Heads Up Play

[Tim Vecchioni]

Ok, so I did a search and didn't find anything about what I wanted to learn. I want to learn how everyone on these forums plays heads up. I play mostly single table tourny's (STT's) and some MTT's. The STT's I find myself heads up a little more then in the multi's.

I find myself playing wrecklessly when its heads up since the blinds are usually insane by that time and stealing them is all I find myself thinking. What I am looking for is some help some critisism. I will post my most recent heads up battle, which I know will be laughed at...lol. Anyways, don't laugh, help me out, because I finish ITM in my STT's right now 53% of the time over 30 STT's. However most of these are from second and thirds, I win one out of 3 most likely when I make it ITM.

Thanks for reading and the furture help you are hopefully gonna give me.

[Tim Vecchioni]

well here is my recent heads up play...ran into a retard though..

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

Button (t4725)
Vecchioni (t3275)

Preflop: Vecchioni is BB with 7, 8.
Button calls t150, Vecchioni raises to t600, Button folds.

Final Pot: t750

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

BB (t4425)
Vecchioni (t3575)

Preflop: Hero is Button with T, 7.
Vecchioni calls t150, BB checks.

Flop: (t450) 4, Q, 3 [color:#0000FF](2 players)[/color]
BB bets t300, Vecchioni raises to t700, BB calls t400.

Turn: (t1850) 3 (2 players)
BB bets t425, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t2275

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

Button (t5425)
Vecchioni (t2575)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 4, J.
[color:#666666]1 fold[/color].

Final Pot: t300

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

BB (t5275)
Vecchioni (t2725)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6, 5.
Vecchioni calls t150, BB checks.

Flop: (t450) 7, 2, J (2 players)
BB bets t300, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t750

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

Button (t5575)
Vecchioni (t2425)

Preflop: Vecchioni is BB with 7, Q.
Button calls t150, Vecchioni checks.

Flop: (t450) J, 8, J (2 players)
Button folds.

Final Pot: t450

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

BB (t5275)
Vecchioni (t2725)

Preflop: Hero is Button with T, T.
Hero raises to t650, 1 fold.

Final Pot: t950

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

Button (t4975)
Vecchioni (t3025)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, 2.
Button calls t150, Vecchioni checks.

Flop: (t450) 5, 7, 5 (2 players)
Vecchioni checks, Button checks.

Turn: (t450) 3 (2 players)
Vecchioni checks, Button checks.

River: (t450) A (2 players)
Vecchioni checks, Button checks.

Final Pot: t450
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

BB (t5275)
Vecchioni (t2725)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 3, K.
Vecchioni calls t150, BB checks.

Flop: (t450) 6, 8, T (2 players)
BB checks, Vecchioni checks.

Turn: (t450) J (2 players)
BB checks, Vecchioni checks.

River: (t450) 9 (2 players)
BB checks, Vecchioni checks.

Final Pot: t450

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

Button (t5575)
Vecchioni (t2425)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7, 3.
1 fold.

Final Pot: t300

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (2 handed) converter

BB (t5425)
Vecchioni (t2575)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6, K.
1 fold.

Final Pot: t300

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (2 handed) converter

Button (t5575)
Vecchioni (t2425)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 5, A.
1 fold.

Final Pot: t400

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (2 handed) converter

BB (t5375)
Vecchioni (t2625)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, K.
Hero raises to t800, 1 fold.

Final Pot: t1200

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (2 handed) converter

Button (t4975)
Vecchioni (t3025)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 2, 9.
Button calls t200, Hero checks.

Flop: (t600) J, T, 8 (2 players)
Hero bets t800, Button folds.

Final Pot: t1400

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (2 handed) converter

BB (t4575)
Vecchioni (t3425)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5, K.
1 fold.

Final Pot: t400

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (2 handed) converter

Button (t4775)
Vecchioni (t3225)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 5, T.
Button calls t200, Hero checks.

Flop: (t600) J, 9, K (2 players)
Vecchioni checks, Button bets t400, Vecchioni folds.

Final Pot: t1000

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (2 handed) converter

BB (t5175)
Vecchioni (t2825)

Preflop: Vecchioni is Button with T, 9.
Vecchioni raises to t600, BB calls t400.

Flop: (t1400) 6, J, Q (2 players)
BB bets t400, Vecchioni raises to t1200, BB calls t800.

