Heads Up Play - the final stage of the tournament

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Written by John Fava

Going Head to Head

Getting to the final stage of a tournament and reaching heads up play is satisfying because at the very least you know your going to get paid. It’s always great to get there but I don’t even think about it at all until the tournament is done. You’ll have time later to reflect on how you think you did and decide then that you were/are happy with 2nd place. Of course everyone wants 1st but after a tournament is done I try to always look at the positives and analyze where I might improve my game. In short I’ll take the money and move on !

Once you’ve reached heads up you have had some time to analyze this player and hopefully have some type of strategy in mind on how to play him/her. I think each time you reach heads up it is a unique situation and should be treated as such.

In heads up play you usually don’t get a lot of strong hands. I like to play any ace hard with a healthy raise (usually 3x the bb because it is so big at this point). I also like to play connectors and any two paint cards together.

One strategy I like to use is playing hard before the flop. By that I mean either throwing your hand away or putting in a raise or pushing with a strong hand. Strong hands like the ones mentioned above and any pairs. Why any pairs ? Even if it is a pair of deuces you are still a favorite against any 2 over cards. As I said when playing heads up you usually get a lot of junk so your definition of a strong hand changes, as it does from stage to stage. When I do get a premium hand like AA or KK or QQ I like to just put in a raise. If my opponent has caught a piece of the flop I find you can usually get 2 results. You can either push him off the hand with an all in or he/she calls you and you get all of their chips. When I don’t know too much about my opponent or I know he/she is a better post flop player than me I like to pressure my opponent preflop for a decision. I think the odds tend to be more even because your opponent is doing a little more guessing.

Some players tend to let me have free cards so I’ll do a lot of calling and be super aggressive should I hit a flop. I find that those players are usually tight and even though you are heads up you can bully them a little. Please note, by bullying I do not mean bluffing. I never bluff heads up. I have just been looked up to many times in the past and lost. I have totally eliminated bluffing when heads up and have seen an improvement in my results.

If you are at a big chip disadvantage (say 3 to 1 or 4 to 1) you must consider pushing with an even wider hand selection. I include hands like connectors or I like hands like J 9 or 8 10. You know you are going to see all 5 cards so you may draw to a straight. Consequently if you are in the chip lead by the same margin I suggest going for the win. Again I would pressure my opponent for a preflop decision with the strategy used above. I’ve been heads up several times with a tight player who is content to see his/her chips blinded off until they have to push with any two cards. I ask you “what is the sense in that ?”

There are several ways to approach heads up. Hopefully you have some information on the player you are up against and can use that to your advantage. If not I usually find that preflop aggression has served me well. Always make your opponent react to your moves.

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General Strategy

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