Heads Up Cash Games In the realm of poker, heads-up cash games can be the most difficult to adjust to. Even a highly experienced poker player with a predetermined, proven strategy can have a very bad run when trying to play heads-up cash games. The strategy for such poker play is incredibly contrary to most recommended poker strategies.
In a heads-up cash game, you are competing against a single opponent. This greatly decreases the need to play such a tight poker game. In fact, playing too tight will get you ousted from the table, distraught and penniless, in a slow, painful demise.
You have to be able to loosen up your game and read your opponent as quickly as possible. At a full table game, a hand like pocket 6′s, or 10-J suited, has very little value. As appealing as they may seem, they simply can’t compete against 9 other hands, in which at least one is likely to beat it. Against a single player, your options widen immensely.
Another thing to consider when playing heads-up cash games is that you are never out of blind position. You will be paying for every single hand you play, whether you fold it or not. If your opponent is passive, you can take advantage of his low wagering to see more flops. If your opponent is aggressive, you’ll have more difficulty moving forward.
Against an aggressive opponent, the only way to survive is to match, if not surpass, his aggressive nature. His purpose is to scare you away from pots, steal blinds and keep you on the defensive. This is actually a great strategy, but if you can counter it with equal aggression, he will eventually back down and tighten up his game a little.
Don’t make ridiculous moves, like calling a 5xblind bet with 6-9 off suit, but when your hand has a decent number of outs, take your chances. Remember, it’s only one opponent. Every time the cards are dealt, you each have a 50-50 chance of hitting the better hand.
Now we we’ve discussed the defensive aspect of heads-up cash games, we’ll talk a bit more about your offensive strategy. We mentioned above that a loose, aggressive poker game works best in heads-up cash games. This is the same strategy you should be applying.
If you can get your opponent to back down from a few pots by betting aggressively, pre- or post-flop, you can keep you chips on a steady rise. Also, by being aggressive early on, he will never be able to read when you really have a monster hand, allowing you to draw in as many of his chips as possible when he decides to challenge your aggression.
An aggressive betting style also serves to intimidate and upset your opponent. When you can affect his emotional stability, you’ve already won the game. Poker is not just a game of cards, but a game of psychological warfare. A player cannot remain disciplined when is not thinking straight.
Last, but never least, you need to read your opponents behavioral and betting patterns as quickly as possible. Some poker players are able to mix things up to such an extent that they cannot be sufficiently read, but this takes a lot of experience. In fact, this is exactly what you should be doing. Never fall into a pattern of betting high on certain hand types, low on others, bluffing often, or anything else your opponent can pin point.
Watch for these habits in your opponent. Once you think you’ve got him pegged, predict his reaction to different moves. If you predicted correctly, you know you’ve got a perfect aim to take down his chip stack.
Heads-up cash games are not the easiest to become accustomed to, but with a little practice and patience, you can be earning a lot of cash in very little time. Start at low limits and, once you find consistent success, slowly move up the stakes, one level at a time. You’ll be raking in the chips at heads-up cash games in no time.
