Heads Up No Limit Strategy

1. As Jason Koon, a successful tournament player, would say: “Heads-Up the Purest Form of Poker”. He is 110% right! Since, without a shadow of doubt, heads-up is the most skilled form of poker in existence. No full ring or 6 max poker game can challenge you as much as an heads-up poker game. In heads-up poker, you can't hide.
2. In this paper, we describe the computation of a near- optimal (in a rigorous sense) strategy for a heads-up no-limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament with a fixed small blind of SB=300 chips, a fixed big blind of BB=600 chips and a total amount of 8000 chips on the table, and present and discuss.

• Heads Up No Limit Strategy Meaning
• Heads Up No Limit Strategy Definition
• Heads Up No Limit Strategy Template
• Heads Up No Limit Strategy

Get free heads up no limit holdem preflop charts for 100bb stacks. Learn a fundamentally sound strategy for which hands to raise, 3bet and more.

To mix things up a bit, I spent one evening playing limit hold’em heads-up tournaments on PokerStars. Like many of us, who started poker at the beginning of the 2000s, I have some history with limit hold’em. In the old days Limit Hold’em was the game of choice, and No-Limit was an upcoming game. I used to multi-table 9-max limit hold’em and make a rather steady income. I still play limit hold’em tournaments whenever there are games available. At least during the WCOOP, SCOOP, and MicroMillions there are limit hold’em tournaments available.

Limit stands for fixed bet sizes and a fixed number of bets.

My first idea was to spend the whole evening playing limit hold’em heads-up tournaments on various stakes. But the problem was that there wasn’t much action going on on Tuesday evening in PokerStars.

Fixed Limit Heads-Up Strategy

My strategy was to open close to 80% of hands from the button and call quite liberally from the small blind. In limit hold’em, you basically always get the pot odds to call a bet. Fixed limit games have two bet sizes, the small bet and the big bet. The small bet is used before and on the flop. On the turn and river, the bet size is double.

Therefore you get 1:3 odds to call a bet from the button (big blind). You need only 33% of equity to make a profitable call. For example, AK is only 67% favorite to win 72, that’s why we can call basically with every hand. In practice, it is not advisable because you’re not able to realize your equity and it would be impossible to play the part of the range profitable post-flop. This is the reason why we should fold the bottom of our range, for example, 72 offsuit.

I noticed that being heads-up in full-ring limit hold’em is quite different from playing heads-up in a “heads-up tournament”. The reason is the betting order. In full ring heads-up situation, the small blind acts first and will NOT have the possibility to act from the position. In a heads-up limit tournament, the small blind HAS the position and possibility to act last. This changes the dynamics of the game and we have to adjust our standard fixed limit strategy. For example, in full-ring I often check-raise all kinds of backdoor draws, like gutshots, backdoor flush draws, but in heads-up I was making more donk-bets because of the betting order.

In heads-up limit hold’em most important decisions are made on the flop. We should have a good basic understanding of which hands we should check-raise and which hands are good for calling on multiple streets. It might not be a surprise, but aggression is a key element in this format. One common mistake is to call until the end, every time you have some kind of a hand (for example 4th pair). Although the fixed limit favors merged raising range, with value hands, I like to have some low suited connectors or suited one-cappers in my raising range.

5 important tips to success in Limit Texas Hold’em Heads-Up

• Play a lot of hands from the button, I would advise close 80%.
• Play straight forward and fast. When you have a good hand you should bet and continue betting to protect your hand.
• Calculate pot odds; you need to have a clear understanding of how to calculate odds. There are a lot of No-Limit players who have the ability to play winning poker with their experience and without calculating. In limit poker that is not possible.
• Play a lot of weak hands from the big blind, because you get 1:3 pot odds.

Getting The Nuts on Every Hand

I soon found out that there weren’t many games going on Tuesday evening. Finally, I spotted a fixed limit regular (yes, there is one) in several micro and low-stakes tables and I decided to challenge him. The match went back and forth but I think in the end I got a small edge when the blinds were higher with aggression. The tournament was a Turbo and it still lasted 23 minutes.

One hand from the match: the blinds are 25/50 and I have $1195 and the villain has $1805. The villain bets from the button and I raise with K♥A♦. The villain calls my raise and the flop lands 3♣9♠5♠. The flop doesn’t hit villain’s bet-call range so I decide to make a continuation bet. The villain calls and the turn is J♣. I bet the second time to get value from draws and weaker Aces and KQ type of hands.

The river is 7♣ and a couple of straight draws complete (T8, 68 and 46), but they all are very unlikely because the villain did raise before the flop. Also, backdoor flush draw completes but it seems very unlikely. All things considered, I think you can go both ways here. Check-call is reasonable and raise-call is okay. In my opinion, check-fold is the biggest mistake you can make in this spot. I bet third time on the river and the villain folds.

I was able to play another tournament as well. It lasted only 11 minutes and I was in total god-mode. To be honest I don’t remember running this good in years. Too bad it happened in $3,5 fixed limit heads-up match and not in a high-roller. Regardeless, I absolutely crushed my enemy and I hit every possible backdoor draw that has ever been invented.

Is Limit Heads-Up Solved?

An interesting fact about fixed limit heads-up is that it was defined as the first essentially solved game of poker. Cepheus was the first program that could play limit heads-up in such manner, that there is only an extremely small margin by which, in theory, the computer might be beaten by skill. Cepheus strategy was very close to the Nash Equilibrium strategy for fixed limit heads-up. You can still play against Cepheus on the University of Alberta website.

