Being in position gives you a huge advantage in heads-up play, but does that mean you should always be letting your opponent take the pot when you’re out of position? Ofcourse not. Without a doubt, you are in a much better situation to steal the pot when your on the button however that privilege often comes due to the out of position player not acting when they should do.

Playing a Hand Out of Position

Let me give you an example from a typical Heads Up No-Limit Holdem hand. I’m out of position with 9s-10s. My opponent, who raises most hands in position, raises by 3x the BB and I call. The flop comes 10d-Ks-As. Now most players would check the flop here with only bottom pair hoping to call a small bet for the flush draw. In that case if any non suited card came on the turn and your opponent bet again you would be in a very tricky position.

However, taking initiative and betting out of position on the flop would give you control. Chances are your opponent hasn’t hit his hand and you will be able to steal the pot straight away. While if he re-raises you know that he is way ahead and you can consider laying your cards down right there and then. And even if he calls you can re-evaluate on the turn. This is a very scary flop making it ideal to bet first as it is very likely this is a flop your opponent will not want to continue with.

Ask Yourself Questions

When deciding if I should bet, whether I’m in position or out of position, I ask myself a series of questions.

• How is my opponent playing? Is he passive, aggressive, loose, tight?
• Is my opponent holding a strong hand or a weak hand? Can I put him on a range of hands?
• Has the flop / turn / river helped my opponent?
• What hand does my opponent think that I have?

Once I have answered answered these questions I will have a much better idea of how to play next. Allowing me to ask myself the most important question:

• Should I bet?

If I think I have a stronger hand than my opponent then I will almost always answer the question with ‘Yes’ and I will bet.

If I think my opponent believes that I have a strong hand and that there is a good chance that he will fold to a bet on the flop or turn then I often answer the question with ‘Yes’ and bet.

If I have answered ‘No’ to the question then I will normally check / fold. I very rarely call.

Going through these questions will massively aid you in making the correct decisions and will make sure that you are playing aggressive poker which is required for you to consistently win at Heads-Up.

Best Poker Sites for Heads-Up Games

• If your new to Heads-Up games we recommend that you start by playing low stakes HU SnGs. Ultimate Bet is an ideal site for this with their HU SnGs starting from around $1.10 making them perfect for Heads Up newbies.

• If your looking for a large amount of Heads-Up games ranging from mid-stakes to high-stakes then we recommend Poker Stars.

See you at the tables!

Players like these are extremely easy to identify and even easier to exploit by simply playing their hands instead of your own. As soon as you see signs of strength.. fold, unless of course you believe you have a stronger hand. When you see signs of weakness.. bet. Slow-playing and bluffing this type of player will not work due to their thinking being limited to their own cards. These players are known as first-level thinkers.

Take Notes!

As you move up into the higher stakes you will encounter less and less first-level thinkers. Instead you will be playing against players similar to yourself, who will try and work out what cards you’ve got before acting. These players are known as second-level thinkers. When playing against second-level thinkers you will need to disguise your own hand while trying to work out what hand your opponent has. The main way to do this is by observing what hands they play and how they play them. And most importantly take notes. Below are a few examples of what you should be noting down to get a better read on your opponent.

• Hands your opponent raises with pre flop.
• Hands your opponent limps / calls with preflop.
• Hands your opponent bets with on the flop / turn / river.
• How frequently your opponent cbets.
• How often does your opponent slow-play with a big hand.

Playing With The Sharks

This is where it gets complicated. Every now and then you will play against, what we call, third-level thinkers. These are extremely rare in low stakes, but you will encounter them every now and then in the higher stakes. These are players who take into consideration who try to work out what you think that they have or sometimes even what you think that they think that you have.

Get it?

Probably not. But these are the players who put a lot more thinking into every decision that they make and are the players that you really want to watch out for. If you have any weaknesses, they will exploit it.

