Sunday, September 07, 2008

HUJ7: Normalizing

This brutal run continued Friday and Saturday, but I seem to be pulling out of it a little today. What's important is that I'm learning and steadily improving.

There have been many times during previous downswings where I felt like I wasn't getting anything out of it, that I'm just wasting my time and money feeding the variance monster. But because heads-up is such a nuanced game, it takes a while to catch on.

To list a few things I've been changing: value betting, starting hands, 3-betting ranges and exercising pot control.

Above all, I'm realizing that heads-up poker is still poker, and it follows most of the general rules of thumb of the game: You can't win every day, even worse players can run good for thousands of hands, you usually need a big hand to win a big pot, and you can't push too hard. I'm also trying to learn patience and not just shove it in when I turn a crappy two-pair.

Videos: pr1nnyraiding eps. 5 and 6.

These vids discuss playing against TAGs and LAGs, two common player types in HU games. Lots of good information about playing scare cards, opening up your range, inducing bluffs, adjusting bet sizes downward.

I also liked the brief talk about the Yeti theorem, which as I understand it says that the third bet on a dry flop is usually a bluff. Of course, if you're playing against an opponent who knows that the third bet is usually a bluff, that opponent may put in that bet for value. Yay, leveling.

1 comment:

Klopzi said...

I started to dabble in HU NL over the weekend, though I'm starting at the $50 buy-in point.

I can see the appeal of the game. It's fast and incredibly satisfying to put yourself in a position to stack your opponent.

I'll be interested to see how far and how well you do with your HU play. Keep up the great posts!