- Heads Up Texas Hold Em
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- Heads Up Holdem Poker
- Texas Holdem Heads Up Tips
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Kongregate free online game Texas Hold 'Em Poker: Heads Up - Improve your poker game! Play no-limit Texas Hold 'em poker in a 3D first-person perspective a. It plays is heads-up limit Texas hold'em poker, a game with over 1014 information sets, and a chal-lenge problem for artificial intelligence for over 10 years. Cepheus was trained using a new vari-ant of Counterfactual Regret Minimization (CFR), called CFR+, using 4800 CPUs running for 68 days. In this paper we describe in detail the en.
If you're new to the heads up game, you can really get crushed by rushing in blindly. Proper heads up strategy is vastly different than normal No Limit Hold'em Strategy, and you need to make the correct adjustments in order to beat your opponents and make money. I recommend following the 10 tips below to help you get started and learn the basics, then read the rest of our heads up poker strategy to fine tune your game. Good luck.
Tip #1 - Open it Up
The first tip you need is to open up your starting hand ranges. Since you only have two players at the table, the average starting hand that sees the flop is going to be much worse than at a normal 9-handed table. Because of this you should open up your starting hand range.
Mobile casino expert. You can't afford to wait for premium hands while playing heads up because you're in the blinds every hand. I recommend playing the majority of your hands as the big blind, and playing damn near every single hand when you're the dealer. Learn more differences between heads up and 9 handed poker.
Tip #2 - Play Your Position
Position becomes a huge factor in heads up poker, because you are either in the best position or in the worst position every hand: there is no in between. Like I mentioned before, I recommend playing every single hand when you're in dealer position. When you're the dealer, you'll post the small blind, act first preflop, and act last on the flop and beyond. When you're the small blind, you'll post the big blind, act last preflop, and act first on the flop and beyond.
Because of this, you want to be really aggressive preflop as the dealer, and raise with a wide range of hands (think any pocket pair, any suited connector, and two big cards, etc). Also, you should be more conservative as the big blind, and respect raises from the dealer.
Tip #3 - Remember Hand Values
As I mentioned in tip #1, the starting hand values go way up in heads up poker. The same goes for showdown hands. The average winning hand in heads up poker will be much worse than the average winning hand at a 9-handed game, so adjust accordingly. Even hands like middle pair or second worst pair are still decent hands and will probably win an uncontested pot, so bet them out.
Tip #4 - Semi-Bluff When Possible
A great way to pick up a bunch of pots in heads up poker is by firing out smallish bets into un raised pots. When I'm playing heads up I like to bet a ton of flops as long as I get any piece; even a straight draw or bottom pair is worth taking a shot on the flop. If my opponent calls I'll slow down, but most passive opponents will toss basically any hand but top pair or maybe second pair to a bet.
Tip #5 - Spot Bluff Attempts
This is basically the opposite of the above tip. If you're playing an aggressive opponent, you'll have to make a stand to prevent constant semi-bluffs and preflop raises. I like to re-raise on occasion preflop, and to call the majority of the flop bets to see if my opponent will bet again on the turn and river. Even if you only have middle pair you should look him/her up to keep them honest, or he/she will continue to pummel you in every pot.
Tip #6 - Make Value Bets
This relates to tip #3 because with lower winning hands you'll have to extract value from hands you normally wouldn't. For example, when you have middle pair on the river you should bet because it is likely you're ahead and will get called by third pair or worse. Also, when you have an extremely strong hand I like to make small bets on the flop, turn, and a larger bet on the river to get maximum value out of my opponent by reeling them in.
Tip #7 - Adjust to your Opponent
Throughout the course of a heads up battle, you'll gain reads on your opponent, and he/she will gain reads on your play as well. As you pick up common plays and tendencies of your opponent, you need to make adjustments to counter their most used moves. For example, if you notice that your opponent is always checking the flop and betting the turn when he/she flops top pair, make sure to fold more on the turn if that same situation comes up.
