Heads Up No Limit
2010 World Series of Poker Europe heads-up no-limit hold'em champion Gus Hansen talks about his unorthodox strategy of limping from the button in this episod.
In this lesson we’re going to run through a number of heads-up match-ups that will help give you an idea of where you stand in a variety of pre-flop situations when playing hold’em. Be aware that we’re only going to focus on individual hand match-ups. When playing hold’em it’s essential that you put your opponent on a range of hands, rather than specific holdings. However, knowing the odds of common pre-flop match-ups is a good starting point. Pick out and study what will help you. While it’s not essential that these statistics be committed to memory, it won’t hurt you if you do.
Let’s start by looking at hand match-ups when holding a pair:
Pair vs. Pair
The higher pair is an 80 percent favourite. We can get very technical and highlight the fact that if the underpair didn’t have any clean suits and/or the maximum number of straight outs then the high pair’s equity would increases by one or two percent.
Heads Up No Limit
- For more on this topic, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Opening the Button in Heads-Up No Limit. Balance really matters. When playing tournaments, many players advocate a more exploitative style. This is acceptable when you only play with that specific player every now and again, or even just that one time.
- Proper heads up strategy is vastly different than normal No Limit Hold'em Strategy, and you need to make the correct adjustments in order to beat your opponents and make money. I recommend following the 10 tips below to help you get started and learn the basics, then read the rest of our heads up poker strategy to fine tune your game.
- The following heads-up confrontations contain no pairs. Two high cards vs. The two higher cards are usually a 65% favourite to win, but it can vary depending on whether any of the cards are suited and/or connectors. High card, low card vs. Two middle cards. In this match-up.
Pair vs. Overcards
This is the classic coin flip hand that you’ll see many times late in tournaments with one player being all-in. The term coin flip indicates an even money situation which is really a 55 to 45 percent situation, as the pair is a slight favourite.
Pair vs. Undercards
In this situation the pair is normally about a 5-to-1 favourite and can vary depending on whether the two undercards are suited and/or connectors.
Heads Up No Limit Strategy
Pair vs. Overcard and an undercard
The pair is about a 70 percent favourite. Another example of this holding would be J-J against A-9. The underdog non-paired hand has three outs while the favourite has redraws.
Pair vs. Overcard and one of that pair
The classic example of this situation is the confrontation between a pair of cowboys and big slick. The A-K has three outs and it becomes a 70-30 percent situation or a 2.3-to-1 dog for the cowboys. This is a far cry from the next situation where even though one of the pair is matched the other card is lower.
Pair vs. Undercard and one of that pair
The non pair has to hit its undercard twice or make a straight or flush to prevail. The pair is better than a 90 percent favourite or slightly better than 10-to-1 odds. I’ll take those odds anytime.
Pair vs. Lower suited connectors
You see this match-up late in tournaments when a player is getting desperate and pushes all-in with middle suited connectors. A hand such as Q-Q against 7-6 suited would be a prime example. The pair is a strong favourite to win.
Pair vs. Higher suited connectors
Here is the real coin flip situation. A pair of eights heads-up against a suited Q-J is a fifty-fifty proposition. The higher suited cards would have an edge against a lower pair, such as 2’s or 3’s, since the board itself can sometimes destroy little pairs.
Common Pre-Flop Match-Ups (Non Pairs)
The following heads-up confrontations contain no pairs.
Two high cards vs. Two undercards
The two higher cards are usually a 65% favourite to win, but it can vary depending on whether any of the cards are suited and/or connectors.
High card, low card vs. Two middle cards
In this match-up the high card gives it the edge. But it’s only a marginal winner, approximately 57% to the hand containing the high card.
High card, middle card vs. Second highest, low card
The edge is increased by around 5% when the low card becomes the third highest card, as shown in this example, which gives approx 62% to 38% for high card/middle card combination.
High card, same card vs. Same card, low card
In this example the A-J is in a very strong position. If we discount any flush or straight possibilities, it only leaves the player holding J-8 with three outs (the three remaining 8’s).
