Been lurking for a little bit, looking to start taking this poker thing a bit more serious and I figured this forum was a good place to start...
One quick question, I have PT3 and use the hud, but Im not sure what stats I should be looking out for when playing heads up...I guess what are your standard statistics for a HU LAG and TAG?

Hand 1: This is a pretty standard line right??


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (2 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Hero (Button) ($121.90)
SB ($58)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, Q
Hero raises to $1.50, SB calls $1

Flop: ($3) 5, 4, 9 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $3, SB raises to $8, Hero raises to $22, SB raises to $56.50 (All-In), Hero calls $34.50

Turn: ($116) 9 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($116) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $116 | Rake: $0.50

Hand 2: We had both opened up our 3betting range a little bit...i had been leading here 60-70% of the time and checking 30-40% of the time...he had bet nearly everytime when checked to so I thought this was a good spot for a checkraise...my question is what would yall do next in this spot


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (2 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Button ($110.35)
Hero (SB) ($81.20)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 9, 5
Button raises to $1.50, Hero raises to $5, Button calls $3.50

Flop: ($10) 2, 8, 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $7.50, Hero raises to $22, Button calls $14.50

hmmmm... HU hands are so hard to comment on.

In general though, stats are pretty varied for hu guys. I don't even look at stats, and I play HU exclusively. Maybe others have systems.

With respect to the hands, the QQ hand is standard. I can't imagine anything else you could do. Just go broke with overpairs, lol. Guys show up with A5 there enough.

I never really do this in the 2nd hand. I just lead, then shove over his raise.

hand 1 standard and very gay turn & river

i probably just b/3b allin in hand 2

So yall would bet/3bet shove 160bb here?
I figured that would be a bit spewy

First hand, with a Check Raise on the flop, I would simply call. HU range could definately include 4-5, or any Ace-Flop Card.
A reraise probably won't get him off this hand unless he is totally bluffing. A call might cause him to slow down on the turn / river so that you don't have to wonder if he outflopped you. I myself have been stacked by this same scenario soooo many times when I raise, get re-raised and then push only to find out I am way behind. Hand ranges in HU are sooo wide that is tough to put someone on a hand.

Second hand, you're re-raising out of positions on a come? If he caught any piece of that, he is calling HU in position and you are way behind. If you were the button and he bet into you on that flop, a re-raise might get you a free card on the turn. Either way, you are definately way behind at this point after his call. What do you do now if an over card hits and isn't a heart? Check - Fold? I think it puts you in a bad spot.

your range looks like another big pair, if he can beat a pair you still have outs to win not to mention fold equity
*Edit if he can beat a pair you have no FE, sorry i'm @ work and alt tabbing

i'm kind of crazy HU though, and play more HU PLO than NL... take w/ a grain of salt but still remember he has no idea you have 9 high @ this point


as played, i think you have to shove any turn to give any kind of credibility to you having a big hand. and now w/ only one to come if you brick the turn you're 4:1 to get there as opposed to like 2.5:1ish. and check folding after 3betting & check raising would make me puke in my lap


yes, i b3b cause i hate b/c oop and your equity is gonna turn to shyt on the turn if you brick not to mention having to act first


don't 3bet this trash in the first place if you're not willing to play like the one good flop you can hit with it fast & heavy


JMO

this.

Hi...

Hand one just call the ch/r, esp if it's a LAG that ch/r's light like A5 there....then min raise or shove most turns.. Assuming his turn bet will be somewhere around 15 ish I'd just call again if the 9 hits and fold if he shoves the river for like 35 more or whatever. unless he 3 barrels too much with a hand like 67 and is a total fish then I'd just call down I guess.

Hand 2

3betting that pre is fine as long as it's like _only_ the 95s that you're 3betting as a bluff, if you're 3bettting 96s and 85s and stuff then you're prob 3betting too much. Once you do you should probably bet every single flop, and bet/shove these types of flops when you get raised, ch/r ing that flop isn't a good Idea. imo.

Good advice from a new poster imo.

I agree with those for the most part. I'm more happy to get it in on the flop if there's a flush draw out there as both hero and villain can have weaker hands in our range (flush draws). On this dry of a board in position, I like calling and letting them barrel because I think they have air a fair amount.

HI

I play a lot of HU and ur style is similar to mine. I like how you played both hands. It looks very good to me (bet sizing, u being first to act on turn and everything). As someone said before, u have to follow your semi bluff through on the turn. Almost no matter what card that shows up on turn, you'll still have some FE, and some outs for sure if you get caught.

JC, do you play lots of HU cash? Just curious.

I know in my games, people are sooooooooooo willing to stack off light that reraising the flop is probably the best play. Having position gives us more options, so I don't mind the flat, but my default is to just 3-b small and get it in.

I know this question is insane on its surface, but how often do y'all find yourself all in when you're HU?

I could tell you the % of all of my hands that went to showdown all in BEFORE the river. That wouldn't include hands where I shove and he folds, or whatever, or he shoves and I fold, also, won't include hands where there was river action resulting in all-ins. I'm just pulling this from PokerEV, I don't know where else to find these numbers.

In 30,721 hands, ~925 hands have been all in BEFORE the river.

I don't know if this is meaningfull, at all.

Yeah, I know.

Again, if I am going to play online, I need these data tools, but I don't them.

I just wanted a handle. Thanks.

Yea I pretty much only play HU now....

The thing with 3betting the flop (although I don't know this particular guy and I'm just speaking in general here) is that when u get 4 bet shoved you're likely going to end up chalking it up as a cooler and getting stacked....the rest of the time they'll fold their A5 or whatever.. If it's someone who will 4 bet shove A5 then go for it, but I think vs most people you're losing value. Also, if I get ch/r here I'm likely just going to call if I have a hand like 56 or something or call/shove turn with a oesd, so I need to balance my range by calling with big hands here as well. the only times I'll be 3betting this flop vs an average low stakes player is if I have a total bluff or a hand like A9 or TT ...

I'm coaching this kid who pretty much only plays 1/2 HU, and just from watching him play these guys I notice that 1/2 players don't get too bluffy after their first bluff.....in other words if you get two barreled and you raise you're usually not gonna get shipped on as a bluff, where as in 5/10-25/50 that'll happen often. In this case I'm not very sure if the guy will stick it in with <TP on the flop.

That said, I'm obv always 3betting on draw heavy flops.




I don't know the exact number of times that I shove all my stack in HU, but I know that if I'm 100-150bb's it's going to be VERY often, I play pretty insane HU against standard opponents.

Very good reasoning, and I agree with you, in retrospect. I just don't think I'm getting away from this even if the turn pairs like this, since I think his range is wider than a 9, although on this river we probably can. At the same time, I rarely end up in situations where my opponents have more than 100 bbs, so that's certainly a difference.

alllllllllllllllllllllll the time =]

Yea if the turn pairs the 9 or the 5, and he bets I'd call, then if he ships the river I might fold....if he insta ships I might be more inclined to call, it really depends, but that would kind of be my default.