HU: what to do when your not hitting?

heads up game:
ive been having a good run but recently i played a game where i wasnt getting any good holdings and i wasnt hitting with anything except low pairs.

i got 7 premium holdings in the 53 hands of the game. my best holding was KK, i 2X pot pre, and got called. an Ace was on the flop, i raised pot again and got reraised instantly. that was an easy fold (or was it?). only 3 of my 7 good hands hit and won.

other than that i was getting dealt rags, hitting low pairs that took me nowhere. my opponent didnt seem overly aggressive but i was getting raised every few hands or so when i had nothing. i tried to call a few bluffs and never caught him. but actually he showed me a bluff at one point, i think he did that because he was getting a good run and trying to loosen me up a bit.

in my last hand i was down about 4-1 in chips and decided to go all in with A-2. my opponent called and turned over AA.

is there any way to deal with a game like this? or is this one of those situations where skills and tricks cant do much? should i carry on or is there something to be learned?

Heads-up is as much about the dynamics between the two players as it is about cards. Sounds like you are playing too tight. In heads-up play, any King is a playable hand preflop and so is a Queen with a reasonable kicker, any two suited cards, connectors etc. etc.

Remember that the opponent has his attention focused exclusively on you and will quickly get a read on you if you are too predictable. If you are only playing strong hands, any reasonably observant opponent will spot that and will not give you action when you get a hand. You must be prepared to bet the flop sometimes even when you got no piece of it. You should also mix it up by playing the odd random hand. For example, if I feel as though I am not in enough pots, I will start playing any two red cards.

my problem was definitely not that I didn't play enough hands. I folded pre flop probably 5 times or less. I only fold with hands like 2,3 or some random crap like 2,9. even so I don't always fold them. my problem was that my rags weren't even hitting. and when they did, there were usually plenty of overcards on the board.

but I definitely agree with you about my opponents focus. it actually did occur to me during the game that my opponent had my playing style figured out. I never saw him before but its possible that he was simply better than me and making the right moves.

what's the best way to deal with a HU game where u aren't hitting. im thinking maybe I should have bluffed more but I was hesisant because I tried a check/raise bluff that didn't turn out too well.

When running cold in HU it don't take many hands at that point (blinds are usually high) to put you extremely short stacked. Players will reraise for weakness check in some cases. You can only try to get a read on the other player and by all means, don't get locked into one playing style at this point. You have to mix it up, limp, raise and reraise. If he gets or has a read on how your playing, your doomed!

Any 2 cards at HU will win the hand if they hit. When cold and not hitting, I will fold preflop maybe 8 hands in a row. You lose some chips but your looking for the cards to change in your favor. After folding 8 hands in a row (your showing your playing tight), you may get a fold if you raise preflop with marginal hand or if you have monster and he calls, you get chips back.

More info. please... is this a HU sng? Is this HU at the end of a tourney or a sng? (with more info. I'll give an answer)

I'll put my two cents in.

The are many important factors to play heads up. What I find to be the most important ones are:

Position.
Aggression.
Fold Equity.
Image.

Image

First, play heads up either TAG or LAG. Being passive heads relies on your cards and less on skill. Also, if your opponent is very good you better be running hot if you trying to win playing a passive style.


Your Image dictates how you play heads up.

Aggression

First lets define TAG. Playing TAG DOES NOT mean that your playing only the top 10 hands. It means that your playing a range of cards that likely going to beat your opponent. If you wait for cards heads up your going to ante yourself to second place.

Playing LAG, does not have a standard definition, but you should be raising every button, regardless of the cards. Not allowing your opponent to limp in. And all your 4 bets should be shoving or folding. (that's, just my opinion though)

Define your hand. What type of hand is this? Am I trying to get this all in so I can end this right now? If its not then its a stealing hand.

Lets get it in Hands are simple to play. You try to get your opponent in no matter what. Your 3 betting, and shoving any 3 bet. The hand ends by either him folding or all your chips in the middle going to a showdown. The play is pretty standard whether your TAG or LAG.

Since your not often going to get "get it in hands." Most of your other hands are stealing hands.

When Lag, You are trying to build your chip stack. You do this by Raising every time your the button, donk betting, C-betting, Double barreling. You also trying to 3 bet every limp pre flop when your out of position. These hands are made for building your stack up. You're trying to capitalize on your opponents fold equity.

When you play TAG, with stealing hands your're also trying to capitalize on your opponents fold equity, however you do it more riskier but for greater reward. While playing TAG your stack is going to fall, and that occasional C-bet and steal of blinds is not going to bring up your stack. Instead your using your image to your advantage. You're looking to steal by a 3 bet shove. When you 3 bet shove most of the time your opponent is folding. You will probably gain all those C-bets your opponent took from you and more. This is very different from "getting it in hands" because if your opponent calls your likely not going to be ahead. So do this with something as low as 2 over cards. You're not trying to check raise bluff, your trying to check raise semi bluff. You're going to do this with with gut shots, (preferably with over cards) Open ended draws, flush draws, Straight flush draws and the works. Most of the times your opponent folds. Lets say he calls your 3 bet shoves only 30 % of the time. That means your going to win 70% of the time by him folding. Out of those 30% you will lose on average 60% of the time and and win 40% of the time which means that you won or your opponent is most likely crippled 40% of the time. This is worth it because your never going to be so over chipped by your opponent that you have to ship A2.

Fold Equity.

The above "stealing hands" cover really almost everything about fold equity. Just know that your opponent is not likely to hit either so a raise will many times just end the pot right there.

Position

For LAG players it just better because you can C-bet and control the pot. For TAG players, it means that you can occasionally (not often, your trying to protect your image) C-bet and you can control the pot.

