HU - Advice needed

Hi guys.. I've been thinking of adding HU as my staple game but I've somehow lost my feel for it.. I've always played aggressive and tend to raise with almost any 2 cards! (3bb usually) This is not only with the intent of stealing blinds but concealing my hand strength and also to build a pot. I usually do this in position (SB).

I usually play on this site where blinds go up 20/40--> 30/60-->50/100-->100/200 every 5 minutes. So it's kinda turbo...Starting chip 1.5k.

I'll usually also use SS to scope out the competition and choose tables (ie: players with -15% ROI and below) wisely and I'll go all aggressive on them.

However, going pure agg against them... is that the wisest way? I realise I'm building pots and what follows after the flop is a CB by me regardless whether I hit (well, depends on board as well) and by then.. I've spent.. 6BB (6x40).. do it twice.. and 1/3 of my chips are gone.

If I'm faced with another round of betting, I need to bet even more just to win the pot with nothing in my hand.

How should I adjust my play? Less CBs? Lower my preflop raise to 2-2.5BB? Less aggressive? Play small ball?

rut

Hmmm,I believe Id switch it up to maybe confuse em.Dont bet preflop on a few,no matter the cards..I do really good heads-up,thas why I have few 2nd places.The best thing that might help you is dont play the same way,keep em guessing.Very tuff question.

your play is easily exploitable!! you need to play in such a way that you exploit your opponents play. HU is about adjusting to how your opponent is playing and then playing in such a way that it exploits their play. The way you play it would be extremely easy for me to beat you! I bet I could do it almost everytime actually! But anyway don't just enter a HU match with a default strategy! You gotta adjust to your opponent! Also I wouldn't 3bet as much in a HU SNG, just a min raise or 2x bb is sufficient. No reason to spew chips everywhere! lol

When I play heads up, I play a "passive-aggresive" game.
I try to switch between styles every few hands, and sometimes I mix them while i'm in the hand.
Sometimes I'll make a passive check but call anything till the river and then make a big raise.
The main thing is to make scary unpredictable moves that will put the pressure on your opponent.

I see where you are coming from turby , i feel kind of the same i tend to play Too aggresive and my opinios is that what you should do is start out aggresive as u describe. But when the blind raises etc , the hu goes deeper if it does you should slow down and play every hand abit more carefully.
Its never a good thing to be passive tho in my opinion. If he becomes in the state that he never gives up a hand and you keep folding .. you need to turn the tables around quick.

By the way... SS is a bad reference. It often has outdated or straight up wrong information. There are a few better tools out there. I'm sure some more members more experienced with the programs can point you in the right direction.

Thanks for your replies, guys.

SONIC589 said:

your play is easily exploitable!! you need to play in such a way that you exploit your opponents play. HU is about adjusting to how your opponent is playing and then playing in such a way that it exploits their play. The way you play it would be extremely easy for me to beat you! I bet I could do it almost everytime actually! But anyway don't just enter a HU match with a default strategy! You gotta adjust to your opponent! Also I wouldn't 3bet as much in a HU SNG, just a min raise or 2x bb is sufficient. No reason to spew chips everywhere! lol

Click to expand...

Hmm.. Ok.. Adjust to my opponent. It's all kinda rock scissors in the end isnt it? So if:

a) Passive Fish who only plays premiers - Go aggressive?
b) Passive Fish who plays loose (calls mid pair) - Go selective aggresive?
c) Aggressive Player - Passive to trap

Along those lines? Yeap, will lower my raises..

Bren said:

When I play heads up, I play a "passive-aggresive" game.
I try to switch between styles every few hands, and sometimes I mix them while i'm in the hand.
Sometimes I'll make a passive check but call anything till the river and then make a big raise.
The main thing is to make scary unpredictable moves that will put the pressure on your opponent.

Click to expand...

Unpredictable. Hm Ok. Have try that.

ludo90 said:

I see where you are coming from turby , i feel kind of the same i tend to play Too aggresive and my opinios is that what you should do is start out aggresive as u describe. But when the blind raises etc , the hu goes deeper if it does you should slow down and play every hand abit more carefully.
Its never a good thing to be passive tho in my opinion. If he becomes in the state that he never gives up a hand and you keep folding .. you need to turn the tables around quick.

Click to expand...

Mm.. Lol, that's my usual "default" position but will keep that in mind.. thanks. Adapting, yeap.

jamesdadeliverr said:

By the way... SS is a bad reference. It often has outdated or straight up wrong information. There are a few better tools out there. I'm sure some more members more experienced with the programs can point you in the right direction.

Click to expand...

What better programmes? I'm still very new to tools and all. I've got HEM but it seems but suitable for cash games.. wherelese I play SNG and MTTs mostly.

I have noticed SS is very limited in scope... I tend to fall into trap putting all fish into one basket (pun intended) in terms of style of play when actually diff fish play differently and you've gotta learn to have diff traps for diff fish or... you're getting no chips with your fish! (pun intended again)

Thanks.. still listening/learning here..

You'd be easy to bust if you play like this all of the time. Too predicable and if your opponent ever has a hand they'd be able to let you hang yourself. Gotta switch it up and keep 'em guessing.

For heads up you have to mix up your play and think of what your opponent may have. If you play too fast all the time the other player will catch on and beat you a lot of the time.

Its good to get in showdowns with your opponent to see how he plays some of his hands early. Getting in these showdowns cheap is also good.

turby said:

a) Passive Fish who only plays premiers - Go aggressive?
b) Passive Fish who plays loose (calls mid pair) - Go selective aggresive?
c) Aggressive Player - Passive to trap

Click to expand...

This looks like another of your mistakes, just because someone plays passivly it does not make them a fish. I find there are more fish type players that play aggresivly.

Zachvac is a very good HU player. You won't go wrong asking him for some advice, if he'll give it.

when i've played the way you described i don't do as well.
i try to mix it up as explained by the others and i do much better.
i like the heads up games cause i think they're good practice for the final table.
good luck and peace.