| Posted by: mike_m235 at April 5, 2006, 8:12 am | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | I agree with all the things that people have told you -- and since I'm new posting here I don't presume to have the same level of credibility. But in this case I think everyone has missed the really obvious one --
After you read the books and figured out the strategy -- practice. Go play a dozen heads up SNGs. Even if they are cheap ones. A lot of heads up is feel -- just getting a feel for the pattern that the other guy is giving you. Is he mixing it up? Is he folding too much? There are heads up SNGs at a lot of different sites, and you'll find a wide range of competition -- from total donks to guys who specialize in heads up. Playing these really helped my late game play in full table SNGs. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: MikeyObviously at March 28, 2006, 1:28 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | | also, in heads up way more so than normal...be apt to call overbet all ins even more frequently. Dudes on a draw...biggest newb mistake ever...even though I make the play myself against idiots. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Jim Morrison at March 27, 2006, 2:03 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | | Aggression is important heads up. Take control and don't give it back. Push him and make him make tough decisions. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: hackmage at March 18, 2006, 7:25 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | I find one of the best things you can do is to be very aggressive on the bubble. This normally gives me a small chip lead over 2nd, going into the money stages. Remember you should always be shooting for 1st, not just cashing. As long as people are playing tight, keep punishing them with 1/2 pot to pot-size bets. If the blinds are high, and people are really trying to money a lot of times you can get away with min-raises PF and will steal the blinds. Now you just wanna try to isolate the smaller stacks with good hands and pick them off. By the time you get HU, you will normally have a decent lead over the next person.
I find most people are just horrible HU. They play wayyyy too tight. Raise a lot on the button with pretty much any two, but be ready to fold if you get any action back at you. I like to limp a lot when my opponent let's me, normally I'm looking for at least two pair to trap with here.
If you hit any pair on the flop, take a shot at the pot. Sometimes it's really hard to ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: DrStrange at March 14, 2006, 10:55 am | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | Pushing when the blinds are 9% of the total chips outstanding is far different from pushing when the blinds/antes are much smaller. Stealing even a few rounds of blinds as described by luckyfish will give you a big edge - and letting someone steal from you is a disaster. However, routinely pushing with Q5o into a smaller pot is a way to get busted. It is all about risk vs reward.
Relative skill makes a difference too. If I am better than the other player I try to avoid all-in moves even if I am a 55/45 favorite. If I am weaker than the other guy, I seek coin flips and hope for better luck. Once the blinds are really high, skill becomes secondary to agression. Taking the blinds four times in luckyfish's example makes you better than a 2-1 chip lead.
Be agressive - win or die gloriously. Being blinded to death is a stupid way to lose. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: luckyfish at March 14, 2006, 3:03 am | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | This advice seems to be very good when there is some room for playing out your opponent, but in Party SNGs you seem often to be way too shortstacked for this.
So get SNGPT by eastbay (costs $79, available at www.sitngo-analyzer.com/) and see which spots are +EV to push given the stacksizes and your cards.
Lets say you have 5000 chips each before positng and blinds are 300/600 and you get dealt Q5o in the SB. SNGPT will tell you that no matter how your opponent plays always pushing in this spot is +EV, and by how much at least (and most opponents wont call you with K3o as they should, which makes this play a lot +EV).
Even when you play pushing any 2 cards and calling any 2 cards with these stacks and blinds the biggest edge someone else might get against you in the long run is just 53%.
SNGPT can analyze all these push/fold situations for you even with more players and any payout structure, especially on the bubble this is interesting, you can give calling ranges to each... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: BigPoppa at March 13, 2006, 8:14 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | Wolfman wrote: Most people play heads up way too weak, so steamroll them.
Very much so
Raise a lot from the button, make lots of 3/4 pot sized bets on the flop. Chip away at them little by little.
Once you get a big chip advantage, do not make loose calls of all in bets (still call with strong hands, of course). Let them take pots they're willing to go to the wall with, and you take every other hand.
Just keep the pressure on at all times, but never let them double up. Vorhaus says it well when he tells you your job is to get them to a spot where they're in constant peril, then keep them there.
_________________
"I want those motherfuckin' snakes off this motherfuckin' plane!" | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Wolfman at March 13, 2006, 5:32 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | Just bet. They never have it, and when they do they'll let you know. In the meantime you chip away at them until they're desperate then call their all in with any 2 decent cards. If they win go back to chipping.
Most people play heads up way too weak, so steamroll them. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Mikke_ at March 13, 2006, 4:43 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | BigPoppa wrote: Read all the John Vorhaus articles here:
http://www.ultimatebet.com/learn-poker/strategy-tournament.html
then read the last half of Harrington on Holdem II
...then send me my cut of your profits.
Not read Vorhaus before - he writes a nice article - thanks for posting the link for the OP.
Harrington I and II have been dispatched by Amazon over the weekend.
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Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: BigPoppa at March 13, 2006, 4:11 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | Read all the John Vorhaus articles here:
http://www.ultimatebet.com/learn-poker/strategy-tournament.html
then read the last half of Harrington on Holdem II
...then send me my cut of your profits.
_________________
"I want those motherfuckin' snakes off this motherfuckin' plane!" | | Static Link |
| Posted by: GJ at March 13, 2006, 3:22 pm | | Topic: Heads Up Help Forum: Bonus Whores | | I have been playing some Sit N Go tournys over at Party and it seems like everytime I do well but then get my ass kicked in the heads up. I usually go in heads up with about the same stack or higher stack than my opponent, but I can't close the deal. Any tips or thoughts I should keep with me when I play heads up? | | Static Link |
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