6 replies to this topic

[greatwhite]

I'm having so much trouble heads up. Maybe it's because I click the button really fast or something. However, here's my strategy.

-I always raise from the sb no matter what I have.
-I call with all but the bottom 10%-20% of hands oop.
-If checked to I bet every flop.
-I either bet or checkraise the flop with 2 pair.
-I hardly ever slowplay. I'd have to have like quads or something to let my oppoent bet me to the river.
-I will checkraise the turn with any good draw or top pair
-I will bet the turn with any pair other than bottom pair
-On the river I play pretty standard, check-raise sometimes when I miss my draw

Other notes:
-I see a showdown quite often, like 75% of the time.
-I hardly ever fold ace high at the showdown let alone a pair.

Any tips?

[Verdimme]

By no means im an HU expert, but im giving it a shot anyway. You use the word always alot when you describe your style of HU play. If I remember correctly, you are playing something like 15-30. In a game like that, people will pick up on tendencies like this. If you bet every flop when its checked to you, this will not be unnoticed by your opponents..they will start to c/r you alot. Also, you should take into account what type of player you have in the BB.
Against weak/ tight players, sure go ahead an try to steal it. If there is a maniac in the BB, and you have 23o, its sometimes better to just fold.

My 2 cents.

[greatwhite]

Yeah, I'm a winner in 15-30 6max, but a loser in .50-1 heads up. My biggest problem is against maniacs. I try to use an ultra-agressive style myself against them. I don't know how much I should be surrendering on the flop to these players. I usually play any draw, ace high, a pair, 2 cards between top and bottom, 2 overs, or 1 between top and middle and 1 over top. Are these too many hands?

[screech]

I'm having so much trouble heads up. Maybe it's because I click the button really fast or something. However, here's my strategy.

-I always raise from the sb no matter what I have.
-I call with all but the bottom 10%-20% of hands oop.
-If checked to I bet every flop.
-I either bet or checkraise the flop with 2 pair.
-I hardly ever slowplay. I'd have to have like quads or something to let my oppoent bet me to the river.
-I will checkraise the turn with any good draw or top pair
-I will bet the turn with any pair other than bottom pair
-On the river I play pretty standard, check-raise sometimes when I miss my draw

Other notes:
-I see a showdown quite often, like 75% of the time.
-I hardly ever fold ace high at the showdown let alone a pair.

Any tips?

Wow. Your strategy seems very exploitable.

First off, always raising from the sb is a leak. I would raise a lot, but 100% of the time is way too much. Since you have an aggressive style, raising around 60% of the time should work best.

I don't know how to answer the OOP question. Who has the button? If it is sb, then this seems about right.

Betting every flop when checked to is definetly a leak too. Mix it up. Check behind scary boards, and sometimes safe ones. You don't have to win every pot. If you find your opponent starts taking stabs at the pot whenever you check behind, start checking behind good hands too and induce bluffs.

With regards to the 2 pair thing, a lot depends on your opponent. Against a loose passive type, it is better to just get the money in. Against an aggressive opponent, it is best to mix it up. Give him rope in small pots works really well too. Having him put in $$ when he would have folded is a sure fire way to success.

See above for slowplaying. You can slowplay somehting even as little as ace high in a small pot if your opponent will bluff. Against callign stations, slowplaying obvously doesn't work, but against aggressive players, always fastplaying has its downsides too.

Everythign esle seems fine.

Basically, you need to add a little more finesse in your game. The pound pound pound strategy has its place, but works a lot better when you are able to switch gears and mix it up. Also, a decent player, or even a bad player whos natural strategy counters the pound pound pound one, will destroy you. HU is about constant adjustments. When you find a player who can't adjust, he won't be able to beat you.

[MrNiceGuy]

Yeah, I'm a winner in 15-30 6max, but a loser in .50-1 heads up. My biggest problem is against maniacs. I try to use an ultra-agressive style myself against them. I don't know how much I should be surrendering on the flop to these players. I usually play any draw, ace high, a pair, 2 cards between top and bottom, 2 overs, or 1 between top and middle and 1 over top. Are these too many hands?

To me, your strategy sounds too inflexible.

Hand reading, pot odds, implied odds, counting outs, etc. are just as important in heads-up as they are in ring games. For example, just because you have a gutshot doesn't mean you have to play it. If you have 54 on a A87 flop, and a player who rarely bluffs and rarely folds bets into you, and you're getting 5-1 to call, just fold.

[jayboogie]

Stop having a set strategy and adapt to the opponents your playing. If you're playing an over aggressive opponent, you don't try to run him over, you look for value for when you make hands. If you're playing against a weak opponent who is giving up pots unless they hit, then pound away.

[AlphaOmega]

Stop having a set strategy and adapt to the opponents your playing. If you're playing an over aggressive opponent, you don't try to run him over, you look for value for when you make hands. If you're playing against a weak opponent who is giving up pots unless they hit, then pound away.

I'd like to second this advice.

HU play is waaaaaaay more about changing gears than it is about a set hyper-aggro strategy.