Winning at heads-up, no limit poker: Advanced Strategies
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As I articulated in part one of this three part article (Winning at heads-up, no limit poker: Basic strategies), aggression is key to winning at heads up, no limit poker. When you’re more aggressive than your opponent, you’re in the driver’s seat. As I stated, with employing this style, you control the action; you determine the direction of the hands; you decide if you’re ahead or behind; and you, with a little luck, decide who wins. Against weak players, all bets lead to you.
However, it’s necessary in a heads-up, no limit match to switch gears—to adjust your style and strategy at the most effective point in the game. Weather it’s a heads-up, no limit sit-and-go, or a heads-up cash session, try and think of heads-up poker as a boxing match. It’s crucial to go for the knockout here and there (all-ins and good bluffs), but it’s also necessary to throw some jabs out there (raises, continuation bets and smooth calls). In heads-up, no limit poker you want to be versatile and well rounded in your game (like contemporary baseball greats Irchiro Suzuki and Alex Rodriquez; there isn’t anything they can’t do). You want to know, and employ, all the tricks of the trade.
What I’d like to focus on first, though, is becoming a defensive player. Note: This article is generally informed by heads up play around the .50/$1 level.
Defense
Every player has his or her own style. Regardless of your style, it’s absolutely key to withdraw a little, act timid and become a defensive player against super aggressive players. You want to employ this type of strategy against players who constantly over bet the pot (putting $20 into a $12 put on the flop and/or continually making questionable continuation bets). These types of players are easy to take down if you can keep your nerves on an even keel. How? Let them steal a few pots, and, when you’ve made a strong hand (say, a set or top-two pair on the flop), smooth call their bets (as long as you don’t think they’re drawing) all the way to the river.
Example: You’re dealt pocket 10s in the big blind. Your opponent raises. Normally, pocket 10s would be a good re-raising hand here, but you know he’s super aggressive. You call and the flop is K 10 5. Check all the way and let him do all the betting. (Note: if he checks the turn and you still think you’re in the lead, it may be necessary to place a value bet on the river.)
When an aggressive opponent knows that his or her style has been compromised, it’s likely they’ll start to tighten up, especially if you take down a big pot. When this happens, I recommend becoming more aggressive (i.e., raising his or her big blind, regularly throwing out continuation bets three-fourths of the pot and making strong bluffs.)
When concentrating on how to beat your opponent, it’s often difficult to stay focused on the feel and pace of the game. So, every 15 hands or so ask yourself: Has my opponent changed his style? What is my image? Is he tilting? Surmise these details and adjust your game accordingly.
Counter-attack (or how to make believable bluffs)
There comes a point in a heads-up, no limit match when it becomes necessary to make big bluffs, especially if you’re not making hands and you know your opponent is making them against you. Of course, it’s always optional to just end the match when we’re not catching cards—but that’s not how poker players make money. We make money by reading situations correctly and having the ability to follow through with our reads.
Here are a few ways to make good, believable bluffs in heads-up, no limit poker.
Betting the ace
Say you raise in position with 10/8 suited and our opponent calls. The flop misses you, Q 4 5 rainbow. Your opponent checks and you check behind him. An ace falls on the turn and your opponent checks again. If you know your opponent wouldn’t check a pair of aces here and is prone to checking the flop if he didn’t hit it, now is a good time to bluff and attempt to buy the pot. Throw in a bet that’s three-fourths the pot and bet the ace. It’s likely your opponent will think you’ve hit the ace and fold to a large bet. However, if he or she calls, they probably have a small pair (4s, 5s) or a draw. If he checks on the river and a blank falls, bet again—and bet big.
Betting or raising when a flush appears
This is most effective when you have position on your opponent, but it can work out of position too. I’ve seen good players lay down a set of kings to a third diamond on the board on the turn.
Betting or raising when the board pairs
Say you raise with position with A/J, and your opponent calls. The flop is 2 5 10 rainbow. You both check, and the turn brings a 5, pairing the board. Your opponent bets to represent the five. Against a tight player it’s likely the hit trips or maybe have a 2 and think their two pair is good, but against an aggressive player (like you) it is unlikely. Ether way, if you think he or she is bluffing, attempt a big raise here, especially if you’ve been playing tight. If you’re out of position in the same situation, a large check-raise could work too.
Betting or raising on the river
Your opponent will make a pair less than 50 percent of the time if the hand goes to the river. With that in mind, sometimes it’s a good idea to attempt to steal a pot if the hand has been checked down to the river. I only recommend this, though, if there has been a raise preflop, and if your opponent is both tight and inferior. On a board of A Q 10 4 5, solid players, if a bet were made on the river, would call here with K high if they think the river missed their opponent. There’s no need to attempt to steal a pot if there’s hardly anything in there. It’s just not worth it.
Effective check raising
Check raising is usually done in heads-up, no limit poker when you have a made hand but attempt to conceal it by checking when it’s made. This is effective for extracting more bets out of your opponent, but only when you’re playing against an aggressive player. (I.E. you make your flush on the turn, you check in position, your opponent bets, and you check raise, hoping he or she will call and commit themselves to calling a river bet.) However, check raising against tight players is usually only effective when you’re bluffing. Therefore, check raise often against these types of players. Now, against bad players, check raising should only be utilized when you have a strong hand. Calling stations live up to their name against a big check raise.
These are just a few of the many advanced strategies you can employ when playing heads-up, no limit poker. Remember, these strategies aren’t always profitable against every player. What you have to do is determine what type of player your opponent is, and then decide how you want to play against him. Not everyone can be check raised to induce a fold, so it’s up to you to deduce his or her level of ability then play your game accordingly. And the best players will change their game regularly throughout the session, like a driver who switches gears in a car. Against better players, this is absolutely essential.
In part III of this article, I will analyze the various styles of play in heads-up, no limit poker and give you a variety of strategies to counter them.
