Playing heads-up takes nerve, skill and bluff. Rick Dacey steers you to the winning pot.
Heads-up poker is a high-pressure situation, and if you can’t conquer this aspect of the game you’ve got no chance of becoming a successful player.
It’s much like a game of chicken – you don’t need the fastest car or, in this case, the best hand. The nerve to stay on target and not deviate from the line once the pedal has hit the metal is a far more important quality. This kamikaze spirit could get you into trouble if you crash your Route 66 racer into a King Kong pickup truck, but without it you may as well walk away from the table before you even post your first blind.
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t need the best hand to win; it doesn’t matter what cards you get dealt if the other person folds. If they toss in their 10-8 and you’re sitting there with an 8-6 you still pick up the chips. In heads-up you can justifiably contest any pot with just a single court card and almost any pair is worth pumping.
Show some aggression
Forget the time that mother told you to play nicely with the other children – be a monster, be aggressive. Once you’re the chip leader, bully the other player off the blinds and use your position to pile the pressure on their dwindling stack.
If your normal game is a tight, long-haul style then it’s time to change gear rapidly. You can’t expect to play tight and still win. You’ll get more blinds stolen than if Ikea left all its warehouses unlocked overnight. If you play a checking and folding game while you wait for a decent hand, you’ll be that much easier to read when the big slick slides your way.
In heads-up one of the two of you will keep winning until all the chips are at one end of the table. If you attack the other hand you force your nemesis to make the decision to call, fold or raise and it should allow you more time to spot tells and bluffs.
The majority of the time neither hand will have a great deal of ballast to it. If your opponent checks then you have to bet. If a re-raise comes your way then you can always fold, but giving free cards towards a potential straight or flush draw is not a good idea.
If you’re the small blind you should attack the big blind like a rabid dog. Salivate, bark and get on all fours if you think it will help, but you have to raise that big blind more often than not. Most players will know the adage ‘don’t throw good money after bad.’ If they only call a third of the time on raises to their big blind you’ll be in profit and may win the hand if it’s called anyway.
Flog the flop
When the big blind is called and the flop hits the baize you can’t afford to look at the community cards in the same way as you would during normal play. If you hit a middle pair with a decent kicker during a standard game you’d probably be quite happy about it. In a heads-up this puts you in a very strong position. As a rule of thumb, if you’re on the button never just call – always raise to ensure you get a payout when you get dealt a decent hand.
If you don’t know the person you’re playing you may not get many chances to get an insight into their heads-up technique. Watch the pre-flop raises to get a feel for what your opposite number is betting as a bluff and what is a solid move aimed at drawing you into a heavy loss. When you get to see cards on their backs make sure you remember the betting practice of that hand. If a similar rhythm emerges later, it’s odds-on they’ll be holding similar cards.
Against an inexperienced, passive player it’s best to raise as often as possible and lay as many bets on the flop as you think you can get away with without making your loose play too obvious. It’s good to remember that the chance of starting with a pair is around 16/1, so a single court card is worth a punt. If the newcomer folds in the face of heavy raises and continues to look cowed, pile on the pressure until they show the first sign of strength. If they meet you head-on after folding their first couple of hands, chances are they’ll actually have a hand – then it’s time to assess how good your hole cards are and consider backing off.
However, it’s paramount to sustain the assault on your opponent’s chips. If the stacks get tipped over 3/1 in your favour it makes the likelihood of a comeback very remote indeed. Take them to the cleaners and start calling them all-in.
Of course, this advice is all well and good but it does assume that you have the larger clay army in front of you. What if you’re the lowly peasant fighting against heavy artillery? It’s a tricky decision whether to wage a war of attrition and call their bluffs or opt for the ambush, waiting until you get a ‘decent’ hand to wreak heavy damage. However, you need to strike a balance to ensure that your stack isn’t simply whittled away by blinds, which will make it that much easier for the opposition to call you out on pretty much any hand.
Bouncebackability
When your chips are dwindling, the big stack will be looking to bet you all-in at any opportunity, and they’ll be likely to play you on most hands from the small blind just to pile on the pressure. The best chance you have when very short-stacked is to act like a down-on-his-luck street urchin. Go all-in with a half decent hand and you’ll either double through, steal the blind or get caught trying to pick pockets. But if you’re continually getting your blinds stolen your chances of getting back on level terms slip further away with every hand.
Whether you’re playing heads-up specifically or finishing a sit-and-go, you’ll find it embraces two of the most pure aspects of poker: the ability to disguise your own hand and figure out what your opponent has in front of him. But if you want tournament success then it’s vital to master the heads-up. Well, unless you’re happy coming second, that is.
