Heads-up limit
poker can win
you lots of
money and be
lots of fun.
Even back when
no-limit was the
rage, the
heads-up limit
tables remained
filled. Don't
let this poker
jewel slip past
you!
One of the best
points about
heads-up limit
is that it
causes you to
learn about
every single
human aspect of
limit poker
including
aggression, hand
selection,
bluffing,
trapping,
reading, value
betting, folding
and lastly, pot
odds. Let's look
at each of
these:
Aggression:
Those weak of
heart can really
get run over in
heads-up poker.
There are two
ways of winning
a pot: you show
the strongest
hand or your
opponent folds.
The value of
aggression is so
huge; you could
play poker
without even
looking at your
cards if you
wanted! The
object of
aggression is to
cause your
opponent to fold
more hands than
you fold. This
makes the most
important part
of poker
strategy the
aggressiveness
in bets and
raises.
Hand Selection:
You should
select the hands
worth putting
money in the pot
when you have
the best hand
and avoid
putting money in
the pot when you
don't have the
best hand. Too
often, players
in limit heads
up games don't
make others pay
to see the flops
after they
posting the big
blind or they
let the small
blind limp in.
In heads-up
poker, always
raise with Aces,
Kings,
Face/kicker,
mid-high suited
connectors, or
pocket pairs.
These can really
take in the
chips for you.
Then, raise for
value and play
out on a flop
whether or not
the cards hit.
Bluffing:
More times than
not, in heads up
limit poker,
neither of you
will hit
anything on the
flop. This is
where bluffing
and aggression
combine to allow
you can to take
down the pot
even if you have
nothing. When
the turn
arrives, the
real important
action begins
and you can make
things happen
with a
check-raise
bluff or a raise
behind the
action. If your
opponent is
faking an
attack, you'll
catch him
regardless of
what you hold.
Watching and
observing,
identifying
small patterns
or timings on
the part of your
opponent, is
absolutely key
to this tactic.
Sometimes,
simply toss one
out and see what
happens. Should
you get caught,
switch to a
tight style and
draw your
opponent in for
the kill by
using that loose
image to your
own advantage.
Trapping:
When the other
player believes
you're not being
honest, trap him
in order to take
his money. A
check-raise
followed by
another raise on
the turn that
gets called
added to a river
bet gets you
twice the big
blind and most
likely another
big blind from
the pre-flop and
flop. Then
means,
financially, you
could fold on
the flop on an
un-raised pot
four times in a
row if you could
pull a trap
every seventh
hand. When
you're playing
an aggressive
opponent who
loves to run you
over with bets,
just sit back
and let him do
the betting,
then pound him
with
check-raises and
raises when you
do have a strong
hand. This way,
if you can fold
when you have
nothing,; your
traps will make
up for it. If
you have Ace
high or low
pairs, you can
call to showdown
if necessary.
Reading:
Learning how to
read your
opponent in
heads-up limit
poker can be a
powerful skill.
This is true of
poker in
general, but
especially of
heads-up poker
which is a game
where if you can
make the reads,
you make money.
Reading is
simply
identifying
patterns in
behavior that
are anomalies.
How often does
he check-raise?
Does he have
strong hands
when he does?
Does he bet low
pair? Does he
bet draw hands?
You can't figure
this out with
just one action
on your
opponent's part
or just one
hand, so you
must raise
frequently on
the flop or call
to see the turn
so you can
figure out
what's really
going on. There
really are only
three choices
for action -
bet, check,
call. By adding
a raise or
calling the
flop, this
increases the
options from 3
to 9, bet-bet,
bet-check,
bet-call,
check-bet, etc.
Paying close
attention to the
opponent will
really pay off
in reading
heads-up
players.
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Value Betting:
Value betting is
about getting in
that turn raise
and river bet so
that your
opponent doesn't
see a showdown
on the cheap
when you have do
a strong hand.
Even when your
hand is a little
but on the
weaker side, you
can still toss
the other player
and gain some
fold equity. If
your opponent is
a loose player,
grab equity from
the bet with
Ace-X calling
you down. Too
many times,
opponents check
on the river
with a stronger
hand because
they're scared
that you have
one that's even
better. In heads
up, there aren't
a lot of draws
that are made,
so an opponent
sticking with
you to the river
is probably
calling with
mid-pair or
low-pair but it
isn't that often
that he has a
monster. Get
that extra bet
in and take his
money; don’t be
afraid of doing
it.
Folding:
Knowing when to
get out of a
dominated hand
is important,
especially when
it can save you
a big bet or
two. Sometimes
you won't
realize it until
you're on the
river or turn,
but the
willingness to
fold a hand when
you're sure your
opponent isn't
bluffing is much
like extracting
an extra big bet
of your own. In
a full ring game
it is often
impossible to
fold with some
of the great pot
odds. After all,
some of them
will be as large
as 20 big blinds
or even more so
winning only
five percent of
the time makes
this call to be
correct. In
heads-up, the
pot is more
often around
three to five
big blinds,
making it
sensible to fold
if you know
you're beat.
Once the pot
gets big, it
becomes harder
to fold at
critical points
like the river,
given the pot
odds at that
point. The key
is to fold early
or when you're
in trouble;
don't wait until
later when you
are
over-committed
to the pot.
Pot Odds:
Pot odds are the
least important
in heads-up
because you will
rarely call
based JUST on
the pot odds.
Play flushes and
straight draws
aggressively
because,
whatever odds
you are getting,
aggression gives
those odds a
huge value and
folding equity
too. Even with
an inside
straight draw,
it is not bad to
bet if action is
checked to you
or if you are
first to act
because you
still have the
possibility that
your opponent
just might fold
to you. If you
miss your draw,
you can keep
attacking in the
hope the other
player will
fold; but the,
you might hit
your draw and
end up with a
well-disguised
hand to use for
trapping.
Conclusion:
These are only a
few quick tips
to heads-up
limit poker and
a few effective
strategy tips
for the game.
Playing
one-on-one poker
may seems
difficult at
first, even for
the seasoned
player, but it
is a skill that
becomes valuable
because
tournament poker
players benefit
and
non-tournament
limit players at
times find
themselves in
games that are
short-handed.
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