Poker Strategy: Heads Up Play

Poker Strategy: Heads Up Play

Posted on October 16, 2007

One of the critical plays in poker is the raise. And in no form of poker is it more important than in the heads up match play – one against one. A failure to increase the bet having made the decision to contest a pot can lead to all sorts of trouble.

In the heads up play for example, in Texas Hold’em, the player on the button puts up the small blind and is therefore first to act.

Mercy calling – equalling the big blind – requires a much stronger hand than a raise. It could be interpreted as weakness, a desire to see the flop with a small pair or suited connectors such 6d- 7d. An aggressive opponent will raise a caller with almost anything - much of the time forcing a pass.


Making a raise from the small blind is the best play the majority of the time. The reasons are several: -


1) The raiser may find the opponent with unplayable pocket cards.

2) The opponent might have a playable hand but one which is marginally worse than the raiser’s. An example might be an A-8 against A-9.

3) Even if the raisers hand is worse than the opponent’s it may be improved by the flop.

4) It may be possible for the raiser to outplay a weak opponent from the flop. The raise actually sets up a bluffing opportunity.

5) A raise may even force out a stronger hand. The size of the raise is also an important consideration. Some exponents stick to a flat raise of three times the size of the big blind – whether they have a strong holding or not. This enables them to confuse the opposition and give no clue as to whether they are bluffing or have a “real” hand. It is also not so large a bet to make the pot inescapable if confronted with a re-raise.

The corollary to all this is that a player in a heads up situation who’s raising frequency is low must be doing the wrong thing. If the player with the small blind merely calls, it is a gift to the opponent, and gifts are not the sort of thing one wants to be offering in Texas Hold’em.

The fact is that in heads up poker, the cards count for far less than in a game where there is a full table of players.

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