Playing Texas Holdem Heads-Up  

Playing Texas Hold’em is definitely exciting and for many players it gets even better when they are playing Texas Holdem heads-up. Playing Texas Holdem ring games and tournaments in an online poker room offers players a wide variety of options but many players are still not very proficient when playing heads-up. Many players have played in at least a few online poker tournaments but most have not had a great deal of experience when it gets down to heads-up action. If you want to win playing heads-up poker then you need to change your thinking.

For many players, playing Texas Holdem heads-up at an online poker room presents a much different environment than they are used to. Playing at full tables during a tournament or even at a ring game is not the same as playing heads-up. Many players are just not ready for the strategies required to win when playing heads-up Texas Holdem at online poker sites.

When playing heads-up Texas Holdem you are going to have to radically change your starting hand requirements. Usually any face card with a decent kicker now becomes a very strong hand. That K-7 that would have been unthinkable to play on a full table now becomes a hand you can play. On the other side of the coin, drawing hands, such as 7-8 suited, become less playable. You don’t have the implied odds in your favor when playing heads-up with these suited connectors. You can’t be playing an 8 high hand very often heads-up when facing any kind of raise.

You also have to remember that the pace of heads-up poker is also much faster. It is important to keep this pace up as much as possible when playing Texas Holdem heads-up, and continually force your opponent to make decisions. You must remember that mistakes are going to be made when playing Texas Holdem and that is even more the case when playing heads-up. You can easily lose all of your chips if you make a mistake playing heads-up. By forcing your opponent to make decisions, especially with the use of frequent raises, you increase the chances of him making a mistake, and at the same time, increase your chances of winning.

Heads-up play in Texas Holdem requires quick decisions, skillful play, and the realization that hand selection becomes important, as blinds are raised very quickly. Avoid most drawing hands, stick to hands that have at least one face card or ace, and keep the pressure on your opponent to make decisions. That is the way you win when playing heads-up.

Also See:

Online Poker Tells
Poker Strategies: Intelligent Texas Holdem Poker Raises
Cheating in Online Poker

 

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Byron Badd, Gambling911.com

Originally published February 15, 2007 11:13 am ET