Most poker enthusiasts consider heads-up poker the purest form of the game.
The final and most exciting part of a poker tournament is when two players play heads-up and compete for the top prize.
However, how do you play heads-up poker effectively and take down the tournament? Should you be super aggressive, or is a deeper, heads-up poker strategy involved?
Whether you’re new to heads-up poker or want to brush up on specific concepts, this guide has everything you need to become a winning player.
What Is Heads-Up Poker?
Heads-up poker is a game in which two people play against each other to determine the winner. It may be any poker variant, provided it is played exclusively between two players. You can play heads-up poker in a variety of ways.
This occurs when a tournament or sit-and-go concludes, leaving only two players. Heads-up tournaments, on the other hand, pit players against each other in a bracket-style structure until a champion emerges.
Although heads-up poker is more popular in tournaments, it is also played in cash games. Did you know that some players focus exclusively on heads-up poker? There are even dedicated tables where enthusiasts can play this exciting format.
Two players can also play heads-up poker to start a cash game, expecting additional players to notice and join the game.
The value of chips on the table, rather than the prize pool, matters in cash games. You can pick greater variance lines if you believe they are +EV since you face no risk of elimination.
However, you will likely face a heads-up poker specialist when you sit at online heads-up tables.
Why Heads-Up Poker Is a Different Beast
Should you play every hand in heads-up poker? No, but you should play ranges that are a lot wider than full-ring games.
Here are some heads-up poker essential adjustments to consider:
Looser Hand Ranges: It’s interesting how you might end up playing hands like King-7 offsuit or even 9-6 suited, which you might typically fold in other formats.
Increased Aggression: Adopting a passive approach is a losing strategy when there are just two players. Why? You could lose your tournament life if you just sit back and wait for a good hand.
Since it’s not challenging to have equity versus each other’s ranges, you frequently find yourself in tough spots where you need to outsmart your opponent instead of just waiting for a decent hand.
Adjusting for the Big Blind Ante
One of the most notable structural changes in contemporary tournament poker is using a big blind ante (BBA).
Instead of posting an individual ante from each player, each hand posts a single ante equivalent to the big blind.
Why does this affect your strategy?
More Frequent Stealing: A bigger pot before preflop encourages more aggressive preflop play to capture uncontested chips.
Wider All-In Ranges: Big shoves are always excellent, even if you only have weak hands like Ace-5 suited or 9-6 suited. Your opponent will find themselves in a challenging spot.
Understanding the Basics of Heads-Up
Understanding heads-up poker rules before moving on to a more complex strategy is crucial.
Button vs. Big Blind Dynamics
Playing from the button, often called the small blind, is a huge advantage. Why does the button have such a significant advantage? Playing postflop offers you greater control over the hand.
- Button Advantage: Acts last post-flop, allowing for better-informed decisions.
- Big Blind Disadvantage: Forced to play out of position post-flop, making defense more challenging.
Default Preflop Strategy
Did you know that a typical GTO preflop strategy suggests raising 2.75 big blinds (BB) from the button around Raise First In(RFI) 61.5% of hands? This aggressive strategy compels the big blind to defend or endure relentless pressure.
Why 2.75 BB?
Raising to 2.75 BB is an appropriate balance between being too aggressive and balanced. It keeps the pot size under control while increasing fold equity.
Button Raising Range (61.5%):
Premium Hands: Raise strong hands for value like AA, KK, QQ, AKs, and AKoffsuit.
Suited Connectors and Ax Hands: You should include medium-to-strong-suited connectors such as A5s-A2s, K9s+, Q9s+, J9s, T8s, and some weaker Ax-suited hands (A2s-A4s).
Broadway offsuit: To build the pot, raise high offsuit combinations, such as AQo, KQo, and QJo.
Weaker offsuit hands: Players should use the heads-up dynamic to raise aggressively even lower offsuit hands, such as K8o, Q8o, J8o, and T8o.
Fold (3.2%)
Lowest offsuit hands: Even in heads-up scenarios, players should fold hands such as 72o, 62o, 52o, 42o, and 32o, along with other similarly weak hands, due to their lack of playability.
Gapper Suited Hands: Because of the limited post-flop potential, many weak-suited combinations, such as 52s and 42s, are also folded.
The screenshot below shows the hands chart.
Balancing Aggression and Defense
“C-betting” on Paired Boards
When playing heads-up, it is not uncommon to see a paired flop, like 10♠10♦3♣. Should you bet in this scenario?
Many players like to check back too much with hands like Ace-high because they think their opponents might use a polarised check-raising strategy.
Nonetheless, you should still value bet, even with weak hands, so you don’t lose control of the pot.
When the boards are paired, you should bet for value more often, especially when you have hands like Ace-9 or King-9. It puts more pressure on your opponent and denies equity to hands that might improve later.
What Does the Poker Academy Postflop Solver Recommend?
If you are in a heads-up situation with a paired flop of T♠ T♣ 3♦, the solver suggests that you mainly check (77.2%) from the big blind. It will likely keep you in control of the pot and let your opponent bluff.
