HU Tip: Making Adjustment's and Not Playing Scared...

[o0o0o0o]

Head's Up poker is all about aggression and adjusting. Aggression speak's for itself I believe. Raising on the button and continuation betting a good percentage is a lethal combination if it's working. That's the easy aggression part. If your opponent is playing back at you, you need to adjust. Your adjusting need's to add up and make sense and you sometime's NEED to follow up previous act's of aggress just because of a turn or river card. These adjustment's WIN HU match's. Here's an example.

Bluffing the flop and turn, then HAVING to make an ajustment that I don't really want to make on the river.

Full Tilt Poker Game #1096329932: $33 + $1.50 Heads Up Sit & Go (7449267), Table 1 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 2:39:29 ET - 2006/10/13
Seat 1: TrevRob (1,470)
Seat 2: MCKNERKEL (1,530)
TrevRob posts the small blind of 15
MCKNERKEL posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to TrevRob [3c 8c]
TrevRob raises to 90
MCKNERKEL calls 60
*** FLOP *** [7s 4d Kh]
MCKNERKEL checks
TrevRob bets 120
MCKNERKEL calls 120
*** TURN *** [7s 4d Kh] [Ks]
MCKNERKEL checks
TrevRob bets 210
MCKNERKEL calls 210
*** RIVER *** [7s 4d Kh Ks] [Qd]
MCKNERKEL checks
TrevRob bets 300
MCKNERKEL folds
Uncalled bet of 300 returned to TrevRob
TrevRob mucks
TrevRob wins the pot (840)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 840 | Rake 0
Board: [7s 4d Kh Ks Qd]
Seat 1: TrevRob (small blind) collected (840), mucked
Seat 2: MCKNERKEL (big blind) folded on the River



The Step's to adjusting:
1. Preflop and flop is pretty standard.

2. When he call's my flop bet, I'm not too worried yet. Dependant if he check's the turn or not, I'll judge accordinly.

3. When he check's this turn, I feel I can take it away now. SOMETIMES, he is trapping me here. I still have no reason not to bet this if checked to me as it's the perfect scarecard and a golden chance to scoop up a nice pot.

4. TROUBLE!! HE CALLS!! Time to break down right? Wrong. Were still in this hand and we can't shut down and automatically go into check/fold mode just yet. After all, this is a pretty nice pot and we deserve to think it through even if checked to us before we give up. This is a common leak I see in many player's games, there not making adjustment's.

5. He check's a Queen on the river. Let's add this up now. Check/Calls the flop and turn, and check's the river. Doesn't seem to be any draw's out there right now so I don't think he's on a busted draw here. He played the flop and turn like he has the King. Problem is, he check's this river. Why's this a problem? We are now obligated to bet this for several reason's.

He know's we are not going to call a bet he make's unless we have that king. So if anything, he's value betting this spot right here. So that's our first indicator. Second, I've repped the King the whole way down. I can throw out a smallish but larger enough bet to do damage. I'm only getting raised here, not called 80% of the time. We need to find the bet size that give's us profitable odd's here knowing what we know. I throw out a bet of 300 here. I'm getting reraised 20% of the time. The other 80 I think I'm getting a fold by my opponet. Look's pretty profitable to me.


This is just one example of not playing scared. You have to have no fear in head's up and be willing to make adjustment's. A lot of player's might recognize this river adjustment, but are scared to pull the trigger. You have to be willing to move some chip's to try to accumulate them all. Just don't go out on a limp and get super monkey aggressive where your play's aren't adding up. Stay within your read's , but don't be affraid to pull the trigger!

[BobAllinSki]

nothing wrong with playing this way from time to time on all streets, but if this is the standard response to been called it looks like spewing chips to me, if you lock jaw onto any pot you've shown aggression on your going get called down by some supprisingly weak hands, and they will probably be right to do so.

[Lovell77]

No advice is always better than bad advice.

[jay_shark]

A Game theory specialist will check-call you all the way down to exploit your aggression .

I like your play if you seldom try it . There is a fine line between how aggressive you can be without rattling your opponent .

[derosnec]

he called you on a dry flop. i don't expect him to fold this too often on the turn or river.

[Nichomacheo]

I dont like it either.

Sure, its a good move to have, but you're risking a lot of chips running a huge bluff. You will win this way and pat yourself on the back for a "game well played", but, you're going to get called down on the river by a lot of opponents unless you're playing high stakes. At at $33, I dont imagine the opponent is great, but, you'll find them making a lot of donk moves and calling on the river here. The way you played it, you have to be the river.

Maybe I play scared, but, I'd bet vs these opponents small ball and not getting into a lot of big pots with mediocre hands (because of preflop aggression with trash 38) works better than this strategy.

[o0o0o0o]

Appreciate the responses. I honestly was expecting worse. To clarify things, I use this move ONLY rarely. I'm just showing this is an example in HU play when you need to know how to take down pot's. This isn't your pure bluff shove. I currently have over a 73% HU sng win rate. I mostly play the $100-1,000 HU sng's on Golden Palace Poker. I've made a fortune in these and I honestly think that it's recognizing spot's like these in HU's that win them. This play is made seldom, but it's an example that you can't really play scared and you HAVE to adjust. Despite the flop and turn plans, this pot is your's to take if you recognize it. You do need to be carefull when making this though and know your opponent. I've logged ton's of hands with this player so I adjusted to the river after my bluffs went bad. I know he's not calling without a King here, AA, or a set for a boat. I appreciate all replies, good or bad.

[n1nj4.br]

This is not a good example about adjusting.

[o0o0o0o]

I'm having trouble understand how this is not a good example of adjusting. I could come on here and post about how I lost AK to AA in a HU sng and I need to adjust and play it differn't but this is a situation I think player's find themselves in. I've made 25k last month alone from HU sng's. I think this is an amazing example if you really read the anlysis. I'm sorry if you disagree. If you check the river, your essentially folding your hand. He's offering me the pot right here. He's not checking me every street hoping I push here so he can call. He know's I'm only pushing here with the King or a boat. Easy standard play once you get past the $50 and lower HU's . Player's are smarter at higher level's and know I'm not making this play without a hand. I do it to get paid off almost 100% of the time with the King. It's not a play I like to make, but I HAVE to make it if I want this pot. If he call's and I show Kx for a boat, he's crippled. His calling range is small enough for this to be PLUS EV. Just insight for higher limit's trying to help lower. This isn't common, but it's an adjustment you have to make.

[Nichomacheo]

o0o0o0o RLY?

What is your user name and what site do you play on?