Same high card, high kicker vs. Same card, low kicker
The high kicker gives this hand a fairly big edge. It’s very common for A-K run into A-Q, A-J, and lower, and it’s why Ace-King is such a powerful hand, particularly at the business end of no-limit hold’em tournaments when people move all-in with any sort of Ace.
Statistical Variations
For any math maniacs reading this who do not find these odds precise enough, I acknowledge that the math is rounded and for the most part does not take into account the possibilities of ties and back door straights and flushes. What players need to be equipped with is the general statistical match-up – not the fact that in the example of a pair of eights against a suited Q-J the percents are exactly 50.61 for the eights to 48.99 for the suited connectors with the balance going to potential ties. I call that a fifty-fifty proposition.
Of greater importance than quibbling over tenths of a percent is the fact that in most heads-up confrontations you can never be a prohibitive underdog. That is one reason why poker is so challenging and fun. Of course, while true, I’m not attempting to embolden the reader to ignore the odds and become a maniac. Math is the underpinning of poker and if you regularly get your money into the middle with the worst of it you will go broke.
One statistic that hasn’t been mentioned, and it’s one that I particularly like is this – the odds of both players being dealt Aces when playing heads up (one on one) is 270,724-to-1. It’s my favourite statistic because it provides me with almost total confidence when I’m playing heads up and receive pocket Aces that I’m the boss! That confident feeling lasts right up to the river when my Aces get cracked by some rotten piece of cheese which my opponent elected to play. As mentioned already, rarely are you a prohibitive underdog – so remember that to keep those losing hands in perspective.
Related Lessons
By Tom 'TIME' Leonard
Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.
Author Collin Moshman
Find out how to qualify for this book in the Two Plus Two poker bonus program
Synopsis of Heads-Up No-Limit Hold 'em
Heads-up confrontations can occur in any game, even when every seat is occupied. Adjusting to the amount of aggression can be difficult since heads-up battles require you to bet and raise with many hands. This book covers heads-up tournaments, cash matches, the final two of a multi-table tournament, and blind-vs-blind play at fuller tables. Mastering heads-up no-limit hold ‘em is invaluable if you’re looking to add a loose-aggressive component to your game.
With more heads-up matches available, becoming proficient in them is highly profitable. This text is the first strategy book devoted to no-limit heads-up play. You will learn to: 1. Master expected value, equity, and heads-up fundamentals 2. Play and exploit the most common playing styles 3. Manipulate the pot size based on your hand and your opponent 4. Attack button limps, bluff multiple streets, and play aggressively 5. Distinguish between optimal tournament and cash strategies 6. Exploit your opponents through metagame mastery 7. Maximize your profits through game theory and business concepts.
So if you are an aspiring heads-up professional, or are just challenged to a one-on-one battle, Heads-Up No-Limit Hold ’em provides you with the tools you need for success.
Excerpt from the Book Heads-Up No-Limit Hold 'em: Three-Betting Preflop
To continue our discussion facing button raises, we now address three-betting in more detail. This first section discusses an advanced play that works well against thinking, aggressive opponents, particularly those who raise liberally from the button preflop. It requires having already played tightly from the big blind, which if you follow the advice given so far you will be doing.
Suppose you are facing an aggressive player’s button raise. You know it could mean many different hands, but you don’t have a hand that figures to be a favorite, or at least a significant enough favorite to build a large pot out of position. But it has potential. In particular, good candidates include T9o, T8s, 54s, or a small pair.
You have been folding to most button raises, and you now make a small reraise. Against such a small reraise, it is unlikely your opponent will fold preflop. If he plays back before the flop, you fold. When he calls, you lead out on any flop for a one-half to two-thirds pot bet. If you miss the flop and he calls or raises, you are done with the hand (unless you improve to a strong holding on the turn).
The reasoning behind this play is that an intelligent player will tend to think that someone who has been tight from the big blind and unexpectedly makes a small reraise may be doing so because he wants action with a strong hand. Unless your opponent connects with the flop in some way, he will usually concede the hand.