The solver recommends making small bets (20% of the pot) 18% of the time while suggesting some larger bets occasionally.
You should bet on high-equity hands like trips (T9s, T8s) and some top pairs. Marginal hands, such as second or bottom pairs like A3s and air, frequently opt to check. The equity is 50.1%, meaning the flop does not favour any player’s range.
Big Blind Defense Strategy
The biggest problem playing in the big blind is figuring out when to call “3-bet” or fold. When there is a 2.5 BB raise, the big blind should defend about 75% of the hands by calling or “3-betting. “.
Default Big Blind Response:
“3-bet”: 20% of hands, focusing on a linear range, including premium hands, and adding some bluffs.
Example: A♠A♦, A♣K♠, K♠Q♠, A♣5♣, and occasional bluffs like A♠4♠.
- Call: 55% of hands, including suited connectors, medium pocket pairs, and strong Broadway hands.
- Fold: 25% of hands, typically the weakest offsuit and low-connectivity hands.
“4-betting” Strategies
When facing a “3-bet” from the big blind, you need to think carefully:
“4-bet” Bluffing: For example, Ace-5 offsuit is a great hand to use as a “4-bet” bluff since it blocks Aces and Ace-King.
“4-bet” Value: You should only “4-bet” hands that can confidently call a shove, like pocket Tens or better and Ace-King.
Example:
The big blind “3-bet”s to 10 BB after you raise with Q♦6♣. You shouldn’t “4-bet” very often. You could “4-bet” A♠5♣ at a low frequency to balance your range.
Facing a “4-bet”
Keep in mind that your equity realization reduces when you are out of position when you face a “4-bet”:
Shove with Premium Hands: If you want to increase your fold equity, shove hands like Ace-King, Queens, and Jacks.
Call with Strong Hands: You can call to see the flop with hands like Ace-Queen suited or King-Queen suited.
Optimal All-In Ranges at 35-40 Big Blinds
One of the most intriguing concepts in poker is optimal all-in ranges when playing with 35-40 big blinds. Many players struggle to decide whether to shove or call when stacks reach this level.
Some hands, like Ace-8, make dealing with a 40-big-blind shove difficult. When you shove, your stack size increases by 10% because you’re taking the pot. Having a large number of shoves makes sense.
Don’t be afraid to go all-in with a broader range than you think is normal when you play big blind ante.
Mistakes Players Commit when Playing Heads-up
Continuation Betting (“c-bet”) Too Often
One of the players’ most significant mistakes in postflop is placing continuation (“c-bet”) too frequently. Do you always have to “c-bet”? Not all of the time.
When playing heads-up, ranges are considerably wider, and you won’t always have a significant range edge.
When to Avoid “C-Betting”:
High Card Boards: If the board is A♠ K♦ 6♣, your opponent will have a lot of Aces and Kings in their range, so it’s not a good idea to “c-bet” aggressively.
Low Connected Boards: It’s smart to check more often when you have boards like 9♠ 8♦ 7♣ that connect well with the big blind’s calling range.
Monotone Boards: When three cards of the same suit are on the board, like K♠ Q♠ 3♠, it can be challenging since both players can have flush draws.
Example:
For instance, you raise K♠5♠ from the button and the big blind calls. The flop reads A♣K♦6♥. Even though you have second pair, it’s risky to bet here due to the following:
- You likely won’t get called by worse hands.
- If they raise, you’ll have to fold a decent hand.
Instead, check the flop and try to get to showdown the cheapest way possible.
Check-Raising for Value and Bluffs
In heads-up poker, check-raising is a solid tactic many players should use more often.
When to Check-Raise:
For Value: Check-raise when you have a good hand, like top pair or better.
As a bluff: Consider check-raising with hands that possess some equity but may not be strong enough to call, like flush draws or gutshot straight draws.
Example:
You have 7♠4♠, and the flop is K♠Q♥5♦. Check and judge your opponent’s reaction instead of “c-betting.” If they bet, you might want to check-raise to put pressure on their range harder.
Overfolding to Big Bets
Weak players often make the mistake of overfolding when they are up against big bets, especially if they think they are going to be dominated. It is common for players to fold hands like Q♦10♦ or J♠10♠ when they are facing overbets, even though they should defend with these hands.
Overbetting can put a lot of pressure on your opponents. Putting your opponents in tough spots will increase your chances of winning the tournament since you will scoop multiple uncontested pots. Many players don’t have the guts to call a massive bet when they hold marginal hands.
Wrapping Up
Heads-up poker in tournaments is a fast-paced and challenging game that takes boldness, flexibility, and mental toughness. You can improve your heads-up game by using the tips we’ve discussed, such as adjusting for the big blind ante, polarizing your range, and taking advantage of your opponent’s mistakes.
Are you ready to improve your game? Poker Academy has many great tools, like a Postflop solver and strategy guides, to help you make the best decisions in any heads-up situation. Happy grinding.