Turn: (t3800) 5 (2 players)

River: (t3800) Q (2 players)

Final Pot: t3800

he had 3, T :/

Vecchioni finished in second place and won $60.
heh
gg
Vecchioni has left the table.

Some help is what I want, nothing along the lines of you played it wrong you suck. Tell me how i can improve what I did do wrong.

Thanks guys.

[drmcboy]

with those cards I don't think there was much you could have done differently - you picked up more than your share of cards (EDIT shoud read pots) considering you missed pretty much every flop AND had crap to start with. Can't win them all.

[Tim Vecchioni]

thanks for the reply, thats how i felt while playing...so you dont see much wrong with the actual play?

[drmcboy]

Nope, not really. This one was costly:

Flop: (t450) 4, Q, 3 [color:#0000FF](2 players)[/color]
BB bets t300, Vecchioni raises to t700, BB calls t400.

but I can't fault you too much for trying to pick up a pot.

Honeslty if a guy is going to call a raise pre flop and then an AI (!) with no hand and no draw... no strategy will neutralize that.

[DaNutsInYoEye]

You folded a couple hands pre-flop. I generally wouldnt recommend this unless the blinds are are significantly large compared to your stack or your opponent is short stacked, you know he will go AI, and you have a totally shitty hand that you don't want to double him with up with.

HU you want to be the aggressor. I think you played a little too passively, and when you showed aggression it was at the wrong times.

Preflop: Hero is Button with T, 7.
Vecchioni calls t150, BB checks.

Flop: (t450) 4, Q, 3 (2 players)
BB bets t300, Vecchioni raises to t700, BB calls t400.

First you limp in. On the flop you were obviously trying to steal the pot. He showed a little bit of aggression though. It wasn't much, but you had no piece of that flop or any reasonable draws. You're only hope here is to bluff. If your opponent leads out with 300, he isn't likely to fold to a raise of only 400. Either fold or re-raise stronger.


Preflop: Hero is Button with 6, 5.
Vecchioni calls t150, BB checks.

Flop: (t450) 7, 2, J (2 players)
BB bets t300, Hero folds.

You limped in.


Preflop: Vecchioni is BB with 7, Q.
Button calls t150, Vecchioni checks.

Flop: (t450) J, 8, J (2 players)
Button folds.

You limped.

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, 2.
Button calls t150, Vecchioni checks.

Another limp.

Preflop: Hero is Button with 3, K.
Vecchioni calls t150, BB checks.

Flop: (t450) 6, 8, T (2 players)
BB checks, Vecchioni checks.

Turn: (t450) J (2 players)
BB checks, Vecchioni checks.

River: (t450) 9 (2 players)
BB checks, Vecchioni checks.

Yet another limp. Whoever shows the first bit of aggression at any point in this hand takes it down.

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6, K.
1 fold.

Fold K high HU?

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, K.
Hero raises to t800, 1 fold.

Better.

Preflop: Hero is BB with 2, 9.
Button calls t200, Hero checks.

Limper!

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5, K.
1 fold.

Again, why are you folding a K HU?


Preflop: Vecchioni is Button with T, 9.
Vecchioni raises to t600, BB calls t400.

Flop: (t1400) 6, J, Q (2 players)
BB bets t400, Vecchioni raises to t1200, BB calls t800.

Turn: (t3800) 5 (2 players)

River: (t3800) Q (2 players)

Final Pot: t3800

he had 3, T :/


You had a quality draw here. I don't mind the push with your stack.


Just by looking at these few hands it seemed like your opponent was pretty passive. I think that if your raise more pre-flop you take a lot of pots down unconntested.

[aleksandr]

If the blinds are more than 1/10 of your opponent's stack, it is profitable to raise 3xbb nearly every hand if they will fold about 1/3 of the time or more, and if they push over you, it is always profitable to call in this situation. There's a study on this somewhere and I'll post the link if I can find it.

It is further profitable to raise every hand that will probably beat T6s in a race. Push any ace, any king with a 9 or up, and any pockets better than 66.

Every steal you get here increases your odds of getting first. I raise nearly every hand and only fold to increase my when I do raise.

Also, try stuff out. Call call river raise is a sick bluff heads up if enough of their stack is not involved by the river.

[Tim Vecchioni]

thanks guys i appreciate all the help, and i would like to see the thread on this... thanks a lot guys!