will fall out as a pair before the start of betting. And only once out of three hundred hands will a pair fall to your opponent. Analyze the whole game and calculate your chances of not winning.

In most cases, the smallest pair can be much more useful than the opponent's strong hand. When you get a pair of deuces after the distribution at the beginning of the game, you can bet into the pot, because you have a 50 percent chance of winning. If the pair in hand during the distribution increases already to fives, then the chances of winning increase already to 60 percent.

If you become the proud owner of two aces, then be 85 percent sure that victory is yours. You also need to understand that if you have any pair in your hand, your opponent has almost 100% no such chance. Do not forget that in such moments it is necessary to show aggressive tactics.

The best couple after the first open cards in the case of heads-up poker, it can only be equated to a set at that table where nine people are playing. You should not expect that the kicker will help you in this kind of poker. If you managed to collect a strong combination on the flop, then do not think for a long time, but make a big bet.

For a good game, you will have to bet on all streets if you understand that your opponent has at least a small pair. If your opponent doesn't get anything, then you should check the flop so that you can get on the rest of the streets.

The nuances of playing in different sectors of heads-up poker

Headsup poker has one distinct personality that doesn't exist at tables with more than two players. Depending on how many chips you have, your opponent's chips also fluctuate. This means that as your stack increases, your opponent's stack decreases. Therefore, do not forget to keep an eye on the stack, as a lot depends on it.

This dependence of stacks divides the game into several zones:

• What's happened comfort zone? This is such a position in heads-up, at a time when the stacks of the participants are compared.
• There is dominant zone is a zone where you have a much larger stack than your opponent.
• If the situation is the other way around, then dangerous area.
• There is also a fourth zone, which is called differently dead zone. This is the zone where you or your opponent is left with only one option due to the small amount of chips remaining.

You should choose a game strategy depending on what zone you have in the game. If you're in your comfort zone, don't bet chips in vain. In this position, you must try not to lose the stack. If you are in the dominant zone and don't want to get into the danger zone, then you need to be focused and act decisively: to pass on a bad hand. It will be safer to bet small, but when a strong combination comes, you can return all your chips.

If you have a third of the stack left, then you are in the danger zone. This means that your opponent has more than one and a half times more chips. Once in this position, you will need to play with a huge range of hands in order not to scatter all the chips in the blinds. In order to make your opponent think that you rarely have strong hands, choose an aggressive tactic. If you have a strong game, then you can lure more chips from an opponent who is confused.

If you find yourself in the dominant zone, then you need to switch to a passive strategy, the opponent will collect all the blinds, with your weak combination. If the opponent goes all-in, then the best option will fold the cards. If you call and your opponent has more chips, he will be in his comfort zone. To prevent this from happening, strong card bet aggressively and then you'll get ahead.

If you are already in a dead zone, then you need to either go all-in or fold. If your opponent already has such a situation, then you should immediately equalize his all-in, taking into account a wide range of hands, it is good if you have an ace or at least a small pair.

It is believed that heads-up poker belongs to the kind of game where the participant must have extensive experience and know all the rules of the game at a professional level. But we must not forget that in poker, as in any other gambling, there is a factor of luck. And regardless of your experience, variance can also affect the game.

Danny "IowaSkinsFan" Steinberg - a professional American poker player both in cash and tournaments - will tell us today about his experience in heads-up cash poker, which he has thoroughly moved into recently.

Here is 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 hard fill in the HA. Because the ability to adapt is the cornerstone of heads-up play, you need to be able to quickly spot an opponent's tendencies and playing patterns, and that's where you need attention and control.

If in 6-max you could still be distracted by some messenger or a call, then in HA you will not have such an opportunity. All eyes on the game!

2. Play from the opponent. As I said above, the ability to adapt to your opponent is a prerequisite for playing XA.

If you don't know how to adapt, then you have nothing to do heads-up.

After all, it is the flexibility of strategy and adjustment that distinguishes an average heads-up player from a good one.

What is the first thing you should pay attention to when determining the opponent's style of play? The most basic stats in HA are 3-bet frequencies; how wide Villain calls 3-bets; and how wide it opens on the BU. Many HA players call 3-bets up to 75%, which is a giant leak. And the only adjustment you can make here is to 3-bet strong.

If your opponent doesn't call your 3-bets enough, then you should:

• 3-bet more often
• Polarize your 3-betting range (only strong and weak hands), while shifting it more towards bluffs (light hands).
• With medium hands, you should just call. Hands type KJ, KT, QJ, AT, 88 , 77 play well in a simple raised pot, but play poorly against a tight 3-bet calling range.

