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major television network aired the inaugural "National Heads-Up Poker
Championship," pitting 64 of the best players in the world against each
other head-to-head in a bracket format.
I absolutely loved the tournament because I believe that heads-up poker is the most skill-oriented form of the game.
In
some ways, heads-up poker is less about playing the actual cards you
are dealt and more about playing your opponent. The goal is to find
your challenger's weaknesses and then exploit them. All the while,
you're trying to mask your own strategy so that he doesn't figure you
out.
When it comes to heads-up play, there is one absolute: You
really need to get in there and fight. Conservative play isn't
effective at all in a heads-up match. In a full ring game, with nine or
10 players, sure, you can sit back and wait for premium cards if you
like. If you are playing heads-up, your starting hand requirements must
be lowered considerably.
In fact, most Limit Hold'em experts
agree that when battling heads up you should play more than 80 percent
of the hands dealt to you. Contrast that to playing approximately 20
percent of the hands dealt to you in a full ring game. Nearly the same
holds true in No Limit Hold'em, but the percentage may not be quite as
high.
The key reason that you need to get more involved when
playing heads-up is that you're forced to ante up every single hand.
The player with the dealer button must post the small blind while the
other player puts up the big blind.
By the way, this is the only
situation in Hold'em where the button is ever forced to act first.
After the flop, play resumes as normal with the button acting last on
every subsequent street.
The best way to improve your heads-up
game is to actually get your feet wet and play. You can do that on the
Internet at numerous free sites, or if you're feeling adventurous you
can play for real money. Of course, you can also just practice with
friends.
Improving overall skills
Improving your heads-up
play will have a positive effect on your overall skill level, even at a
full table. The decisions you are forced to make in heads-up often are
so much more complex than those you would ponder at a full table.
Practicing these tough decisions makes the routine decisions just that:
routine. Imagine shooting hoops on a very small and tight rim. If you
became adept doing that, then making baskets on a regular-sized rim
would seem very easy to you.
When playing heads-up, your main
focus must be on what your opponent is doing. Is he playing weak or
strong? Does he bluff too much or is he always betting only the
strongest hands? The more questions you can successfully answer, the
better profile you'll have on your opponent.
Once a profile is
established, it's then your job to devise a strategy that will best
exploit your opponent's weakness. For example, if he folds too often on
the flop then you should bluff more on the flop. Or, if he folds too
much before the flop, you should raise more often prior to the flop.
Conversely, if your opponent calls too often, you should bluff him less
and bet your mediocre hands for more value.
There is one other
key thing you need to focus on: yourself. Do not allow yourself to fall
into predictable patterns that your opponent will be able to exploit.
You don't want to play every hand the same way. Use all of the tools in
your arsenal: the check-raise, the slow play, coming over the top, the
bluff raise on the turn, and even the smooth call on the flop. This is
commonly known as mixing it up. Mixing it up keeps your opponent
guessing, and that's exactly where you want him to be.
Here's
one final thought on the game: You must avoid coming into a heads-up
match with a predetermined strategy. Until you have an idea as to how
your opponent might play, that strategy of yours may be the wrong one.
It's important to be able to adapt quickly to what the other player is
throwing at you.
By Daniel Negreanu |
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