Heads up poker is a game where only two opponents face each other. It can start when a larger game ends with two players left, or two players might start a game while waiting for others. Knowing the odds in one-on-one poker is crucial. You need to understand your chances of getting a better hand than your opponent.

In most sit-and-go (SNG) poker tournaments, this is a key stage. Eventually, the last two players must face each other. Sometimes, players choose to play heads-up in cash games or SNG formats for a set amount of money. Larger heads-up competitions can be found on big online poker platforms and in some tournaments, often in a shoot-out style. To be fair, players at the same tournament level get the same prize, regardless of their exact finish.

If you like quick, aggressive poker, heads-up might suit you. This mainly applies to Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha, where community cards and blinds are important. You can play almost any poker game heads-up, but it’s most common in these types where community cards and blinds play a big role. BLITZPOKER offers thrilling tournaments, rewarding challenges, and exclusive bonuses for an unbeatable poker experience.

Heads Up Poker Strategy Tips

Plan Your Postflop Strategy

When you hit the flop, decide your game plan. Sometimes, check one or more streets to induce bluffs and control the pot size. For example, if you raise with K8 offsuit on the button and the flop comes A K Q, check behind either the flop or the turn. Few opponents will call three streets with worse than your second pair.

Semi-bluff aggressively with your draws as your opponent often won’t have a hand and will fold. Avoid pure bluffs on multiple streets without good reason. Over time, you’ll spot good bluffing chances. For instance, after raising preflop, usually make a continuation bet (c-bet) on the flop. If your opponent calls your c-bet and a scare card like an ace or king falls on the turn, that’s a good bluffing opportunity.

Play Aggressive and Positional Poker

In many poker formats, tight play can make you a solid winner. But in heads-up, waiting for big hands is a losing strategy. You have to post a blind every hand. Even if your opponent plays against your strong hands, they’ll win too many small pots for you to keep an edge.

So, play many hands, especially when you’re the button and have the positional advantage postflop. From the button, play these hands at minimum: 22+, A2+, K2s+, K5o+, Q2s+, Q6o+, J2s+, J7o+, and suited or mid offsuit connectors. Always enter the pot with a raise.

When you’re the big blind, tighten up against button raises. Even with good odds, you’ll be out of position postflop. But, hands like any ace, pair, or broadway cards are still playable.

Choose Your Table Wisely

Table selection is crucial in heads-up. Even if you’re very good, you’ll lose against a world-class player. Similarly, a weak player has an edge over a terrible player.

Your match edge depends on your skill relative to your opponent. In micro-stakes games on large sites like PokerStars, new players join quickly, making table selection tricky. But when you sit second, seek out weak players and avoid regulars. Never rematch a good player.

Adapt to Your Opponent

Tight Players

Against tight players, play loose-aggressive but fold marginal hands when they show strength. Aim to win many small and medium pots uncontested. Only engage in larger pots with very strong hands. The best opponents are tight and passive, as this is the weakest heads-up style.

Loose-Passive Players

With loose-passive players, aggressively value bet any strong hand and rarely bluff. Avoid fancy plays against a calling station. Simply wait for above-average hands and bet for value.

Loose-Aggressive Players

Loose-aggressive players can be challenging. This style is effective in heads up poker. Play solid poker and look for weaknesses to exploit, such as defending weak hands out of position.

Manage Your Bankroll

A winning player needs at least 30 buy-ins for their level, but 50 is better to handle downswings. Heads-up is less swingy than many formats as 50% of the field is paid, but long downswings are still possible.

Heads Up Poker Strategy For Stack Sizes

Keep track of your and your opponent’s chips in any game. In heads-up play, knowing your opponent’s chip count is even more important.

It’s easier to track your opponent’s chips in heads-up play. By knowing the total chips in play, you only need to count your own chips. For instance, if there are 100,000 chips in play and you hold 45,000, then your opponent has 55,000 and a slight advantage.

Chip counts at the start of a hand can greatly influence strategy in heads-up play. In cash games, the larger stack can bust the smaller stack. In tournaments, the big stack can win the tournament in the next hand and can’t lose it.

Identifying when a player is short-stacked is also crucial. When a player has only a few blinds or a small percentage of chips left, preflop all-ins become more likely. This affects your starting hand selection. You might play fewer hands as the big stack, anticipating the all-in move soon.

Playing from the Button in Heads-Up Games

Having the button in a heads-up game is a big advantage. Your opponent has a random hand, and they are the only one between you and the pot money.

You should start by raising with a lot of hands, much more than in other formats. How many depends on how your opponent reacts to your raises.

• If they fold a lot, raise with every hand.
• If they fold more than average, raise with 90% of hands.
• If they fold on average, raise with 85% of hands.
• If they never fold, raise with 75% of hands.

Your raise size should match your raise frequency. If raising all hands, a small raise will do. As your raise frequency lowers, your raise size should increase. Start with raising about 85% of hands with a 2.5x raise size. Adjust based on your opponent’s reaction.

Playing from the Big Blind Position in Heads Up Poker

The button gives you an edge, letting you play most hands in your range. However, from the big blind, you still play 50% of hands.

How often you continue after a button raise depends on the raise size. Min-raises let you defend more hands, while bigger raises mean you fold more.

You should also 3-bet many hands from the big blind. The wider their raise, the more hands you can play.

Here’s a simple rule for 3-betting:

• Against wide openings, 3-bet with the best and weakest hands.
• Against tight openings, 3-bet with strong and semi-strong hands.

For example, against an opponent raising 80% of hands with a 2x raise, 3-bet with strong hands and some suited connectors. If they raise 100% of their hands, add more bluffs to your range.

Heads Up Poker Strategy To Exploit Players’ Tendencies

Exploitative play has merit, especially against less skilled players. Spotting and exploiting their mistakes can boost your EV (expected value).

For example, if they always c-bet the flop, you can bluff more. If they only c-bet strong hands, fold more. Use poker tracking software to identify these tendencies and adjust your strategy.