Tip #8 - Switch up your Game
This is just the opposite of the last tip. As you're picking up reads on your opponent, he/she will be doing the same. Because of this you need to switch up your play to keep them guessing, especially if you are in a long heads up battle that spans over an hour. To keep your opponents on their toes, make sure to alternate between betting flops and checking them when you hit, and throw in an occasional strange play like a big bluff or a check-raise. Learn more about switching up your game.
Tip #9 - Be a Finisher
This is an important tip for heads up players. When you battle your opponent down to a small stack, you have to finish him/her off and not let him/her back into the match. To do this, you can't give them any easy double ups or get lazy and call off big bets. The easiest way to let a crippled opponent back into a match is to call preflop all-ins with a poor hand just to try to knock them out. Continue to play your normal game, and you'll finish them off quickly.
Tip #10 - Stick to Your Bankroll
One common mistake that new players make is playing heads up cash tables with their whole bankroll. This is a big mistake, and will almost surely leave you broke. I recommend never playing with more than 1/10th of your entire bankroll if you're a casual player, or more than 1/50th of your stack if you're a professional or serious player.
Heads Up Texas Hold Em
More Heads Up Poker Strategy:
On This Page
Introduction
Heads Up Hold 'Em is an Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em variant by Galaxy Gaming, based on Texas Hold 'Em. The player may raise his bet one time, and has three opportunities to do so. The earlier he raises, the more he can bet. How to download snapchat on ipad air. The main differences between Heads Up Hold 'Em and Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em are in the former the player may raise only 3x his Ante bet before the flop, but the game includes bad beat bonuses for losing with a straight or higher.
Rules
Following are the rules for Heads Up Hold 'Em. For those used to the terminology in Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, what is called the Blind there called the Odds bet here.
- The game is played with a single ordinary 52-card deck.
- The player must make an equal bet on both the Ante and Odds.
- Two cards are dealt face down to the player and dealer. The player may look at his own cards.
- The player can check or make a Play bet equal to three times the Ante.
- The dealer turns over three community cards.
- If the player previously checked, then he may make a Play bet equal to two times his Ante or check again. If the player already made a Play bet, then he may not bet further.
- Two final community cards are turned over.
- If the player previously checked twice, then he must either make a Play bet equal to exactly his Ante, or fold, losing both his Ante and Odds bets. If the player already raised he may not bet further.
- The player and dealer will both make the best possible hand using any combination of their own two cards and the five community cards.
- The dealer will need at least a pair to open.
- The following table shows how the Ante, Odds, and Play bets are scored, according to who wins, and whether the dealer opens.
Scoring Rules
Winner Dealer Opens Ante Play Odds Player Yes Win Win See rule 12 Player No Push Win See rule 12 Dealer Yes Lose Lose See rule 12 Dealer No Push Lose Lose Tie Yes or No Push Push Push - Winning Ante and Play bets pay 1 to 1. Winning Odds bets pay according to value of the hand and whether it wins or loses. The following pay table shows what winning Odds bets pay.
Winning Odds Bet Pay Table
Hand Pays Royal Flush 500 Straight Flush 50 Quads 10 Full House 3 Flush 1.5 Straight 1 All Other Push Galaxy Gaming, the game owner, has four different pay tables for losing blind bets, as follows.
Losing Odds Bet Pay Table
Hand Pay Table 1 2 3 4 Straight Flush 500 500 500 500 Quads 50 50 50 25 Full House 10 10 10 6 Flush 8 6 5 5 Straight 5 5 4 4 All Other Loss Loss Loss Loss - In addition, there are two side bets, that pay based on the player's cards only, the Trips Plus and Pocket Bonus. These side bets are explained after the analysis of the base game.
Strategy
The player should make the 3X raise with any pair except deuces. Otherwise, use the following table shows when to make the large 3X raise.
The strategy for the medium and small raise are the same as in Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, as follows:
Medium Raise: Make the 2X raise with any of the following:
- Two pair or better.
- Hidden pair*, except pocket deuces.
- Four to a flush including a hidden 10 or better to that flush
* Hidden pair = Any pair with at least one card in your hole cards (thus the pair is hidden to the dealer).