This play is a way to be the one showing the greatest strength preflop, and therefore the natural one to take it down after the flop, without committing a lot of chips. Plus, you can always win a big pot when you flop a strong hand and your opponent connects as well.
Effective stacks: $1,500
Blinds: $10-$20
Note: Your opponent plays a solid tight-aggressive style, raising about 50 percent of his hands preflop, and you have been inactive facing button raises.
Your hand: T8
Action: Your opponent raises to $60 from the button. You reraise to $115 in the big blind and he calls. The pot is $230.
Flop: K72
Action: You bet $130 and your opponent folds.
Analysis: Unless your opponent has a king, it will be difficult for him to stay in this hand. You have shown significant strength, and, due to your earlier tightness, there is no reason for him to believe you are bluffing.
When your opponent does play back, you need to be careful. For instance, if the flop had been J82, and he raised your post-flop leadout bet, then more often than not, you will be facing at least top pair or perhaps second pair with a higher kicker. You have shown significant strength on two betting rounds, yet your tight-aggressive opponent still wants to build a big pot. So it is likely he has the best hand. You might call if the raise was small and the stacks deep enough that the implied odds to draw to your five-outer (the three tens and two eights) were there, but generally, when an opponent plays back at you in this situation, give him credit for a real hand and fold.
And finally, remember that the small three-bet is an advanced play to be used sparingly against players who are both aggressive and perceptive. But against a different type of opponent, this play can and should become a money loser.
Another variation on three-betting is the three-overbet. Sometimes when you are the big blind and the button raises, you should make a larger-than-normal reraise to simplify further decision-making. By “larger-than-normal,” I mean at least five times the button’s raise. There are several conditions that make this play particularly beneficial:
- You have a robust yet non-premium hand.
- You do not feel that you can significantly outplay your opponent with conventional strategy. And,
- Your stack does not significantly exceed 10 times the button’s raise-size.
Let us look at an example where all these criteria are optimal, and then change the conditions to see how they affect our willingness to make a three overbet.
Villain: $2,100
You: $900
Blinds: $25-$50
Note: Villain is an online professional heads-up player.
Your hand: 44
Action: Villain raises on the button to $150.
Expert Heads Up No Limit
Analysis: This is an excellent time to execute a three-overbet by reraising all-in. A smaller raise will tend to pot-commit us, and pocket pairs play well in case of a call since two high cards significantly outnumber pairs from a hand combination perspective.
Action: We reraise all-in for $900 and Villain folds.
Now let us modify each of the criteria and consider their effects on our decision. First, suppose our hand was A2 rather than 44. When our opponent folds, we win the hand regardless. But when he calls, the pair will often be a slight favorite. By contrast, unless he perceives us as being hyper loose-aggressive, his calling hand range consists primarily of hands that have us behind as a 70-to-30 underdog — stronger aces and pocket pairs. And we are only a slight favorite against the remainder of his possible calling hands, such as king-ten suited or king-queen offsuit.
Similarly, hands such as
8 7
are more favorable than Weak High Card Hands such as
K 2
simply because the mid suited connectors will tend to be live, whereas a kicker-less king will often be dominated. So with K2, we should be inclined to fold rather than three-overbet.
Next, suppose our opponent was much weaker, perhaps tight-passive. Then not only might we worry about the strength represented by a passive player’s raise, but folding leaves us with an excellent opportunity to regain a stack by chipping away at this player. In particular, simply by playing a standard loose-aggressive style, you will have a considerable edge if the match progresses normally. So you would be much less inclined to go for a potentially match-ending three-overbet.
Lastly, suppose we again have a small pair against a much better opponent, but the money is significantly deeper with a shorter stack of $4,000. Raising $4,000 to win the $200 on the table risks too much for a small reward. We could instead make our three-overbet a more conventional $750, which indeed works well when we get an immediate fold, or when he calls and we spike a set. But those times our opponent four-bets us all-in, or calls and we miss, creates a difficult spot for us. In the first case, we must either forfeit our large chip investment, or call another $3,250. And against a flat-call and missed flop, we will be playing a huge pot, out of position, generally facing three overcards. This is clearly a situation to avoid.
