• Heads Up No Limit Strategy Definition
• Heads Up No Limit Strategy Against

Download a Printable PDF of this Poker Heads up odds chart. Playing No Limit Heads-Up Hold’em, continual pressure needs to be asserted on your opponent with every move you make, certainly don't check and give them a chance to see a free flop, the basic rule is either raise or fold from the small blind never check to allow them a chance to. If both players play heads up with this optimal strategy, then the skill game No Limit Texas Hold’em Poker becomes a pure game of chance. Before we explain you how this simple, best strategy for the heads-up phase of a Sit’n Go works, please note these limitations: SAGE™ works only in heads-up games. Know Short-Stacked Strategy When you play heads-up, pay close attention to the effective stack, which is the shorter of the two stack sizes. For example, suppose the blinds are $15-$30. Your stack is $2850 and your opponent has $150.

Heads up play is arguably the most difficult form of Texas Hold ‘em. It takes some time getting used to because it constantly forces you to make marginal decisions. If you fold most of your starting hands, you’ll get run over – it forces you to play many pots with weak hands. Couple that with the aggressive nature of the game and you’re in for a wild ride. It’s good to learn heads up for these very reasons. Playing heads up Texas Holdem will make you a better poker player. After a couple months at the heads up tables, the regular tables will feel easy in comparison.

Where To Play Heads Up Texas Holdem Online

Deciding where to play is very important. Picking the right site to play heads up no limit Texas Holdem is key to winning a lot of money and having fun doing it. The heads up poker sites below have tons of heads up holdem tables at any limit you could want.

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In the end it’s mostly going to take experience to master heads up play. While the strategy I am providing for you is useful, you’re just going to have to get out there and do it.

Getting Started

The best way to get started is to practice at lower-than-normal stakes. You can win and lose just as much money at a level down from your normal stakes. Additionally the smaller dollar amounts will make it easier to make the difficult decisions that come up frequently.

The first adjustment you will want to make is getting used to playing almost all of your starting hands. In heads-up, the blinds hit every single hand. It you were to wait for good starting hands like you do at the regular tables, the blinds would eat you alive.

Now most people understand that concept but they don’t know how to correctly apply it. They come in raising every hand and end up stuck in large pots out of position with weak hands.

Position In Heads Up Texas Holdem

Don’t worry about defending your blinds out of position, its not enough money to worry about. And if you get stuck against someone who raises a ton, just be patient and pick your spots. Don’t get mad just because he’s raised three times in a row and try to fight back by three-betting 25o pre-flop out of position.

So yes, you will want to play a lot of hands heads up, but do it on your terms. Most importantly, don’t play junk hands out of position. It doesn’t take much of a pot at all to win back a couple rounds worth blinds. Hell, you have a hundred blinds to work with.

But when you do have position, almost anything goes. I’ll raise all the regular hands, any two face cards, any two suited, any two connectors and any two one-gappers. But don’t just blindly smash the raise button when you get any one of these cards. The raising list is flexible – it should be tailored to the individual opponent. If you’re up against someone passive who calls all those raises and calls a lot postflop, you’ll be beating your head against the wall trying to push him around. If you’re up against Foldy McFolderson, it might be wise to raise 100% of your starting hands.

Having position is just as important in your post-flop play as well.

Hand Reading Playing Heads Up

You’re going to be winning pots with a lot of weaker hands but you must still use your hand reading skills to play pots. One of the most common mistakes is people thinking “well its heads up and I have top pair so I’ll call that huge river raise.” Sure you can take those things into consideration but if you leave it at that you’re just playing your cards. I’m sure you put a lot of effort into putting people on hands at your regular tables so do the same at your heads up tables.

Remember that it is ok to fold at a heads up table.

It’s just a lot harder to read hands heads up because the games are so aggressive and there are so many hands being played. It takes a lot of experience and studying to get the hang of reading heads up hands. Posting hands and discussing others’ hands in online forums will take you a long way as well. The good thing is that learning to read the wild heads up hands will get you very good at playing regular tables.

Be Quick To Adjust

Another one of the keys to winning a heads up match is being fastest adjuster. As soon as you see your opponent change some aspect of his play, respond to it. Learn to recognize what style your opponent is playing and then change yours to counter it. If he’s turned from a rock into a maniac, then quit stealing and start trapping more. Little adjustments like that will keep the game favorable to you.

I recommend everyone give heads up a try. Move down a level or two in stakes and get some good practice in. Learn as much heads up Texas Holdem strategy as you can and get to work at the tables. Heads up isn’t for everyone but it can develop your skills at the least, and make you a lot of money at the most. Good luck and have fun.

Author Collin Moshman

Find out how to qualify for this book in the Two Plus Two poker bonus program

Synopsis of Heads-Up No-Limit Hold 'em

Heads-up confrontations can occur in any game, even when every seat is occupied. Adjusting to the amount of aggression can be difficult since heads-up battles require you to bet and raise with many hands. This book covers heads-up tournaments, cash matches, the final two of a multi-table tournament, and blind-vs-blind play at fuller tables. Mastering heads-up no-limit hold ‘em is invaluable if you’re looking to add a loose-aggressive component to your game.

With more heads-up matches available, becoming proficient in them is highly profitable. This text is the first strategy book devoted to no-limit heads-up play. You will learn to: 1. Master expected value, equity, and heads-up fundamentals 2. Play and exploit the most common playing styles 3. Manipulate the pot size based on your hand and your opponent 4. Attack button limps, bluff multiple streets, and play aggressively 5. Distinguish between optimal tournament and cash strategies 6. Exploit your opponents through metagame mastery 7. Maximize your profits through game theory and business concepts.