“I had raised pre-flop with A-K and he called from the button. The flop came all small cards. I checked and he fired a pot-sized bet. I looked at him and said, ‘You must have a good hand.’ His reply caught me off guard; ‘It doesn’t matter what cards I have if I know what cards you have.’  - Paul Wolfe.

Above is a quote from Paul Wolfe explaining a hand at his first World Series of Poker tournament in 2002 showing how even the top pros will have tells. Your main task always has to be to identify these as quickly as possible and exploit them as much as possible while disguising your own style of play and keeping your tells to a minimum.

Best Poker Sites for Heads-Up Games

• If your new to Heads-Up games we recommend that you start by playing low stakes HU SnGs. Ultimate Bet is an ideal site for this with their HU SnGs starting from around $1.10 making them perfect for Heads Up newbies.

• If your looking for a large amount of Heads-Up games ranging from mid-stakes to high-stakes then we recommend Poker Stars.

See you at the tables!

Absolutely everyone who wants to make money from online poker MUST learn a strong heads up sit n go strategy. Whether you specialise in multi-table tournaments, SnGs or your just a typical cash game grinder, taking a few weeks out of your standard game to work on a strong heads up strategy is invaluable. Why? Well it’s pretty obvious. It doesn’t matter what type of poker game your playing, there will always be a strong chance of you being up against just one other player to win the pot. This is especially important in the late stages of tournaments due to their being such a huge difference of winnings between first place and second place.

Heads Up Sit n Go Games

In this article we will discuss Heads Up Sit n Go’s. These are ideal for improving your heads-up skills as they are very low risk (you only have to pay an initial buy-in to enter) and their structure will allow you to get experience in the various aspects of heads-up play.

First of all, you need to understand that heads up games are completely different to six max and full ring tables. Heads up games are much more often won by skill instead of luck. Unlike full ring games, there are only your two cards against your opponent’s two cards so most of the time you will be either miles ahead or miles behind. The key to winning is to work out which and play accordingly.

In Heads-Up Texas Holdem you will need to play a lot of hands. Unlike full ring games, the format does not allow you to wait for strong hands as your opponent will be able to read you like a book and will be able to eat away at your stack. Instead you want to be playing almost all of your hands from the button while limiting your starting hands range when out of position. Playing on the button is essential in heads up play, in this position you want to be seeing as many flops as possible. The reason for this is because your opponent will very rarely hit anything on the flop allowing you to pressurise him into folding. Ofcourse, if your opponent shows a lot of strength (eg. raising your bet) be very wary and fold if you think your hand is beaten.

Understanding Your Opponent

Getting a read on your opponent is incredibly important in heads up, as this will strongly help you decide how to play your hands both pre-flop and post-flop. During the early stages when the blinds are low is a perfect opportunity to do this. Take note of how aggressive or passive he is. Does he always see the flop or does he wait for strong hands? Note how he plays post-flop. Does he slow play big hands or will he bet and raise? Or does he call all your bets on the flop hoping to hit his hand on the turn or river. All of this information is invaluable and should be used to exploit your opponent as much as possible.

The key to beating heads-up players is to adjust your game depending on your opponent. For example, if your playing a tight player, make the most of it. Bet a very high range of hands pre-flop to steal the blinds but be extremely cautious when he shows sign of strength. In contrast, when playing a loose and aggressive player play a much thinner range of starting hands and consider slow playing when you think you have the strongest hand. Chances are your opponent will keep betting post-flop with nothing, make the most of this!

With these tips you have got a strong Heads Up Sit n Go strategy. With experience you will find your opponents much easier to read and so you will be able to adjust your play to maximise your winnings.

Best Poker Sites for Heads-Up Games

• If you want to start playing low stake Heads Up SnG games we recommend Ultimate Bet. Their HU SnGs start from around $1.10 making them perfect for Heads Up newbies.
• If your looking for a large amount of Heads Up SnG games ranging from mid-stakes to high-stakes then we recommend Poker Stars due to their massive player-base.

See you at the tables!