I am sure there are things that I am forgetting. To be honest, most people are just awful heads up that this info should make you miles ahead from the average heads up person.

WARNING

This is to be used ONLY for Tournaments played down to Heads up, Sit N' Goes played down to heads up. It MAY be useful for heads up tournaments but people who play those things most the time actually know a little something about something that a beginner is often going to get dominated.

NEVER use this strategy for heads up cash games. It has not been tested by me, or ever will be. I don't play cash games heads up. You will probably lose because the blinds are low and remain that way in relation to your buy in.

(comments, questions, or anything else. I haven''t read too much heads up strategy so I came up with this myself. I use it and I get pretty good results)

Forgive the spelling and grammar mistakes.

I'd raise 100% of buttons until he starts to 3-bet a lot, then adjust and only raise about 80% of btns. I usually only minraise after the first blind level. In the BB you should be 3-betting or folding quite a bit and only flatting with hands that play well postflop.

Keep in mind that unpaired hands hit the flop only 1/3 of the time so your opponent doesn't have anything most of the time as well. There are plenty of hands where K-high is the essential nuts on the river.

IMO you shouldn't be playing HU SNGs anyway until you get a lot more experience. HU is a much more advanced form of poker than 6-max or FR SNGs.

no way. ive been dominating HU, even at higher levels than usual. i definitely have the experience for it. in fact, ive been playing nothing but HU recently and ive had my biggest upswing ever.

also, i crush players who raise all day. my hope is that i get to play against that player. not that raising SB 60%-100% of the time is bad, but its probably a high level strategy not fit for donks.
i love letting my opponent control the action. he wears me down a little then when i get a big hand i let him pay me to the river, the raise him huge.

from my experience, raising the SB all the time only works to make the pot bigger, and possibly to wear down my opponents patience if he gets frustrated.

oh

so we don't want to play larger pots in position vs. donks?
loved this ^

since everyone been missing the point of the op i think i will but my 2 cents in it,
when playing husng's you will have 20 game loss swings, this is normal in HU..there no way to avoid it, just have to grind it out. Hu is very high varance, where will be times where you will not hit a single hand, Ihave had it where one match i will not hit a single hand , and other times here my hand will work with the board. this is all normal. just have to wait for varance to end to continue to play well

You need to work on your HU game. When playing HU in a tourny, you should be min raising almost every button. You should be c betting a ton as well. Remember that heads up your range of hands that you play needs to be much wider than say a 6 handed or full ring table. When I play HU in a tourny, I'm min raising almost every button and c betting most flops. Flops that I wont c bet are flops that I think hit his OOP calling range. Always think about your opponents range in a particular hand.

Next you need to figure out your opponents style of play. Is he tight aggressive, loose passive, or maniac? Is he folding to most of your c bets? If so, keep c betting. If he is floating you on lots of flops, he is most likely doing this to take away the pot at any sign of weakness on later streets. You should in turn keep barreling this kind of player on cards that don't seem to give him any help. Figure out how your opponent thinks about poker, and then figure out the best way to beat him.

[quote=eazy489;1781902]You need to work on your HU game. When playing HU in a tourny, you should be min raising almost every button. You should be c betting a ton as well. Remember that heads up your range of hands that you play needs to be much wider than say a 6 handed or full ring table. When I play HU in a tourny, I'm min raising almost every button and c betting most flops. Flops that I wont c bet are flops that I think hit his OOP calling range. Always think about your opponents range in a particular hand. [quote]
you do relize that 2x raise is for end game not the begining and middle game right..
but hey if it works for you then keep going with it.

2xing is fine/standard

Nash should be your new best friend IMO: http://www.holdemresources.net/hr/sngs/hune.html

not really. it totally depends on who im playing. if im playing against nervous donk i raise a lot of buttons.
if im playing against a crazy donk im only gonna raise buttons with ace or king high.

to assume that every button must be raised most of the time is just bad advice IMO.
for me heads up is all about adjustment. ive been getting pretty good at it lately and when my opponent is trigger happy on the button i usually let them barrel their way to defeat. it works most of the time.

i totally agree with you. it happens sometimes, but theres just not much to be done in this case.

i still dont understand why raising all the buttons is a solid strategy. it only works against certain types of opponents.
and its not like raising SB is the magic answer to HU problems. theres a lot more to it than that.
but it seems everyones first advice is to raise the button.

someone enlighten me plz

Hey blik, just play like me and you'll make money. Sorry to hijack, I can't send PM's yet....thanks for letting me know about this place. Hope all is well.

haha sup dude. im glad u made it. this forum has definitely made me a better player.
as you can see i get a bit of flak for my ideas, but feeling ridiculed is certainly motivation to learn

In a nutshell: it's because very few opponents adjust well to it, if they even adjust at all.

Pure. Gold.

Anyone can play with cards. Basically you have to have good timing to last through the dry spell. Continue to apply pressure back and hope your opponent doesn't wake up when you do. You can take a small beating for a time, but don't lose your footing in the match by fold fold folding. Just as you don't want to be "blinded" out in a big tournament. A good opponent is going to force "blind" you out in a HU tournament.

to a person like me who play nothing but heads up, if you limp in on the button shows major weakness to me and other player and gives them a chance to attack your limp, say you raise 3x on the button and you have something like 68o, and the flop comes Ks,Qd, 3h and you do a C-bet then the person is a weak fish you can get more money with this play if he is folding to you C-bets about 50% of the time ( thinking that you have a K, or a Q in your hand). when i am playing heads up i raise 100% on the button no matter what until my oppt. give me a reason not to which is likey he will not. if he is passive or TAG.
but if you oppt. is 3-bet you everytime when you raise on the button then it would be a good ideal to lower your raise amount to lower the loss of your blinds