As you might guess, the strategies for heads up play are a little different than in a ring game. You’ll need to know what you’re doing in heads up or you’ll find yourself busted very quickly. If you understand a few basic ideas, you should be able to hold your own against the average heads up opponent.
Aggression in Heads Up Poker
There is no room in heads up poker for passive play. If you are not able to attack and defend blinds you cannot play heads up poker because you and your opponent are in the blinds on every hand. There is no waiting for premium hands or even good hands. You need to play at least 90 percent of the hands you are dealt or your opponent will absorb your stack without even having to sweat.
Playing Position in Heads Up Poker
Unlike games with more opponents, in heads up, the small blind is on the button, meaning they act first before the flop and last after the flop. What this means is that you should be raising from the small blind before the flop much more often. If you flat call the big blind you are handing over control of the hand. Your opponent can re-raise if he decides you are weak and if he chooses to flat call and see a flop you will have to act with little information about where he stands.
Raising a good number of times pre-flop in the small hand gives your opponent the opportunity to fold pre-flop if he has a mediocre hand which he will most of the time. It also makes you trickier to play after the flop, since your opponent will know that you raise pre-flop with a wide range of hands. If you are in the big blind you should be more willing to check and see a flop if the small blind flat calls since your positional advantage in the rest of the hand is great.
Approaches to Heads Up Poker
In a heads up match you will have to decide whether you want to play small ball, chipping away at your opponent’s stack, or long ball, setting plays up for an all-in home run where you can knock him out all at once. If you believe you are stronger than your opponent you should usually opt for small ball. If you are in a tournament situation and the blinds are so astronomically high that they are threatening both the stacks of you and your opponent you may need to opt for a long ball strategy.