Small Raise: Make the 1X raise with any of the following, otherwise fold:
- Hidden pair or better.
- Less than 21 dealer outs beat you.
Heads Up Texas Holdem Free
For a more powerful small and medium raise strategy, I recommend the James Grossjean strategy card for Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em.
Analysis
The following table shows all possible outcomes of each hand, what it pays, the probability, and contribution to the return under the losing Odds bet pay table number 1 (the one that goes 500-50-10-8-5). The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.36%.
Return TableExpand
Player | Raise | Dealer Qualifies | Winner | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fold | -2 | 5,498,078,560,920 | 0.197674 | -0.395349 | |||
Less than pair | 1 | No | Dealer | -2 | 60,518,663,424 | 0.002176 | -0.004352 |
Straight flush | 1 | Yes | Dealer | 498 | 20,279,100 | 0.000001 | 0.000363 |
Four of a kind | 1 | Yes | Dealer | 48 | 1,726,735,980 | 0.000062 | 0.002980 |
Full house | 1 | Yes | Dealer | 8 | 10,082,720,220 | 0.000363 | 0.002900 |
Flush | 1 | Yes | Dealer | 6 | 49,072,032,216 | 0.001764 | 0.010586 |
Straight | 1 | Yes | Dealer | 3 | 47,952,010,720 | 0.001724 | 0.005172 |
Less than straight | 1 | Yes | Dealer | -3 | 3,006,630,550,164 | 0.108098 | -0.324295 |
Anything | 1 | Y/N | Push | 0 | 455,081,939,824 | 0.016362 | 0.000000 |
Royal flush | 1 | No | Player | 501 | 6,914,880 | 0.000000 | 0.000125 |
Straight flush | 1 | No | Player | 51 | 279,004,320 | 0.000010 | 0.000512 |
Four of a kind | 1 | No | Player | 11 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Full house | 1 | No | Player | 4 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Flush | 1 | No | Player | 2.5 | 43,096,215,600 | 0.001549 | 0.003874 |
Straight | 1 | No | Player | 2 | 145,034,240,580 | 0.005214 | 0.010429 |
Less than straight | 1 | No | Player | 1 | 816,981,676,824 | 0.029373 | 0.029373 |
Royal flush | 1 | Yes | Player | 502 | 46,580,760 | 0.000002 | 0.000841 |
Straight flush | 1 | Yes | Player | 52 | 2,023,968,588 | 0.000073 | 0.003784 |
Four of a kind | 1 | Yes | Player | 12 | 964,337,328 | 0.000035 | 0.000416 |
Full house | 1 | Yes | Player | 5 | 46,108,374,192 | 0.001658 | 0.008289 |
Flush | 1 | Yes | Player | 3.5 | 202,016,746,236 | 0.007263 | 0.025421 |
Straight | 1 | Yes | Player | 3 | 421,268,280,080 | 0.015146 | 0.045438 |
Less than straight | 1 | Yes | Player | 2 | 1,600,861,520,204 | 0.057556 | 0.115113 |
Less than pair | 2 | No | Dealer | -3 | 11,023,268,784 | 0.000396 | -0.001189 |
Straight flush | 2 | Yes | Dealer | 497 | 16,724,460 | 0.000001 | 0.000299 |
Four of a kind | 2 | Yes | Dealer | 47 | 311,575,460 | 0.000011 | 0.000527 |
Full house | 2 | Yes | Dealer | 7 | 18,705,932,580 | 0.000673 | 0.004708 |
Flush | 2 | Yes | Dealer | 5 | 27,615,003,664 | 0.000993 | 0.004964 |
Straight | 2 | Yes | Dealer | 2 | 21,031,977,440 | 0.000756 | 0.001512 |
Less than straight | 2 | Yes | Dealer | -4 | 1,979,644,169,384 | 0.071175 | -0.284699 |
Anything | 2 | Y/N | Push | 0 | 214,144,135,720 | 0.007699 | 0.000000 |