So if you are an aspiring heads-up professional, or are just challenged to a one-on-one battle, Heads-Up No-Limit Hold ’em provides you with the tools you need for success.

Excerpt from the Book Heads-Up No-Limit Hold 'em: Three-Betting Preflop

To continue our discussion facing button raises, we now address three-betting in more detail. This first section discusses an advanced play that works well against thinking, aggressive opponents, particularly those who raise liberally from the button preflop. It requires having already played tightly from the big blind, which if you follow the advice given so far you will be doing.

Suppose you are facing an aggressive player’s button raise. You know it could mean many different hands, but you don’t have a hand that figures to be a favorite, or at least a significant enough favorite to build a large pot out of position. But it has potential. In particular, good candidates include T9o, T8s, 54s, or a small pair.

You have been folding to most button raises, and you now make a small reraise. Against such a small reraise, it is unlikely your opponent will fold preflop. If he plays back before the flop, you fold. When he calls, you lead out on any flop for a one-half to two-thirds pot bet. If you miss the flop and he calls or raises, you are done with the hand (unless you improve to a strong holding on the turn).

The reasoning behind this play is that an intelligent player will tend to think that someone who has been tight from the big blind and unexpectedly makes a small reraise may be doing so because he wants action with a strong hand. Unless your opponent connects with the flop in some way, he will usually concede the hand.

This play is a way to be the one showing the greatest strength preflop, and therefore the natural one to take it down after the flop, without committing a lot of chips. Plus, you can always win a big pot when you flop a strong hand and your opponent connects as well.

Effective stacks: $1,500
Blinds: $10-$20

Note: Your opponent plays a solid tight-aggressive style, raising about 50 percent of his hands preflop, and you have been inactive facing button raises.

Your hand: T8

Action: Your opponent raises to $60 from the button. You reraise to $115 in the big blind and he calls. The pot is $230.

Heads Up No Limit Strategy Definition

Flop: K72

Action: You bet $130 and your opponent folds.

Analysis: Unless your opponent has a king, it will be difficult for him to stay in this hand. You have shown significant strength, and, due to your earlier tightness, there is no reason for him to believe you are bluffing.

When your opponent does play back, you need to be careful. For instance, if the flop had been J82, and he raised your post-flop leadout bet, then more often than not, you will be facing at least top pair or perhaps second pair with a higher kicker. You have shown significant strength on two betting rounds, yet your tight-aggressive opponent still wants to build a big pot. So it is likely he has the best hand. You might call if the raise was small and the stacks deep enough that the implied odds to draw to your five-outer (the three tens and two eights) were there, but generally, when an opponent plays back at you in this situation, give him credit for a real hand and fold.

And finally, remember that the small three-bet is an advanced play to be used sparingly against players who are both aggressive and perceptive. But against a different type of opponent, this play can and should become a money loser.

Another variation on three-betting is the three-overbet. Sometimes when you are the big blind and the button raises, you should make a larger-than-normal reraise to simplify further decision-making. By “larger-than-normal,” I mean at least five times the button’s raise. There are several conditions that make this play particularly beneficial:

1. You have a robust yet non-premium hand.
2. You do not feel that you can significantly outplay your opponent with conventional strategy. And,
3. Your stack does not significantly exceed 10 times the button’s raise-size.

Let us look at an example where all these criteria are optimal, and then change the conditions to see how they affect our willingness to make a three overbet.

Villain: $2,100
You: $900

Blinds: $25-$50
Note: Villain is an online professional heads-up player.

Your hand: 44

Action: Villain raises on the button to $150.

Analysis: This is an excellent time to execute a three-overbet by reraising all-in. A smaller raise will tend to pot-commit us, and pocket pairs play well in case of a call since two high cards significantly outnumber pairs from a hand combination perspective.

Action: We reraise all-in for $900 and Villain folds.

Now let us modify each of the criteria and consider their effects on our decision. First, suppose our hand was A2 rather than 44. When our opponent folds, we win the hand regardless. But when he calls, the pair will often be a slight favorite. By contrast, unless he perceives us as being hyper loose-aggressive, his calling hand range consists primarily of hands that have us behind as a 70-to-30 underdog — stronger aces and pocket pairs. And we are only a slight favorite against the remainder of his possible calling hands, such as king-ten suited or king-queen offsuit.

Similarly, hands such as

8 7

are more favorable than Weak High Card Hands such as

Heads Up No Limit Strategy Against

K 2

simply because the mid suited connectors will tend to be live, whereas a kicker-less king will often be dominated. So with K2, we should be inclined to fold rather than three-overbet.

Next, suppose our opponent was much weaker, perhaps tight-passive. Then not only might we worry about the strength represented by a passive player’s raise, but folding leaves us with an excellent opportunity to regain a stack by chipping away at this player. In particular, simply by playing a standard loose-aggressive style, you will have a considerable edge if the match progresses normally. So you would be much less inclined to go for a potentially match-ending three-overbet.

Lastly, suppose we again have a small pair against a much better opponent, but the money is significantly deeper with a shorter stack of $4,000. Raising $4,000 to win the $200 on the table risks too much for a small reward. We could instead make our three-overbet a more conventional $750, which indeed works well when we get an immediate fold, or when he calls and we spike a set. But those times our opponent four-bets us all-in, or calls and we miss, creates a difficult spot for us. In the first case, we must either forfeit our large chip investment, or call another $3,250. And against a flat-call and missed flop, we will be playing a huge pot, out of position, generally facing three overcards. This is clearly a situation to avoid.