Weirdest HU Plays Ever --Advice?

[sickread23]

Ok Jason here is the deal.... it sounds like you are emulating what you have seen, and perhaps not thinking exploitatively. For the most part, limping the button is suboptimal. Having said that, if you balance your limping range with some limp/raises, it can be an effective strategy. You first need to define his range based on his VPIP from the button. If he is limping his button with a 70% frequency, the you should be raising a decent % of his limps. Example: 30-60 lvl early, he limps and you have A8. Your hand is well ahead of his limping range. I would raise to 210, leaving him with 150 to call, and 270 in the middle. Anything that he flats, you can assume you are beating. He most likely will not flat unless he is bad. He is/will be getting less than 2:1 on his money, and even with implied equity should fold given that he has reverse implied odds. When he limps and you raise and he re-raises, he is forced to commit a decent potion of his stack. If you make it 210, even if he 3bets to 390, that is a large chunk of his 1500 starting stack. I would cram hands like A2 suited + A5 off + j10 suited + K10. This will force him to adjust. HU poker is all about adjustments. He is playing sub-optimally bu allowing you to see 100% of flops from the BB, and additionally by folding some of his SB's outright. Play your Button well, and capitalize on his Button limps. He will be forced to make adjustments, or you will completely exploit him by following this game plan. If he starts folding more buttons, then you should tighten your raising range. Having said that... if he is limp/3betting a ton, your raising range will be to 100% jam. There is no point in bluffing with a raise, if he is 100% re-raising. Once he starts to limp/fold to your raises, then you can obviously mix in a small % of bluffs. If/when he is forced to change back to a more conventional style, you will obviously be back in more familiar territory. However, if he doesn't adjust, I would say. " Yum Yum".

[lorenz0wns]

in general i'd stop 3betting him light and just flat him OOP, shove over his limps with hands that have equity even if u get called or fold.

[Daredeviljo]

You must understand your player before ever HUing them. A very good way to make money is to stalk youre future opponent for a couple (or more) games and then play them once you have already figured them out. I have once lost 7 straight games of HU only to win the next 23 (not in a row ofc)

[eqgh5uea]

sickread has good points same with Daredeviljo and others

[lilturkgirl]

You must understand your player before ever HUing them. A very good way to make money is to stalk youre future opponent for a couple (or more) games and then play them once you have already figured them out. I have once lost 7 straight games of HU only to win the next 23 (not in a row ofc)

haha that is awesome advice actually

[crypiter]

Great advice by sickread. You really need to open your range when people are are doing things like this. Especially if he is reraising all of your raises. You just can't be afraid to get it all in in those spots.

[jasonv12]

Ok Jason here is the deal.... it sounds like you are emulating what you have seen, and perhaps not thinking exploitatively. For the most part, limping the button is suboptimal. Having said that, if you balance your limping range with some limp/raises, it can be an effective strategy. You first need to define his range based on his VPIP from the button. If he is limping his button with a 70% frequency, the you should be raising a decent % of his limps. Example: 30-60 lvl early, he limps and you have A8. Your hand is well ahead of his limping range. I would raise to 210, leaving him with 150 to call, and 270 in the middle. Anything that he flats, you can assume you are beating. He most likely will not flat unless he is bad. He is/will be getting less than 2:1 on his money, and even with implied equity should fold given that he has reverse implied odds. When he limps and you raise and he re-raises, he is forced to commit a decent potion of his stack. If you make it 210, even if he 3bets to 390, that is a large chunk of his 1500 starting stack. I would cram hands like A2 suited + A5 off + j10 suited + K10. This will force him to adjust. HU poker is all about adjustments. He is playing sub-optimally bu allowing you to see 100% of flops from the BB, and additionally by folding some of his SB's outright. Play your Button well, and capitalize on his Button limps. He will be forced to make adjustments, or you will completely exploit him by following this game plan. If he starts folding more buttons, then you should tighten your raising range. Having said that... if he is limp/3betting a ton, your raising range will be to 100% jam. There is no point in bluffing with a raise, if he is 100% re-raising. Once he starts to limp/fold to your raises, then you can obviously mix in a small % of bluffs. If/when he is forced to change back to a more conventional style, you will obviously be back in more familiar territory. However, if he doesn't adjust, I would say. " Yum Yum".

He is adjusting to me faster than I can adjust to him. He is a psychological genius or something. I've watched him with other players and he varies based on who he is playing. Also, all my HU games have 1 observer. I think he is just like watching people play and looking for every way to exploit it well before he sits down. He has like a 30% roi in hyper turbo HU. That's just ridiculous. I'm just going to whatever I can to avoid him.

No reason to try to adapt to someone like him.

[sickread23]

He is adjusting to me faster than I can adjust to him. He is a psychological genius or something. I've watched him with other players and he varies based on who he is playing. Also, all my HU games have 1 observer. I think he is just like watching people play and looking for every way to exploit it well before he sits down. He has like a 30% roi in hyper turbo HU. That's just ridiculous. I'm just going to whatever I can to avoid him.

No reason to try to adapt to someone like him.

Well, you can't avoid him. He will sit your tables if he thinks he has an edge on you. I would implement a higher variance style against him. It will diminish a large portion of the edge that he has against you, and will probably discourage him from sitting your games. I am wondering what this players SN is fwiw.

[lilturkgirl]

theirs always a ego, and a sense of owning the range of players playing at a certain stakes among regs at hu sng's.. honestly all you can do is play at a different time when hes not online, or join other games cause he will sit down with you no matter what if this player feels they have the best of you.

[MovingFlea]

If you really think he is that much better than you then use this.

Poker Math: Heads Up Against Two Random Cards Winning Percentage

It will tell you the percentages of your hand beating a random hand. I would call an all in with .60 hands. Shove all in with .50 hands.

If he is as pro as you say then he will know what you are doing and adjust, to counter this you should at random times make a small raise with top ten hands (AA-TT, AK, AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ) half the time or the other half with absolute rags. This will keep him guessing and hopefully he wont know how to play the flop or turn. On the river he will have you pinned down on a range depending on whether on not you check or bet, so try to end it before that by being aggressive and betting, and double barreling often.

This is not an optimal strategy against a weaker or equally skilled player, but against a psychological genius.

One more thing, try to waste time in the early blind levels, and try to stick with the best hands. The most skilled player hates rising blinds.