In games of heads up poker, there are only two players. This makes a player’s position in the sequence of betting an even more important aspect.
A player’s position in the heads up poker game is always determined by the button. This obviously alternates between players and will fix who is the first and last to act during the complete hand.
Just before the flop, a dealing player has to post the small blind, with the other player posting the big blind, meaning the small blind acts first before the flop. More importantly, however, the small blind acts last on all of the flop, the turn and the river betting rounds.
During full ring games, having the dealer button conveys only a small part of the real advantage this has in the heads-up poker game, because the position in relation to the game’s pre-flop raiser is the really important part.
In a normal full-ring game, this advantage is lost if a player has the button and the raiser happens to be to his immediate right and other players still have to act after them. Heads-up poker means acting last always means acting after one’s opponent.
Heads up Poker Strategy – the Advantage of Acting Last
The key point in this poker strategy is that the majority of heads-up poker hands are likely to completely miss on the flop. In the last position, a player is able to gather some information on the opponent’s holding strength before having to act.
Take for instance a good, but by no means great hands up poker hand such as a pair of 4′s (this is before the flop). Playing from small blind, a player would normally raise. If the opponent calls instead, he indicates that he has some sort of a hand, though nothing worth a raise.
If the opponent then checks on the flop, his display of weakness on two occasions allows the player to feel comfortable with his own betting, and unless the flop turns out particularly heavy on the draw, the opponent usually has to fold. The positions poker strategy has paid off.
The same heads up poker hand on the big blind should see a pre-flop raise. This time the player flat calls and waits for the flop. This comes in the shape of three medium and high cards. The player could bet here, but this carries a risk of getting raised on an opponent’s semi-bluff or bluff. The opponent may have the player’s hand beaten or not. If the player checks and the opponent bets, the player is in a difficult situation.
The poker strategy of position can still be of advantage if the player makes a set of fours on the flop. Acting from a small blind the player can decide if he wishes to raise in order to build up the pot, or decide to call to give his opponent an opportunity to improve his heads up poker hand enough to enable him to call or maybe even raise on the turn.
On acting from big blind, the betting out after having called the pre-flop raise is a good show of strength. The player could easily make his opponent fold. A combination of check-raising is also an option that is likely to win a few chips here. Even a check that is then followed by the player calling may push an opponent who has missed the flop into stopping his betting.
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