Heads Up Poker Strategy

Heads up poker strategy can be the most challenging of all poker scenarios. You are exactly where you want to be and one person stands between you and the big money. Here are a few things that can help you succeed when playing heads up against your opponent.

1. Do not go in with a preset strategy. Keep your options open.

2. Try and get a feel of what your opponent is trying to do to you within the first ten minutes or so. Only then can you begin to determine how to counter his strategy.

3. Use the button to your advantage. Remember, when you are playing heads up poker the range of hands you will play is considerably larger. Don't be afraid to raise it up with Ace high. You may get a call but you also have position on your opponent throughout the hand. Use it wisely.

4. The smooth call is your friend. If all things are equal you cannot fold every time you get raised. The blinds will get too high if you do. You want to see as many flops as possible.

5. Be patient and remain focused. Sometimes looking for the Homerun is not the best approach to playing heads up.

These are just a few things I have found that help my game when I am heads up. We all would love to get that great run of cards when we are in this situation. However, under most circumstances we get our typical one good hand out of six. So how you play the mediocre and bad hands has a lot more to do with winning than how you play the good ones most of the time.