Heads up Poker - Advanced Tactics

Heads-up poker can be one of the most enjoyable and profitable forms of the game. However many players reach a certain level and then, for various reasons, fail to make the additional leap from a solid game to the use of some advanced tactics for heads-up poker. This article looks at three areas for heads-up poker players looking to take their game, and their profits, to the next level.

Reading your Opponent

We start by looking at ways in which you can read your opponent successfully – after all winning in heads-up poker is about adjusting to the player, not just playing your cards. Next we reverse the situation – looking at ways in which you can make your self difficult to read for opponents. Finally the more general concept of positive and aggressive play is covered, re-enforcing the concept that it is better to be in control of a hand by betting and raising than to be the one calling someone else’s bets. – allowing you, and not your opponent to manage the size of the pot.
Some of the basics of good heads-up poker strategy involves making an assessment of your opponent based on their hands played, their use of position and the ‘honesty’ of their betting ( for example: Do they bet more when weak, or less?). Advanced tactics in heads-up poker can follow on from these in a number of ways.

Firstly the question of how your opponent plays drawing hands can be assessed, especially whether this would differ from the button / big blind positions. Moves to look out for include large raises (or even check-raises) as semi-bluffs, and the opposite plays of check-calling or making a weak lead. Seeing a showdown where a draw would be possible can help you determine how a particular opponent plays in these situations – great information to use on future draw-heavy flops.

Betting

Bet sizes in general are an excellent way to gain information about the strength of an opponent’s hand. The key here is to look out for the unusual. For example - an opponent with position who raised before the flop usually bets half-pot when checked to. Watch out for those times that the size of this bet changes. The information of what a 1/3rd pot bet or a pot-sized bet ‘means’ will generally be opponent specific. However those times you see a showdown the information gained will be invaluable for future hands – all but the very best players tend to repeat the same betting patterns.

Of course, while you are using advanced heads-up tactics to gain better reads on your opponents – they will be doing the same for you. The important concept here is to vary your bets a certain percentage of the time, even if you give up some immediate expectation in doing so. The information you give to opponents with your own betting only has to be ‘imperfect’ a small percentage of the time (15% should be fine). This will ensure that your opponent has a significant amount of doubt as to the meaning of your bet, and so acting on this information could be an error.
Varying your betting size does not need to entail doing the opposite of your desired action. Making the amount different to the bet you intended can be sufficient in many cases. After all your primary objective of building the pot when strong (for example) still remains.

Pot Management

The final advanced tactic for heads-up poker games involves managing the size of the pot. The idea is that you, and not your opponent, are making the critical decision of whether you are playing a small pot or a large one. If you let an opponent control the betting in a hand then, by implication, you are allowing them to decide how much goes into the pot.
While calling has its place in heads-up poker you need to ensure that your opponent is reacting to your moves and not the other way around. This is best achieved by playing the vast majority of your hands from position, but also by making sure that your opponent has sufficient doubts about the true strength of your hand based on your previous actions. These doubts can be easily created by varying your bets and mixing in occasional slow-plays. They will prevent your opponent assuming that a check is weak and allow you to effectively manage the pot more often – whether in position or not.

To summarize, employing advanced heads-up tactics can improve your game and your profitability. Examples include better understanding the betting patterns of opponents, becoming difficult to read and being the player controlling the action – both by your play during each hand and the uncertainty you give an opponent through the whole heads-up poker game.