HU cash games

[Skuzzy]

Been getting caught up in a few heads up matches lately, you know you take a guys money with TPTK after he makes an 'obvious' bluff, and he cries and swears and moans for a bit then says "I'd kick your ass HU".
I was playing a very frustrating game against a player whose strategy was to raise until you folded or reraised. If you reraised he folded. If you played back twice in a row, he pushed. OK maybe not exactly like this but it felt like it and I just couldn't catch. It occured to me during this game that I don't know how to play heads up. In fact my general feeling is that heads up I lose any edge I have over my donkish opponents - they can and do kill me.

So how do you develop good heads up skills without losing your bankroll? What is a good hand heads up? do the cards even matter? Is playing heads up just an excuse to gamble? Is playing heads up just a short cut to tilt?


oh and...

Any of you fish want to play me heads up? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[kitaristi0]

Try heads-up SNGs.

[Skuzzy]

tried that - its different. One issue I have is probably a result of the swings and playing at the same level I play 6 max (1/2) its quite disturbing watching your stack diminsh quickly when it took you so long to get it or you spent so long holding on to it.

low buyin SNGs don't really help, higher levels and i'm still going to risk too much.

[Tarheel]

How come all my conversations go as follows:

Villain: I'll kick your ass heads up anytime.
Me: Sounds good. Is now a good time for you?
Villain: I said anytime.
Me: Private table's made. Password is xxxx.
Me: You coming?
Me: Hello?
(At this point villain usually just leaves the table without saying another word which is the worst thing i could've hoped for) I think i've been challenged 4 times now. Not once has villain showed. How do you get them to show?

[Skuzzy]

I always get them to bite, i dont always like the result. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

First rule of hustling is: always let the other guy feel like he is hustling you. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Freerollin`]

[ QUOTE ]
How come all my conversations go as follows:

Villain: I'll kick your ass heads up anytime.
Me: Sounds good. Is now a good time for you?
Villain: I said anytime.
Me: Private table's made. Password is xxxx.
Me: You coming?
Me: Hello?
(At this point villain usually just leaves the table without saying another word which is the worst thing i could've hoped for) I think i've been challenged 4 times now. Not once has villain showed. How do you get them to show?

[/ QUOTE ]

This happened to me once. I start ragging an idiot who is berating the fish. He challenges me to a $50 SNG heads up. I say no, how about $100 cash game. He says why not $200? I say OK, set the table up, watch him stack a donkey and then disappear.

His name was ajmargarine or something...

[Fallen Hero]

"Pairs are good - TPGK goes to the felt everytime.

2pair+ I stop caring about what hand the other guy might have and just want to get all the money in the middle.

You win a good percentage of hands with just A high.

I only ever care about straights/flushes if the board is 4flush/4straight and I don't have it and the villain is happy to keep betting - they come around so rarely that you do better not to worry about them"

I don't like this, maybe after you've been at the table for a while you see it's true against that specific player but I don't like it as a default plan.

[Freerollin`]

[ QUOTE ]
"Pairs are good - TPGK goes to the felt everytime.

2pair+ I stop caring about what hand the other guy might have and just want to get all the money in the middle.

You win a good percentage of hands with just A high.

I only ever care about straights/flushes if the board is 4flush/4straight and I don't have it and the villain is happy to keep betting - they come around so rarely that you do better not to worry about them"

I don't like this, maybe after you've been at the table for a while you see it's true against that specific player but I don't like it as a default plan.

[/ QUOTE ]

FH's right. You'll lose a hell of a lot of money alone by playing TPGK that way, let alone some of the other stuff in cash games.

That said, matrix's strategy seems directed toward HU SNG's, and his strategy is pretty good.

Edited to clarify distinction between HU cash and HU SNG's

[matrix]

really??

HU is a game mostly about adjusting to the opponent - vs some players my method above wins the money - vs some players it's a recipe for disaster - but that is more or less my default plan and so far it seems to work OK.

HOH2 pg 369 "4 Key principles of HU preflop play"

1. Any pair is a big hand (my emphasis)
2. Almost all hands are battles of unpaired cards
3. Domination isn't as bad as you think
4. You mostly have the odds you need to play

pg 380 - "the play of each hand is typically closely tied to the play that preceeded it"

"as soon as possible you want the answers to these questions:

1. Is villain deperate or confident?
2. Is he happy playing a long session - does he want a quick session?
3. Is he limping with bad or good hands or a mixture?
4. What hands will he slowplay?
5. What hand does he need to call all-in?"

If my default plan is not too good - what do you suggest as an alternative??

[Jouster777]

[ QUOTE ]
I was playing a very frustrating game against a player whose strategy was to raise until you folded or reraised. If you reraised he folded. If you played back twice in a row, he pushed. OK maybe not exactly like this but it felt like it and I just couldn't catch.

[/ QUOTE ]
reraise with crap
go passive on your good hands
catch a good hand after a bad one (in which you reraised) and stack him

Sorry, I know you knew this but I couldn't stop.


[ QUOTE ]
Any of you fish want to play me heads up? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm sick of these challenges...that guy Tarheel never shows.