There are many other weaknesses to look for in the opponent's game. For example, maybe an opponent with top pair always raises? How often does Villain raise with draws? Is he bluffing? Does it tilt? Does it issue? Etc.

3. Tight play from the start. In fact, in HA you can be a nit and still make money. This is especially true when playing against an unknown opponent at an early stage. Many mediocre HA regulars may start tilting against tight players because they won't be able to make quick money against a nit. Besides, tight play in the first couple will not allow you to make expensive mistakes, in the absence of reads on the opponent.

4. HUD in heads-up is practically useless. It distracts rather than helps. HUD is needed only to form a general picture of the player.

5. In HA everyone thinks you are bluffing. And if you saw your opponent bluff in the previous hand, it does not mean that he is bluffing now. Always put your opponent on a range, on every street, without exception. Just because you've met a maniac and you have middle pair or top pair doesn't mean you should be stacking. Likewise, if you're up against a tight player, it doesn't mean you should 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. You are more likely to start tilting and make a lot of bad calls. Games are 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's often best to check and see the turn. Most often, an opponent will have 3 to 6 outs, which is too little to justify a defense. Hands like top pair with a weak kicker against decent opponents should also be checked sometimes, especially on boards like K33. The reason is the same. Yes, we will not let our opponent 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. It's not a proven strategy yet, but it worked well for me. You should raise with high cards, and limp with medium and weak cards. The reason is that with 20-30bb stacks we don't want to blow the pot too much with weak hands, it will only hurt us. In addition, the position factor in such short stacks is almost leveled.

11. Mix your game. You don't need to 100% raise with draws like you're used to, or re-raise with strong hands, lead in limp 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, one should not try to imitate him and return fire to fire. Instead of trying to subdue his aggression with more aggression, go the other way - use a counter-strategy. Start thinner for value betting 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'll call with worse hands, bet.

13. Against nits, cut your bluff lines down by one street. In most cases, if a nit calls the flop, he won't 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 the opponent defends the blinds too fiercely, then obviously this value needs to be slightly reduced.

15. If you want to widen your flop raising range against a nitty opponent, make sure it's not full air. Board type hands 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 tremendous pressure on our opponent.

16. If your opponent calls your 3-bets wide and folds a lot post-flop, widen your 3-betting range significantly.

17. It's really hard to play against tight opponents preflop. That's why I recommended that you be tight preflop against opponents you haven't read yet.

18. Your button game will directly depend on how widely the opponent is willing to defend the blinds. If he doesn't call/3bet too much, then you should be opening very wide. However, calling wide and 3-betting wide are two different things. For example, if Villain calls wide, we can afford to open 86s, but if he 3-bets 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 just play 87 . (It should also be said that most players in HA show absolutely all aces, regardless of the situation).

20. It's hard to make good money heads-up with a nit, 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 whole strategy against a tight opponent is mainly based on aggression on the early streets. First, open with BU 100% of hands. Secondly, if Villain calls less than 25% of 3-bets, then you should 3-bet very often, but not every time, so that he does not start 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! Everything is simple.

If there are no good tables at all, don't play. It's not worth your time and mood.

Pick a good time to play. Usually this is at night and weekends.

22. play maximum 3 heads-up tables simultaneously. Your win rate will likely drop a lot if you try to play more. (And this is what the person who says 12 tables 6-max is boring is telling you!).

23. If your only reason for a hero call is "He can't have a strong hand every time!"... fall!

24. Never fold automatically without even trying to put your opponent in a range.

25. If you force your opponent to passively play his range, then you've already won... all you have to do is take his money!

Heads-up (one on one) is a very exciting, fast and dynamic poker game. In this game, literally every 5 seconds you have to make decisions that can cost you your entire stack.

You must have some experience to start playing heads-up, otherwise you will always lose.

Your brain has to tune in to a certain wave and act as correctly as possible, based on the style of play of your opponents and their decision-making patterns. Proper heads-up strategy is very different from regular cash game strategy. You need to make the right adjustments during the game to beat your opponent and earn money. That's why I've written 10 essential tips to help you get started and learn the game of heads-up. After reading this article, you can explore the heads-up strategy section and strengthen your knowledge. But do not forget that it is training that makes a player a professional.

Tip #1

My first piece of advice is to widen your starting hand range. As you know from my previous articles, as the number of players at the table decreases, the strength of the hand increases. Only 2 people are playing heads-up, so raising on a card like A-2 or K-9 is a must. You can't afford to wait just for premium hands when playing heads-up because you're in the blinds every hand and they eat your stack. My advice is to play almost every hand on the button and be vigilant in the big blind.

