Johnny Chan's Heads Up Strategy

Few poker players can equal the successes of Johnny Chan, with 2 consecutive wins in the World Series Main Event (and a close 2nd to a young Phil Hellmuth the very next year) Chan is truly one of pokers greats. Nicknamed ‘The Orient Express’ due to his fast and aggressive playing style - Johnny Chan compares himself to the greats such as Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson. This article looks at Johnny Chan’s heads-up poker strategy and asks how we might learn from one of true poker masters.

 

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There are actually three important aspects of Chan’s heads up strategy that are worthy of note. Firstly his use of aggression, reads, and timely bluffs. Secondly, his advice on watching opponents betting patterns and how to deal with a novice heads-up poker player. And Third Chan’s advice about treating poker as a business which includes knowing when to quit and the importance of sound bankroll management.

Aggression is a key element of Johnny Chan’s heads-up poker strategy. A true poker player has to be fearless when it comes to getting money into the pot with the odds in his favor. While this usually entails betting and raising to put pressure on opponents it can also be used to make brave calls. A great example being his call with Ace-Nine to win the world series of poker title in 1987. Key to this aggressive poker style is Chan’s ability to maintain a ‘poker face’ during pressure situations – combined with big bluffs and timely value bets this puts the pressure of making difficult decisions onto his opponents.

Novice poker players are not so easy to push around according to Chan. His advice on playing newcomers to the game is to watch their betting patterns before bringing out the big bets and bluffs. The reason for this is that the novice will not know any better than to call with marginal hands. Heads-up against a beginner you should get to know their betting patterns first by watching how they bet and raise when both strong and weak.

Treating poker as a business is a fundamental aspect of Johnny Chan’s game. Chan went broke several times in his early career through both bad bankroll management and chasing losses. The most important lesson learned was to know when to quit. This covers situations in which you are winning as well as when losing money. The key here is to know when you are playing your best heads-up poker and when you are not.

To summarize Johnny Chan’s heads-up strategy involves aggression and fearlessness, caution against newer players and the discipline to treat your poker as a business.