sng heads up help

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telboy

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Hi Everyone,
I haven't been on here for a while as I have had a rest from poker.
Anyway on the 12/1 I deposited $50 on wsop site, I have been playing 9 man sngs.
I am not doing bad but my heads up is leting me down. I had got down to the final two 22 times but have only came 1st 4 times.
Can anyone please give me any help and advise on improving my heads up game

Thank very much
 
kidkvno1

kidkvno1

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What are the % of hands that you're playing well HU??
It's also depends on the other player well HU, is he/she loose or tight?
Need to post some hands, 22 times is to small of a sample size.
 
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ph0n3_j4ck

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It may be how you're playing. I see countless amounts of people play heads up really bad. Look at some youtube videos of how some decent players play and try out their style. Also, give us a look at some of your hands history's.
 
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lilturkgirl86

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only way to get better at headsup play is to play headsup.. theirs alot of great material you can read on forums, get off youtube, and also even playing short handed games can help you, because alot of tournament players are weak on that side of the side.. btw congrats on making such deep runs
 
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telboy

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Thanks for the replys, I have taken everything you have said on board.
 
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Campbell

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I am really bad at headsup as well and have found a couple of things that have helped me recently. One is SnG wizard which I have been using on the 30 day free trial and the second one is the SAGE method.
I'm also using the trial of holdem manager so using player stats as well. I am pretty much a complete beginner but these three things have definitely improved my headsup play no end. I'm at the real micro level so these might not be so applicable to you.
 
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Blue_Fossil

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I play a lot of sngs - finished 2nd in A LOT of them. I've adopted an almost hyper-aggressive strategy - almost never letting an opponent's check go without a bet. I also mix in a fair number of pre-flop folds to keep things honest. Philosophically, I stopped being afraid of 2nd place (which is always profitable), and started finishing first more.
 
hutz

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Remember.... HU is winner take all. You and villain already have second place money in the bank so you're only playing for the difference between 2nd and 1st place money. One big thing you could look for is whether or not villain folds too much preflop. I will grind these types of players into oblivion. No reason to take marginal spots for big pots against them. You'll make plenty of money off them folding. Against hyper agressives you need to pick a spot and just win. Most of the time you'll be facing the former.
 
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Campbell

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Remember.... HU is winner take all. You and villain already have second place money in the bank so you're only playing for the difference between 2nd and 1st place money.
Yes good point. I guess SnG wizard in no longer relevant now.
 
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Campbell

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Correctomundo.
I'm learning:)

The other thing that I forget to say was how important position is when HU according to a couple of books I have now read and put into practice. When you are on the button, open up your hand range significantly and go for it.

My ROI at 6 player SnGs since I have been trialling HM and reading up is 70.1%!! I think they call that good variance:D
 
micalupagoo

micalupagoo

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open your range and use more aggression,
and good job, more 1st places coming your way:)
 
OzExorcist

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Nash Equilibrium is your friend in these spots:

http://www.holdemresources.net/h/poker-theory/hune.html

Most of the time you and your opponent will be well below the 20BB mark by the time you make it to heads up, so pretty much every hand comes down to a push-fold decision. I've got a printout of the chart in the above link stuck to the wall next to my computer, and I was constantly referring to it at the end of games when I was playing SnGs.
 
hutz

hutz

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Nash Equilibrium is your friend in these spots:

http://www.holdemresources.net/h/poker-theory/hune.html

Most of the time you and your opponent will be well below the 20BB mark by the time you make it to heads up, so pretty much every hand comes down to a push-fold decision. I've got a printout of the chart in the above link stuck to the wall next to my computer, and I was constantly referring to it at the end of games when I was playing SnGs.

Remember, however, that following these charts mean that you'll play perfectly against a perfectly playing opponent. In order to make the highest possible ROI you have to adjust to take into account the villain's playing style and use the assumptions to exploit the areas where he/she is making mistakes. Though most HU play in SNGs devolves quickly, there are usually some villains that you can quickly get a bead on.

In short, charts for reference. Tighten/Loosen up as needed.

Win.
 
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