Switching Gears from Regular to Heads Up Play

Adjusting from regular to heads-up poker games involves reassessing many of the things you have learned about starting hands, position and showdown values. This article looks at how to switch gears from regular to heads-up play from the perspective of someone who is used to 6 or 10 handed tables and would like to try heads-up poker.

Having only a single opponent means you have to switch gears dramatically in heads-up poker matches. You need to play more hands and play them more aggressively as the likelihood of your opponent holding a hand strong enough to fight with is greatly reduced.

The first gear change you need to be aware of is the importance of position. Holding the dealer button (acting last after the flop and for the turn + river betting rounds) is more important heads-up than in a regular cash game. The reason is that there is a lower probability of your single opponent having a premium starting hand. Compare this to a full-ring game – sure the button has its advantages, but if someone ahead has a strong hand this advantage alone is not usually enough. In a heads-up poker game you have just one opponent with a random starting hand – take full advantage of this fact by playing more hands, more aggressively from the button.

Starting hand selection also involves a change of gears in heads-up poker compared to regular cash games. Once again it is the fact that you have a single opponent that makes the difference. At a full-ring table you stay tight in the early position seats due to the danger of someone raising from later position. In heads-up poker this is not such a problem. Likewise you can call raises with hands that would normally be thrown away in a full ring game. Pairs are valuable commodities in heads-up poker and should be played strongly, aces and kings with good kickers likewise. Using your normal ring game starting hand selection in heads-up game will leave you playing far too tight – change gears and loosen up!

The 3rd gear change involves post flop play. In a full ring game big pots usually mean big hands, especially when several players have been involved in the betting. With just a single opponent any piece of the flop us usually good enough reason to raise. The chances of your opponent missing the flop are just too high to pass up an opportunity to win the pot. Top pair can be considered a very strong hand heads-up and big draws should usually be played aggressively too. As you gain experience in heads-up poker play you will get a good idea of the types of hands that are shown down. In the meantime do not hang around too long waiting for those aces!