Royal flush | 2 | No | Player | 502 | 11,938,680 | 0.000000 | 0.000215 |
Straight flush | 2 | No | Player | 52 | 397,598,400 | 0.000014 | 0.000743 |
Four of a kind | 2 | No | Player | 12 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Full house | 2 | No | Player | 5 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Flush | 2 | No | Player | 3.5 | 45,718,738,920 | 0.001644 | 0.005753 |
Straight | 2 | No | Player | 3 | 53,068,201,380 | 0.001908 | 0.005724 |
Less than straight | 2 | No | Player | 2 | 1,207,385,216,712 | 0.043410 | 0.086819 |
Royal flush | 2 | Yes | Player | 503 | 147,692,880 | 0.000005 | 0.002671 |
Straight flush | 2 | Yes | Player | 53 | 3,016,851,612 | 0.000108 | 0.005749 |
Four of a kind | 2 | Yes | Player | 13 | 20,440,911,312 | 0.000735 | 0.009554 |
Full house | 2 | Yes | Player | 6 | 320,575,227,408 | 0.011526 | 0.069155 |
Flush | 2 | Yes | Player | 4.5 | 183,447,763,404 | 0.006596 | 0.029680 |
Straight | 2 | Yes | Player | 4 | 158,035,798,360 | 0.005682 | 0.022728 |
Less than straight | 2 | Yes | Dealer | 3 | 2,415,318,761,280 | 0.086839 | 0.260516 |
Less than pair | 3 | No | Dealer | -4 | 66,873,993,600 | 0.002404 | -0.009617 |
Straight flush | 3 | Yes | Dealer | 496 | 14,499,400 | 0.000001 | 0.000259 |
Four of a kind | 3 | Yes | Dealer | 46 | 316,891,120 | 0.000011 | 0.000524 |
Full house | 3 | Yes | Dealer | 6 | 13,387,474,080 | 0.000481 | 0.002888 |
Flush | 3 | Yes | Dealer | 4 | 20,484,007,080 | 0.000736 | 0.002946 |
Straight | 3 | Yes | Dealer | 1 | 22,371,396,720 | 0.000804 | 0.000804 |
Less than straight | 3 | Yes | Dealer | -5 | 3,136,124,565,400 | 0.112754 | -0.563771 |
Anything | 3 | Y/N | Push | 0 | 223,641,379,520 | 0.008041 | 0.000000 |
Royal flush | 3 | No | Player | 503 | 86,472,360 | 0.000003 | 0.001564 |
Straight flush | 3 | No | Player | 53 | 180,911,880 | 0.000007 | 0.000345 |
Four of a kind | 3 | No | Player | 13 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Full house | 3 | No | Player | 6 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Flush | 3 | No | Player | 4.5 | 41,791,833,360 | 0.001503 | 0.006762 |
Straight | 3 | No | Player | 4 | 64,386,219,840 | 0.002315 | 0.009260 |
Less than straight | 3 | No | Player | 3 | 1,317,173,128,560 | 0.047357 | 0.142070 |
Royal flush | 3 | Yes | Player | 504 | 556,552,440 | 0.000020 | 0.010085 |
Straight flush | 3 | Yes | Player | 54 | 1,444,036,640 | 0.000052 | 0.002804 |
Four of a kind | 3 | Yes | Player | 14 | 21,003,399,360 | 0.000755 | 0.010572 |
Full house | 3 | Yes | Player | 7 | 261,421,403,040 | 0.009399 | 0.065793 |
Flush | 3 | Yes | Player | 5.5 | 199,160,655,360 | 0.007160 | 0.039383 |
Straight | 3 | Yes | Player | 5 | 195,058,020,480 | 0.007013 | 0.035065 |
Less than straight | 3 | Yes | Player | 4 | 3,140,424,343,760 | 0.112909 | 0.451635 |
Total | 27,813,810,024,000 | 1.000000 | -0.023584 |
As shown in the lower right cell, the house edge is 2.36%. This is the expected loss to the Ante wager only. For example, if the player bets $5 on both the Ante and Odds, then his expected loss would be $5 × 0.023584 = 11.79¢.
