playing heads up

I been playing some heads up sit and go tournaments for about a week. I win some and then I lose some. I want to see what type of info people can give me to help better my game in the heads up part. i do raise with powerful, strongs hands and fold weak ones( trash hands like 2-10, 3-8). any info would be help full.epsi:

I haven't played these & am far from a HU expert when it comes down to that @ a MTT or SNG Final Table. But I do have a recommendation on where you might consider putting in some practice:

Right now I'm getting excellent HU practice in the PokerStars' Americas Cup Freeroll Shootout SNGs (81-peep)...consistently winning the 1st table & coming in either 1st or 2nd @ the Final Table; for me, the shootout format is excellent for the HU's practice, in a freeroll environment, since there's only '2' tables involved >>> the HU's practice is my motivation & primary focus (not a ticket to a $0.10 tournament that has max 10K peeps).

When it comes to HU I've found this is where I play the player more than the cards the most. I'm way more aggressive than I normally am & play a much wider range of hands with check raising, bluffing, 3-betting plus frequently changing up my play to keep the other peep confused about what I might be holding...it's pretty erratic so I'm not sure if this is optimal strategy or not but I've already established a tight image prior to HU so that may be why I have an advantage when I switch it up to uber aggressive. Unsure if this would work @ a specifically HU game though.

Im not very good either but id say widen your range from the button and use it more aggressively.( If your not already)

Heres a good articles for heads up play.

HU- Leverage is your friend

Be very very aggressive, I don't like to limp my button and don't like to let my villian limp the button, know your opponent and adjust accordingly. Grind him down be patient and wait for the kill shot. Oh, and DON'T become the caller. I mean you gotta call sometimes but don't be a station, be the aggressor.

I play all the hands preflop and i check fold or raise(reraise) after the flop. Watch careffuley how the opponent adjust his play. If u play microstakes do not try to bluff a calling station . If the opponent is the scared type bluff him like hell but pay attention to not get busted. When he will become short he will go all in.

I knew I read 'something' 'somewhere' (LOL) this might help >>> https://www.cardschat.com/forum/tournament-poker-59/heads-up-play-sit-n-gos-172655/

so let say this...i normaly raise 3 to 4 time the blinds the person calls. Then when I bet the flop I get re-raise everytime. What would you do in this case.

Also when I only check the flop with a trash hand, I still get bet about 5 time the blind hear. What you you do for this

Dreams of Tragedy said:

so let say this...i normaly raise 3 to 4 time the blinds the person calls. Then when I bet the flop I get re-raise everytime. What would you do in this case.

Also when I only check the flop with a trash hand, I still get bet about 5 time the blind hear. What you you do for this

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In the OP it's indicated that you win some & you lose some...what are you doing different, if anything, when you win?

I've managed, on several occasions, to KO the other peep even when he/she has 3-4x the chip stack I do @ the start of HU play.

If you're consistently raising 3-4xBB with moderate-premium hands, folding whenever reraised post flop, & checking with trash hands >>> it's possible you're being exploited...the other peep may read you as weak & is playing you rather than the cards (just a thought). If this is the case, what are your thoughts on turning this around & taking advantage of the other peep's missteps?

HU is ATC against ATC, If I'm up against a real agressive player who is either making huge bets or all ins, I love it because if I catch a decient hand I am usually in good shape pre flop, now if I cant catch a good hand at some point I have to make a stand because they just done quit. If I am up against a real tight player I am opening up my starting cards and making a stab at a lot of the blinds, if they push back depending on my cards I really like to see a flop against them because they are not playing too many hands so if I call and sence they dont hit I may be able to take a pot even though they may have had a decient starting hand. I am usually willing to take on an opening bet with a big range of cards in HU but I like to at least have 1 big card for the all in calls because high card may be good in many show downs.

The best thing you can do to learn HU is play. You really shouldnt have one set style say 'aggressive' or 'passive'. The key to being a good heads up player is recognize opponents patterns and tendencies on their style so you can exploit them. The player who makes the best adjustments usually wins the match.

Heads up is almost all about quickly figuring out how your OPPONENT plays. I generally start off aggressive. Raising the majority of hands, especially from the button. I then figure out how my opponent is playing. If they are folding a lot to my raises then they are playing only their cards. If they are betting and raising I slow down and let them bet into me and look to trap them with a big hand. Be patient against aggressive players and aggressive against passive players while being careful not to get caught in a big pot unless you are sure you have the best of it.

So you guys think being very aggressive is a good thing or mixing it up in a bit

Dreams of Tragedy said:

So you guys think being very aggressive is a good thing or mixing it up in a bit

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I dont think its ever good to strictly play one style. Mixing it up is almost always a good thing. It makes your play more unpredictable. Allows for your opponents to make more mistakes and allows you to adjust to their tendencies. The hard part is deciding when its good to be aggressive and when its better to rein it in.

A friend of mine plays HU almost exclusively.

He always tells me that it's about outplaying the other person. In HU, any A is 3-bet worthy, and any K is 2-bet worthy. You are going to get 3-bet light a lot by a lot of players, so don't be afraid to teach them a lesson with a 4-bet from hands you normally wouldn't consider 4-betting (like AJ).

A HUD, while helpful, becomes less important, especially if you're only playing against one villain. In a HU SnG format, establishing chip lead early is important. Some people will fold and fold and fold and fold, waiting for their premium hands. I prefer to play in a Turbo or Ultra Turbo format, because 10+ minute blinds are waay too long.

But you get them accustomed to folding, and they just let their stack dwindle and dwindle. It starts out as 20 chips here and there, and they get used to doing it, then it's 40 chips here and there. And they're still doing it. Now it's 50 chips... Before you know it you've been 3-bet twice out of 80 hands, taken down 24 pots before the flop, and have a 2:1 chip advantage, and your opponent is sitting with 10 BBs to your 20, and they're still accustomed to folding.

No articles for me to send you to. But play HU more aggresively than you would FR or 6-max.

I'm on a heads up only diet right now and it's pretty awesome.

I guess there's only one rule in HU games and that's don't be passive(and even that's not required against a postflop maniac). Value betting will win you a gazillion chips and folding will save you more .
And you can almost be as loose as you want, if you're good postflop HU is the game to play.
And about being agressive, well against more than half of the players you will play against, moderate agression is the way to go. By moderate agression I simply mean don't donk off your chips on a far-fetched bluff against a calling station.
Oh and as I said post-flop play is extremely important, if you have pot-control in your arsenal, odds are you're going to be an very decent HU player.

As for articles, I think John Vorhaus has some on the internet about the subject.(can't remember the link) I HIGHLY recommend Moshman's book on heads up no limit, it's kind of the bible of heads up play.