Knowing how to play heads up is extremely important because the most money is awarded to the final players at the end of the tournament. One of the most important poker tips to remember when playing heads up is you need to understand that you are going to get dealt crap most of the time but so is your opponent. You're going to miss flops but so is your opponent.
If I was limited to 5 of the most important poker tips on how to play heads up I would have to say these are the most important:
1. Aggression
2. Position
3. Mix Up Your Play
4. Control The Action
5. Playing Too Many Hands
Be Aggressive
The first of the 5 poker tips would definitely be aggression. The aggressive player is usually the one that takes down the pots. The pressure is on when it's just you and the other player. Sometimes just simply holding ace high will take the pot down. The important thing to understand is how important position really is when you're in a heads up battle. When you are playing in position, you can open up your raising range to hands like A2, A3, A4, K10, K9, J10 etc. Hands that you might usually muck at a full table are more valuable heads up.
Position
The second of these poker tips is position. When playing out of position you might want to be re-raising more often then flat calling. Re-raising preflop will take the action away from your opponent on the flop because even though you are first to act after the flop, this gives u the opportunity to be the first one to bluff at the pot. Pushing your opponent out of pots will eat away at their stack and hopefully allow you to walk away with the first place finish.
Mix Up Your Play
The third poker tip is to mix up your game play. Playing heads up is more about going with your gut and being betting at the right time. It is hard to put your opponent on a hand because most of the time they are playing a wide variety of hands as well. You will have to rely on re-raising and bluffing a lot there is only one opponent. That doesn't mean shove your chips all in with nothing. You can't just raise and bet your good hands, you have to mix it up a lot. Since your opponent is going to miss the flop most of the time, pocket pairs are very valuable.
Control The Action
The fourth of these poker tips is to control the action. Don't let your opponent control the action by playing fast. If you're faced with an opponent who makes quick decisions and bets and raises fast, try controlling the action by taking your time on each decision. This will take the ability of the other player to just steamroll you with aggressive raises and put the action back into your hands.
Playing Too Many Hands
The Final of the 5 most important poker tips is not to play every hand. A big mistake that I see a lot of players making is playing too many hands. It's key to open up your raising range but that doesn't justify playing garbage hands every single hand. If you have a chip advantage over your opponent you can pick your spots to raise and bet more carefully. Heads up poker takes a little bit of practice but it is very important in any poker player's game.
Utilize these 5 poker tips and you are on your way to stepping up your game!
If I was limited to 5 of the most important poker tips on how to play heads up I would have to say these are the most important:
1. Aggression
2. Position
3. Mix Up Your Play
4. Control The Action
5. Playing Too Many Hands
Be Aggressive
The first of the 5 poker tips would definitely be aggression. The aggressive player is usually the one that takes down the pots. The pressure is on when it's just you and the other player. Sometimes just simply holding ace high will take the pot down. The important thing to understand is how important position really is when you're in a heads up battle. When you are playing in position, you can open up your raising range to hands like A2, A3, A4, K10, K9, J10 etc. Hands that you might usually muck at a full table are more valuable heads up.
Position
The second of these poker tips is position. When playing out of position you might want to be re-raising more often then flat calling. Re-raising preflop will take the action away from your opponent on the flop because even though you are first to act after the flop, this gives u the opportunity to be the first one to bluff at the pot. Pushing your opponent out of pots will eat away at their stack and hopefully allow you to walk away with the first place finish.
Mix Up Your Play
The third poker tip is to mix up your game play. Playing heads up is more about going with your gut and being betting at the right time. It is hard to put your opponent on a hand because most of the time they are playing a wide variety of hands as well. You will have to rely on re-raising and bluffing a lot there is only one opponent. That doesn't mean shove your chips all in with nothing. You can't just raise and bet your good hands, you have to mix it up a lot. Since your opponent is going to miss the flop most of the time, pocket pairs are very valuable.
Control The Action
The fourth of these poker tips is to control the action. Don't let your opponent control the action by playing fast. If you're faced with an opponent who makes quick decisions and bets and raises fast, try controlling the action by taking your time on each decision. This will take the ability of the other player to just steamroll you with aggressive raises and put the action back into your hands.
Playing Too Many Hands
The Final of the 5 most important poker tips is not to play every hand. A big mistake that I see a lot of players making is playing too many hands. It's key to open up your raising range but that doesn't justify playing garbage hands every single hand. If you have a chip advantage over your opponent you can pick your spots to raise and bet more carefully. Heads up poker takes a little bit of practice but it is very important in any poker player's game.
Utilize these 5 poker tips and you are on your way to stepping up your game!
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