A new computer algorithm can play one of the most popular variants of poker essentially perfectly. Its creators say that it is virtually “incapable of losing against any opponent in a fair game”. Philip Ball, 2015

Final Thoughts on Heads-Up Limit Hold’em

First of all, it was very fun to play heads-up fixed limit tournaments on PokerStars. While playing fixed limit, you don’t feel the same kind of pressure as in the no-limit games. I also liked that fixed limit is more math-based and you actually need to calculate pot odds and your equity to make profit.

The biggest downside was that there weren’t many games going on and the fixed limit seems to be halfway dead poker variant at the moment. One thing that will keep limit hold’em relevant in the future, is mixed games. Fixed limit hold’em is in the rotation of 8-game and HORSE. Players who want to succeed in the two abovementioned games, need to know fixed-limit hold’em as well. I also praise the WSOP that they have kept the $1500, $3000 (short-handed) and $10 000 limit hold’em tournaments in their schedule.

When it comes to the PokerStars’ sit and go tournaments, I think the biggest downside was the structure at the beginning of the tournament, even though it was a turbo. In my opinion, the stack sizes were too big (or blinds too small) for quite a while in the beginning, and when the blinds started to rise I thought that the structure was way too fast.

PS. I strongly advise using a heads-up display while you are playing fixed-limit hold’em. It gives you a better picture of what kind of 3bet/limp/bet ranges villains have.

Heads up play is arguably the most difficult form of Texas Hold ‘em. It takes some time getting used to because it constantly forces you to make marginal decisions. If you fold most of your starting hands, you’ll get run over – it forces you to play many pots with weak hands. Couple that with the aggressive nature of the game and you’re in for a wild ride. It’s good to learn heads up for these very reasons. Playing heads up Texas Holdem will make you a better poker player. After a couple months at the heads up tables, the regular tables will feel easy in comparison.

Where To Play Heads Up Texas Holdem Online

Deciding where to play is very important. Picking the right site to play heads up no limit Texas Holdem is key to winning a lot of money and having fun doing it. The heads up poker sites below have tons of heads up holdem tables at any limit you could want.

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In the end it’s mostly going to take experience to master heads up play. While the strategy I am providing for you is useful, you’re just going to have to get out there and do it.

Getting Started

The best way to get started is to practice at lower-than-normal stakes. You can win and lose just as much money at a level down from your normal stakes. Additionally the smaller dollar amounts will make it easier to make the difficult decisions that come up frequently.

The first adjustment you will want to make is getting used to playing almost all of your starting hands. In heads-up, the blinds hit every single hand. It you were to wait for good starting hands like you do at the regular tables, the blinds would eat you alive.

Now most people understand that concept but they don’t know how to correctly apply it. They come in raising every hand and end up stuck in large pots out of position with weak hands.

Position In Heads Up Texas Holdem

Don’t worry about defending your blinds out of position, its not enough money to worry about. And if you get stuck against someone who raises a ton, just be patient and pick your spots. Don’t get mad just because he’s raised three times in a row and try to fight back by three-betting 25o pre-flop out of position.

So yes, you will want to play a lot of hands heads up, but do it on your terms. Most importantly, don’t play junk hands out of position. It doesn’t take much of a pot at all to win back a couple rounds worth blinds. Hell, you have a hundred blinds to work with.

But when you do have position, almost anything goes. I’ll raise all the regular hands, any two face cards, any two suited, any two connectors and any two one-gappers. But don’t just blindly smash the raise button when you get any one of these cards. The raising list is flexible – it should be tailored to the individual opponent. If you’re up against someone passive who calls all those raises and calls a lot postflop, you’ll be beating your head against the wall trying to push him around. If you’re up against Foldy McFolderson, it might be wise to raise 100% of your starting hands.

Having position is just as important in your post-flop play as well.

Hand Reading Playing Heads Up

You’re going to be winning pots with a lot of weaker hands but you must still use your hand reading skills to play pots. One of the most common mistakes is people thinking “well its heads up and I have top pair so I’ll call that huge river raise.” Sure you can take those things into consideration but if you leave it at that you’re just playing your cards. I’m sure you put a lot of effort into putting people on hands at your regular tables so do the same at your heads up tables.

Remember that it is ok to fold at a heads up table.

Heads Up No Limit Strategy Meaning

It’s just a lot harder to read hands heads up because the games are so aggressive and there are so many hands being played. It takes a lot of experience and studying to get the hang of reading heads up hands. Posting hands and discussing others’ hands in online forums will take you a long way as well. The good thing is that learning to read the wild heads up hands will get you very good at playing regular tables.

Heads Up No Limit Strategy Definition

Be Quick To Adjust

Heads Up No Limit Strategy Template

Another one of the keys to winning a heads up match is being fastest adjuster. As soon as you see your opponent change some aspect of his play, respond to it. Learn to recognize what style your opponent is playing and then change yours to counter it. If he’s turned from a rock into a maniac, then quit stealing and start trapping more. Little adjustments like that will keep the game favorable to you.

Heads Up No Limit Strategy

I recommend everyone give heads up a try. Move down a level or two in stakes and get some good practice in. Learn as much heads up Texas Holdem strategy as you can and get to work at the tables. Heads up isn’t for everyone but it can develop your skills at the least, and make you a lot of money at the most. Good luck and have fun.