Heads-up SnGs - fundamentals?

Hi chaps,

I've been playing live tourney/cash for 4 years and have dabbled online. My end-of-tourney heads-up play is profitable in terms of win percentage, regardless of anything but enormous differences in starting stacks, so I have confidence in my end-game.

I'm looking to try some Heads-up SnGs online (anywhere from $10 to $100 buy ins) and am looking for advice on fundamental strategies / counter-strategies for these online games (and Heads-up SnGs in general), and beyond the fundamentals into advanced strategy.

I've had a look through poker literature's usual suspects, but can found little dedicated to heads-up, and almost nothing on heads-up SnGs. Web searches throw up random articles and threads, but it's mostly shallow and/or incomplete. I might have expected something in-depth from the heads-up giants (Hellmuth, Ferguson, etc), but again it's only tidbits.

So, 'The Theory of Heads-up SnGs' anyone?

Thanks a million!

Hmm, the only thing that comes to mind for me is parts of the Harrington tourny series. There are some good examples in book 3 of a headsup.

Be Aggresive but patient, thats all there is to it, also don't try 100$ sngs, any decent player will just run you over. Confuse your opponent and just keep raising, and its easy as 1,2,3

Try to avoid goin all in preflop, especially on tilt because you'll probably loose =P.

On a serious note, like Bob said, just raise and steal pots. Keep raising preflop with great cards and with crap instead check/callling with weak cards so that the opponent can read your bet/raise as a show of power or as a complete bluff at the same time. Keep them guessing.

I find the best strategy is to have no fixed strategy.

Sounds flippant, but it bears thinking about. Heads up, more than any other form of poker, is a psychological game. If you have a fixed strategy, two things will happen.

One is that your opponents will work it out and they'll be able to play back against you very easily.

The other is that there will be some opponents against which your strategy is hopelessly ineffective.

So work out what makes your opponents tick, and play accordingly.

Just to add.. the end of Harrington book 2 covers some heads up, including a commentary on every hand of the Ivey vs D'agostino finale of a 2004 tourney. Good stuff

These players that raise every hand are my favorite players to play. I just call a lot and slow play a lot of hands.

Having no set strategy is a good rule. You have to play different depending on the other player. If they raise every hand, do more calling if you hit your hand. If they are passive, raise a lot but beware the reraise. Keeping things nice and random is best.

Im primarily a cash game player but i play these types of HU games frequently for fun. I basically just run over my opponent with constant button raising and 3 betting his raises liberally and also constantly cbetting almost every flop. This strategy works great because you can easily get your opponent on tilt and induce him into making dumb moves on you.

Like for instance, in my last game i had raised every pot and probably won 12 out of the first 13 pots. I picked up pocket aces raised on the button he reraised me with K 9 off I reraised him all in and he called. If you employ this strategy correctly and are able to avoid traps and slowplays which players will inevitably try you will have a huge edge and have alot of fun as well!

When I'm playing HU, I usually play very aggressive.Also Hu is a game where you have to get into your opponets head to win, you must play a strat that will work agaisnt them.Start with $2 sngs and move up if you are doing well.

Heads up is fun but has lots of variance...

when im playing headsup i raise with all suited connectors "56s+" ..any suited king or ace...any broadway..suited queens Q6s+ ..suited jacks J7s+..any pocket pair...suited gap connectors 57s+ ...and c-betting on most flops ..

another stradegy I use (also known as the negreanu strategy)is that you can raise every single hand (min-raise) and min bet every single hand if you have anything or not..and if you get re-raised just play normal accordingly to your hand strength..this will really confuse your opponents and will never know what you have..

these strats do work as I get them from pro poker coaches..