Differences Of Heads Up Play

One of the most noticeable differences between heads up and full ring play are starting hands.  When only against a single opponent it’s normal to play almost every hand because you’re only up against one other random hand.

In full ring you’re up against nine or ten other hands so the odds are against you having the best one.  Additionally, in full ring you’ll have opponents to act behind you, usually more than one.  With those factors working against you, it’s necessary to tighten up preflop, especially when out of position.

Hand Values

The same concept also applies to hand values.  With so many combinations of hands out there in full ring games, it takes a stronger hand to win the showdown.  In heads up play a single random hand usually misses the flop and a lot of the time a high card Ace or King can win the showdown. 

This doesn’t mean to rely on your hand values alone, however.  No matter how many people are at your table you will always need to use hand reading skills to estimate the strength of your hand against the opponent’s range of likely hands.

The last sentence is one of the most important yet overlooked concepts of heads up play.  There’s a myth floating around that leads people to believe that just because it’s heads up play, they can get their stacks in the middle with weaker hands and win.

It doesn’t matter how many people are the table, there is always one hand that will win and the rest will lose.  Even in heads up matches your opponents will get strong hands.  In fact, you’ll see a lot of strong hands because there are so many hands being dealt per hour at a heads up table.  Do not ever neglect to use logic to put your opponent on a range of hands.

In full ring games playing strong hands with aggression is a winning strategy, but the aggression really gets amped up in heads up play.  With the blinds hitting every hand, it will require you to win many more pots to stay afloat.

With most starting hands being played and most missing the flop, it takes aggression to win the pots.  In full ring games the blinds only hit once per orbit so it makes sense to wait longer for better starting hands – there’s no pressure to stay afloat against the blinds.

Bluffing

This leads to the subject of bluffing.  There is a much higher bluffing frequency in heads up matches than in full ring games.  If you’re playing heads up against a single random hand, the odds are in your favor that it’s a weak hand and you can steal the pot with a bluff. 

Of course your opponent is aware of that fact and that’s why heads up matches become such heated battles.  When nine or ten hands have been dealt at a full ring table, you’re going to have a much harder time stealing.

Another key difference between full ring and heads up is that in full ring games (at least at the lower stakes) you can get away with out putting as much effort into getting into your opponents’ heads.

In a heads up match you will naturally get to know your opponent more intimately than any of your opponents at a full ring table.  On the flip side, that opponent will get to know you much better than would any of the other players at a full ring table.

Game Psychology

Heads up play is a much more psychological game than full ring.  There is a lot more action in heads up games and tons more variance.  It is a fun way to play poker and the sheer number of marginal decisions it forces you to make will make you a stronger player.

As you improve your skills, there is a lot of money to be made in heads up matches.  At the same time it’s a very difficult game and it can bring some brutal days so I suggest you drop down a couple of levels every time you play heads up.  For more articles on heads up play, read our heads up poker page.

If you’re not into heads up play, don’t worry because full ring play still offers several advantages that heads up doesn’t.  One of the most notable is that the pace of the game is a lot more laid back than heads up games.

This reduces the stress and allows for more tables to be played at once, increasing the hourly win rate.  On top of that, if you get some good experience at heads up tables, it can make the full ring tables feel easier to beat.

The most populated online tables today are six man tables, also called 6-max.  They offer the best of both worlds with more action and more hands per hour than full ring tables but without the stress of playing heads up and constantly fighting the blinds.  The middle ground these tables provide has made them the most popular setup in online cash games.

A great site for playing 6 handed tables is PokerStars.com.  They have tons of shorthanded tables running at all hours, and at all limits.  If you decide to check it out, make sure to use PokerStars Marketing Code PAWSUB333 for a special deposit bonus.

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