Ersinhan Ersin Poker Journal

Playing heads up poker is a very delicate art that can be perfected with experience. The essential strategy when it comes to playing heads up poker is to play various short handed games. What this means is that you should play more hands and should bet aggressively when you make a good hand. However, there can be no actual advantage by getting experience short handed before you actually test the game. Heads up poker is unlike any other poker games and it actually qualifies to be a unique poker form.

Observing the action

You can actually get several benefits by investing some of your time observing the game before you join the action. Get a feel for the style of play and be ready for the winning streaks. Take notice of the hands that the players play during the game and see how the betting pattern flows through the game. Since there are only a few people competing for each pot, there will be strings of three or four wins and sometimes even more.

Knowing how the betting works is one of the most important things in heads up poker and the form and the pace of the game is also quite important. Observe how the players re-raise and check-raise when they have good hands. Check as many tables as you can on playsolidpoker.com. The playing style will vary from person to person which would allow you get an idea about the different styles and how each one would allow you to reap benefits.

Plunging into the game

In heads up poker action, you may or may not be able to pick the opponent that you would be playing against. Once you start playing, check the speed with which the opponent is playing. There can be certain styles which will work well against some players and not with the others. Play against opponents who would be able to give you an edge over the game and avoid the others. It might take a few minutes to get a feel of the player that you are up against. If you are comfortable and confident against a player, then its best to stick to him but move one if the opponent is very overpowering.

Keep a check on your chip count as the game progresses. If you lose a lot of chips you might be up against a stronger player. If so, you can always leave the game to minimize the losses. Take a break and cool down for some time and then find another opponent. In heads up poker, there will be no mental breaks since you would have to make decisions every couple of minutes which can be exciting but also very tiring. If you think that you are unable to give your full attention to the game, it is best to stop playing for a while. There will always be a lot of chatter through the game in heads up and if you find it distracting, then you can always move to another table or if you are playing online, you can switch the chat feature off.