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To many, heads up is the purest form of poker. Slots gokkasten. Playing heads up forces players to utilize many different skills in order to be successful. Some of the many skills include the ability to read hands, bluff (in correct situations), adjust constantly to your opponents playing styles, and value bet thin.
Another important skill that heads up players must develop is hand selection. When first starting out, some players will play nearly every hand (even out of position). They seem to think that they need to over compensate for heads up play. Other players will not play nearly enough hands causing them to lose money due to the blinds and/or their opponent's steals.
But just like anything else in poker (some will say life too), balance is important. In regards to heads up poker hand selection, you must find a middle ground between playing too many hands and not playing enough. And to help with that, I have created a basic starting hand guide below.
HU Poker Starting Hands - On the Button (In Position)
The button in heads up poker is no different then the button in a 6-max or full ring game - you will have position throughout the entire hand.
Because of the positional advantage, the button is where you should have the widest hand range. Many players will start by opening 100% of their hands and slowly shave their range back to adjust to how often they're being played back at by their opponent.
At the bare minimum, I will open up every suited connector, 1 and 2-gapper, broadways and pairs. I will also open any ace, king and most of my queen and jack hands with a kicker of 5 and above (all queens and jacks if suited). Any suited ten-x hand is good enough for me to open as well. If you were to look at all of these hands in Poker Stove, my range would be in the neighborhood of 70% at minimum.
Keep in mind that your range should fluctuate somewhat depending mostly on your opponent, game flow and at times even your image. If your opponent is 3-betting you relentlessly, you should open less, folding out hands you can't defend to 3-bets with. A majority of the hands you open you should be able to defend or 4-bet. On the other hand, if your opponent folds a lot pre or plays fit or fold on the flop, you can widen your hand range, sometimes playing as much as 100% of hands dealt.
When facing a 3-bet, I will have a slightly smaller range. I will generally defend versus 3-bets with any pair, any broadway, any suited ace and about half of my suited kings and queens (like K9/Q8 suited and above). I also defend with some suited connectors and one gappers like J8s or T9s. It's really villain dependent, but this should give you an idea of where I start at least.
HU Poker Starting Hands - In the Big Blind (Out of Position)
When playing heads up poker, the player in the big blind will be the player who is out of position for the entire hand. This is a huge disadvantage and because of this, you should tighten up the range of hands that you defend with.
As a rule of thumb, I will defend any pair, any suited ace, A9 off-suit and up, almost all of my broadways and suited connectors/1-gappers like J8s and maybe T9s. Looking at Poker Stove, my hand range will be close to 35% or 40% out of position. About 10% of these hands (suited connectors, suited kings, some suited queens) I will 3-bet with preflop.
Again, it's important to realize that this is more or less a default hand range. You should be adjusting the hands you're defending with according to how tight/loose your opponent is. The tighter your opponent, the tighter the hand range you should be defending with. The looser your opponent, the wider you can defend.
HU Poker Starting Hands - Summary
It should be painfully obvious that your opening hand range in a heads up game is much wider than what it would be in a 6-max or full ring game. If your preflop hand range isn't this wide (or close), you're too tight and you should widen up as it is likely costing you money.
At the same time, I hope that you noticed that none of my preflop ranges outlined above are set in stone. Starting hand ranges in any poker game shouldn't be. You should be basing your preflop hand ranges based on your opponents, game flow and image. Your exact hand range will always be fluctuating.
So while a guide like the one I posted above will definitely help you in becoming a better heads up player, knowing how to adjust for the different in-game variables will help you in becoming not only a profitable heads up player, but a profitable poker player overall.
Recently, GamingToday reader Ed Grant, a retiree who lives in Minnesota and enjoys playing hold’em as a hobby, asked my advice on playing heads-up.
He wanted information on times where all the other players have folded and now it’s just one opponent and you remaining in the pot. Slots 20 free spins no deposit. The winner will gain all that dead money plus subsequent bets.
Heads-up play happens so often, yet rarely is it discussed in the poker media. So, I will share my thoughts with Ed and you.
Down to two players: Most important, consider what type of player your opponent is – tight or loose, passive or aggressive, degree of aggressiveness (a maniac?), a calling-station (once he invests in a hand, he rarely folds), timid (folds to a raise unless he has a strong hand), or deceptive (could be bluffing). How skilled is he?
Reading his hand: Consider how he has been playing this hand. Then, decide what range of hands you put him on.
To illustrate, if your remaining opponent is a tight player and has been raising, he almost certainly has a good hand. Did he raise before the flop?
If so, he probably holds a made hand or a top drawing hand. If the tight player had not raised until the flop, then he has really improved his hand. Be cautious. Loose and aggressive players may hold a much wider range of hands. What hands do you regard as most likely based on his play?
Many players are loose-aggressive and deceptive. It’s almost impossible to read their hands. In that case, play your hand for its inherent strength and hope it is best.
Observations/responses: Tells can be valuable. It helps, especially, to be familiar with what Mike Caro calls “universal tells.” These are tells common to many poker players, and are based on deception that is inherent in poker.
Note also how your opponent has previously reacted to betting/raising or checking by opponents. Playing heads up, an aggressive player often will bet if you check before him – regardless of his hand’s strength. He is trying to force you out, suggesting his hand is not all that strong.
When heads-up, consider re-raising him rather than just calling. He probably will muck his cards; and you win the pot.
Be sure to have at least six outs (e.g., two over cards to the board), in case he actually has a decent hand.
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That’s a good tactic with a drawing hand. But, if your hand is powerful and almost certain to be the winner, you don’t want to force him out. Your goal is to build as big a pot as possible. In that case, just call his raise on the flop (slow play and trap); hopefully, he will continue to bet – until you are ready to pounce upon him by raising for value, preferably on the turn.
Take note of how many chips your lone opponent has in front of him. If you think he is on tilt, you won’t be able to bluff him out; he will probably call if he thinks he has any chance of taking the pot. Just play your hand straight-forward, hoping you have the best of it. The same applies if he is a loose player or “chip-rich.”
Your Image: Just as you have studied his play, a skilled opponent will have formed an image of you. Knowing your own image, consider it as you plan your strategy against this opponent. A tight image permits you to successfully bluff more often. If he is not really skilled, then your image will matter little.
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On the river: One piece of advice here is to bet for value when you believe your hand is best – if it is highly improbable your lone opponent has a stronger hand. On the other hand, especially when playing against a deceptive opponent, be cautious lest he check-raises you while he holds the better hand.
“The Engineer,” a noted author and teacher in Greater Los Angeles, is a member of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. Contact George at [email protected].
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