Heads Up Poker Strategy (No Limit)

Heads up poker strategy has become increasingly popular among online NL players over the past few years. With the release of the National Heads Up Poker Championship televised on NBC everyone wants to become the next Heads Up poker expert. Online tournaments are available 24/7 providing easy access for testing out new strategies and sharpening your skills. Today we will review the important strategies of heads up play. There are three common elements of heads up action; position, bluffing, and reading your opponent. In order to be consistently successful, you should work to master them.

Position: With heads up you will be paying blinds every hand, so waiting for aces or kings will eventually clean you out. Position is key as the button posts the small blind acting first before the flop. The button has three rounds of betting after the flop, which will allow you to further take the lead and control the hand. Tight players tend to fold from the big blind after a pre-flop raise, while aggressive players protect their blind by firing back. Ideally you want to play aggressive from the small blind, test your opponents hand strength and control the pace. From the big blind you should be more defensive, protecting your blind and not committing too many chips (unless of course you are dealt strong cards). Find a comfortable zone by gauging your opponent’s skill level. Later stages of the tournament will increase the blinds and this will effectively cause you to make more moves, so be cautious of re-raises.

Bluffing: Poker is a game of partial information, therefore the more you are able to test out your opponents hand by betting, the more information you receive. Once you are able to find out your opponents strategy, you will be able to make moves on pots by bluffing. If you follow the formula of constantly attacking from the button and defending off it, you'll will quickly find out what your opponents are made off and see how their game contrasts with yours. If you run into more advanced players using a similar strategy, you will endure long tournaments often lasting up to an hour or more. The weaker players who you should be able to bluff easily, will not take long to take down. Just remember to always be cautious of getting caught by the tight players who call down your bluffs, and likewise don’t allow the aggressive players to bluff you.

Reading your Opponent: Being able to put your opponent on a hand is critical during heads ups action. It will take several hands before you are able to make your first analysis of his or her style and level of play. The best way to get a quick read is simply call your opponent down. Of course you want to keep your calls fairly cheap so standard pot size raises are ideal. Aggressive players tend to check raise out of position, call heavy raises, and push all in on the river. Passive players consistently fold their small blind and smooth call your raises. Always ask yourself; are they bluffing too much or too little. Are they more advanced by consistently changing style of play and keeping you on edge? Or are they predictable and sticking to one strategy? All of these are questions which will help determine your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Make adjustments by trapping the aggressive players and pushing the tempo with passive players. This will not work every time, but in the long run you will come out ahead.

If you’re new to the game try out a few of the $1 or $2 heads up tournaments found online. Or you can also test out your new strategies on the play for fun tables but keep in mind with those games any two cards are played. Watching the high stakes player tournaments will also help you determine how the strategies work. Always remember the three critical factors of heads up play; position, bluffing, and reading your opponent. Keep a positive attitude and get ready for a battle as heads up action is a continuous roller coaster ride of ups and downs.

Be sure to check out Straight Flush Poker for all your online poker needs.

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