There are two main situations in which you might find yourself in a prolonged heads-up battle in a no limit hold’em tournament. One comes at the end of a single or multi-table tournament where everyone else has gone by the wayside and you and your opponent have all their chips. The second is in a heads-up tournament!
Now, I do not regard myself as a heads-up authority for one moment. Indeed, the main thinking behind this article was to explore the temptation to believe that heads-up play is primarily a matter of luck. I am fairly certain I am one of many who often struggle to know where they stand in a heads-up confrontation from time to time. If you are hoping to win tournaments regularly, then a greater understanding is required.
So, is it all luck? Well, in terms of the cards dealt, the great probability is that both players will receive hands that they would not think twice about folding in multi-handed play. However, at heads-up, not a lot will happen if both players wait for monster hole cards before betting.
The first guidance therefore is that to win you have to play frequently and not wait for big hands. It is difficult to be a long way behind when heads-up. Unless both players receive pairs at the same time (which is an extremely infrequent occurrence), any two cards should still leave you with a reasonable pre-flop probability of winning. Even when behind, more often than not you will have over a 40% chance when you have the lesser hand. Dominated hands have something like a 30% chance.
Two issues need thinking about pre-flop.
- Your position.
- The pot odds.
Heads-up produces an odd situation regarding position. The Button is also the Small Blind so the Big Blind is therefore out of position since the Button is always the prime position. However, before the flop, it is the Button who is first to play, being the player immediately to the left of the Big Blind. After the flop, it is the Big Blind who plays first to ensure the Button is last to act.
Position is important heads-up. So much so that if a player is out of position, he should be aiming to end the hand with a sizeable raise early on if it is of reasonable strength otherwise he is at the mercy of the Button who can dictate the post-flop play by raising any small bets.
If you are the Button, it is almost always the right play to at least call the Big Blind regardless of your cards. The pot odds dictate that it will cost you $X with already $3X in the pot, often more if there have been antes too. Rarely will you be a 3/1 underdog at that point based on the cards, so a call is correct, even if the cards do not justify a raise.
Mixing up your play is vital too. You should sometimes call and other times raise with medium to poor hands before the flop. You should sometimes call and other times raise with strong hands before the flop. You have to keep your opponents guessing at all times by mixing up the play.
Ultimately, it is true that the match will probably be settled when two strong hands meet head on. That is the luck aspect that gives the impression that skill isn’t a factor, but before this, a lot of maneuvering takes place between the two players to establish a chip lead. I have not considered post-flop play here in detail but as a basic generalization, you have a considerable advantage when you are the Button.
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