heads up blinds

I was playing at a small local tournament the other week (just a dozen blokes in a pub with a £5 buy in) when things got weird heads up. Since I were a lad in heads up play the button posts the SB the other the BB, the button acts first preflop and second thereafter. In this game the button posted the BB and the other acted first in all rounds. I pointed out the error and, as a few of the guys seemed pretty experienced, I was surprised to have the rule explained (wrongly, imo) to me. Obviously, I said I was happy to play by the rules of the house and played on.

Anyone else come across this? Were they just plain wrong here or is there more to it than that?

They were, without exception, simply and plainly wrong. In HU play, as you correctly stated, the button is the SB and the other player is the BB. Button/SB acts first PF and acts last on the other rounds.

Now if they want to have a house rule that completely screws up the game, then that of course is their perogotive. However they should know that what they are doing is NOT how the game is actually played and their procedure is nothing more than in-house customization.

And if you feel like proving them wrong, then confront them with this: http://www.homepokertourney.com/roberts-rules-of-poker.htm#SECTION_15_-_TOURNAMENTS Rule # 31

The best way to remember is:-
The dealer ALWAYS has position.....
This means:-
The dealer places the small blind.
The big blind is dealt the first card.
Pre flop the dealer acts first
After the flop the dealer is second to act (returns to normal).

The dealer gets the best of it basically.
They place the small blind, so they can get out the cheapest.
They act first pre-flop allowing them all the choices i.e. Fold (get out cheap). Call (limp to trap). Raise (put the pressure on).
They act last after the flop. (can make a judgement on their opponents play).

Hope this helps clear things up for you.

That said. I still get it wrong sometimes. Especially when I'm pissed.
But by that stage nobody gives a toss.

Don't think of rules as right or wrong. They just are. Yes in all major poker games all across the world the button almost always posts SB. That is correct. But I say there house - there rules. Your opponent is playing under the same rules as you are. Don't get yourself all worked up over some stupid rule. Just focus on something you can control - like PLAYING GOOD POKER!!!! It's not good, it's not bad, IT JUST IS! Rules are meant to be made up. Somebody has to do it. Any rule you've ever heard of, or played under, or defended, was just simply made up by somebody at somepoint. This one just happens to be different than your used to playing with. If your a better player than your opponent this shouldn't have that big of an effect and you should still win more often than not.

Hambone8705 said:

Don't think of rules as right or wrong. They just are. Yes in all major poker games all across the world the button almost always posts SB. That is correct. But I say there house - there rules. Your opponent is playing under the same rules as you are. Don't get yourself all worked up over some stupid rule. Just focus on something you can control - like PLAYING GOOD POKER!!!! It's not good, it's not bad, IT JUST IS! Rules are meant to be made up. Somebody has to do it. Any rule you've ever heard of, or played under, or defended, was just simply made up by somebody at somepoint. This one just happens to be different than your used to playing with. If your a better player than your opponent this shouldn't have that big of an effect and you should still win more often than not.

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This is lol-tastic. Of course rules are right or wrong; that's how rules work. And yes the rules were made up. And when they were made up they were made a certain way. This isn't like a TD making a judgement call on a particular situation based on what is most fair for that instance, this is someone totally ignorant of the correct way to do something and instead of listening to someone that actually knows they simply toss the rule completely out the window and do it some other way...but then to make things worse they idiotically insist that their way is correct though ALL evidence is to the contrary.

So if people want to change the rules for whatever reason then that is their perogative in a home game but don't go around touting that these HOMEMADE EXCEPTIONS/CONCOCTIONS are actual game rules when they aren't. I could hold a game where the person in the CO position has to post a small blind as well. That would not have anything to do with the actual rules of the game and it would be no where near standard, but I could do it at home.

Hambone8705 said:

Yes in all major poker games all across the world the button ALWAYS posts SB.

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FYP... No where in the world in any major poker game or tournament that was run as a professional even has ever had the button be the big blind. Never.

Thanks for the clarification and link. There was a bit of tension in the room, and as the new boy among regulars I wasn't going to kick up a fuss. However, as I'd been brushing up my heads up play it did rather throw my game - I won anyway.