Heads Up – When To Bet Out of Position

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!

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