Tip #2

Play from position. Position at the table is a big factor when playing heads-up. Everything is very simple! Every hand you are either in good position (small blind) or in bad position (big blind) and nothing else. Like I said before, play every hand on the button and use this position to your advantage over your opponent. Remember! When you are on the button, you are the small blind: you act first before the flop, but you act last on all other streets after the flop. The opposite is true with the big blind.

This is why I advise you to play very aggressively when on the button and raise with most hands (any pair, suited connector, any two big cards, any ace, etc.). When you are in the big blind, be vigilant and remember that you are currently out of position.

When you are out of position, be conservative and respect raises from the button.

Tip #3

Remember the value of hands. As I said in tip #1, the value of starting hands increases in heads-up play and it also increases in showdown. The average winning hand in a heads-up game will be much weaker than the average winning hand in a full table. So adapt.

Even middle pair and second pair on the board can be a winning hand and should always bet on them.

Tip #4

Use a semi-bluff whenever possible. One of the best ways to win a lot of pots, as is the case with heads-ups, is to make small test bets when no bets or raises have been made before you. When I play heads-up I always bet all flops. Any straight draw, flush draw, any pair is worth betting and trying to take the pot right away. If my opponent calls, depending on the turn and my hand, I can either stop betting or attack and make him pay me with a good hand. Remember, most players will usually fold any hand other than top pair or a medium hand with a big kicker. In general, a semi-bluff bet should be between 50% and 70% of the pot.

Tip #5

Try to catch your opponent on a bluff. This tip is the opposite of tip #4. If you are up against an aggressive opponent, then sooner or later you will have to have your say in order to prevent constant semi-bluff attempts and pre-flop raises. Remember, if you catch a player bluffing, he will sit down 90% of the time and fall out of his normal game. I like to re-raise preflop and call most of my opponent's bets on the flop to see the strength of his hand and his action on the turn. Even if you have a middle pair, you sometimes have to check him for fairness, or he will always jam you in every pot and you will lose your playing style.

Tip #6

Don't forget about value bets. This tip goes hand in hand with tip #3 because even with low winning hands, you still have to draw your opponent because he can call you even with third pair. Let's say when you have a middle pair and all 5 cards are already open, you still have to bet, because in most cases you will be ahead and you will be called on third and fourth pair, and sometimes even with an ace. Also, when you have a super-strong hand, I suggest semi-slowplaying. betting small on the flop, on the turn, and betting huge on the river to get the most out of your opponent and confuse him. Remember, your opponent can quickly figure out your bet pattern, so change your bet sizes frequently.

Tip #7

Learn and adapt to your opponent's playing style. During a heads-up poker session, you will make a huge number of entries on your opponent. You will know how he plays draws, how he plays a pair, and when he can bluff. But don't forget that your opponent is also making notes on you and studying your playing style. Gathering information will give you the opportunity to recognize your opponent's weaknesses, adapt and outplay him.

For example, if you know that your opponent always checks the flop and bets the turn, that means he has top pair. So be vigilant and fold when such situations arise. If you play heads-up poker, you will clearly understand what I am talking about.

Tip #8

Change your game. This advice is the opposite of the previous one. While you are collecting information about your opponent, he is doing the same. That is why you have to change your game and confuse your opponent so that he makes a mistake and gives you all his money. Especially if you play more than an hour at the same table. Diversify your game: let your opponent guess what you have. Check and bet in different spots, and don't forget to check-raise and bluff.

Tip #9

Finish off your opponent to the end. This tip is one of the most important tips for heads-up poker players. When you have finished your opponent and he has a small stack left, you should be able to tune in and finish the fight in your favor. Don't give him the slightest chance to win back his chips. To prevent this, don't give him a chance to double up, don't be lazy and don't call his All-ins with a weak hand. The easiest way to win back your chips for your opponent is to call his All-ins with weak pre-flop hands. Yes, I understand you want to get him out as quickly as possible, but that's where the reason comes in that he can get back in the game and recapture his stack. Remember, keep playing your normal game and you'll finish them off quickly.

Tip #10

Stick to the bankroll rules. One of the biggest mistakes newbies make is playing their entire bankroll at one or two tables. This is a very big and serious mistake and in 99% of cases you will go bankrupt with a $0 bankroll. I recommend never playing more than 7% of your bankroll at a single table. If you are a professional like me, bet only 1/50 of your bankroll.