The average final wager per hand is 3.67 units. That makes the element of risk 2.36%/3.67 = 0.64%. This means for every dollar you wager in the game, on anything, other than the side bets, you can expect to lose 0.64¢.
By comparison, the element of risk in Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em is 0.53%.
The standard deviation, relative to to the Ante bet, is 4.56.
The next table shows the house edge and element of risk under all four losing Odds bet pay tables according to the pay table for a losing Odds bet.
House Edge Summary
Hand | Losing Odds Bet Pay Table | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
Straight Flush | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
Quads | 50 | 50 | 50 | 25 |
Full House | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 |
Flush | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
Straight | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
All Other | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss |
House edge | 2.36% | 3.06% | 3.73% | 4.55% |
Element of Risk | 0.64% | 0.83% | 1.02% | 1.24% |
This is full table cloth.
Trips Plus
The Trips Plus bet will pay according to the poker value of the player's hand regardless of the value of the dealer's hand. Following is an analysis of the most common pay table.
Trips Plus Return Table
Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Royal flush | 100 | 4,324 | 0.000032 | 0.003232 |
Straight flush | 40 | 37,260 | 0.000279 | 0.011140 |
Four of a kind | 30 | 224,848 | 0.001681 | 0.050420 |
Full house | 8 | 3,473,184 | 0.025961 | 0.207688 |
Flush | 7 | 4,047,644 | 0.030255 | 0.211785 |
Straight | 4 | 6,180,020 | 0.046194 | 0.184775 |
Three of a kind | 3 | 6,461,620 | 0.048299 | 0.144896 |
All other | -1 | 113,355,660 | 0.847300 | -0.847300 |
Total | 133,784,560 | 1.000000 | -0.033363 |
The next table shows four known pay tables for the Trips Plus.
Trips Plus Pay Tables
Hand | Pay Table | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
Royal flush | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Straight flush | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
Four of a kind | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Full house | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Flush | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Straight | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Three of a kind | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
All other | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
Total | -0.74% | -1.74% | -3.34% | -4.34% |
Pocket Bonus
The Pocket Bonus bet will pay according to the value of the player's two hole cards. https://out-os-carefree-petersome-spaced-njuo-mac.peatix.com. The follow tables show what each two cards pays, the probability, and contribution to the total return for each known pay table for the Pocket Bonus.
Pocket Bonus — Pay Table 1
Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pair of aces | 30 | 6 | 0.004525 | 0.135747 |
Ace & face suited | 20 | 12 | 0.009050 | 0.180995 |
Ace & face unsuited | 10 | 36 | 0.027149 | 0.271493 |
Pair 2s - Ks | 5 | 72 | 0.054299 | 0.271493 |
Loser | -1 | 1,200 | 0.904977 | -0.904977 |
Total | 1,326 | 1.000000 | -0.045249 |
Pocket Bonus — Pay Table 2
Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pair of aces | 25 | 6 | 0.004525 | 0.113122 |
Ace & face suited | 20 | 12 | 0.009050 | 0.180995 |
Ace & face unsuited | 10 | 36 | 0.027149 | 0.271493 |
Pair 2s - Ks | 5 | 72 | 0.054299 | 0.271493 |
Loser | -1 | 1,200 | 0.904977 | -0.904977 |
Total | 1,326 | 1.000000 | -0.067873 |
Pocket Bonus — Pay Table 3
Heads Up Holdem Poker
Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pair of aces | 30 | 6 | 0.004525 | 0.135747 |
Ace & face suited | 20 | 12 | 0.009050 | 0.180995 |
Ace & face unsuited | 10 | 36 | 0.027149 | 0.271493 |
Pair 2s - Ks | 4 | 72 | 0.054299 | 0.217195 |
Loser | -1 | 1,200 | 0.904977 | -0.904977 |
Total | 1,326 | 1.000000 | -0.099548 |
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Charles Mousseau and Stephen How for their assistance, which confirmed my analysis. Thanks to Charles also for his advice on the medium and small raise strategy.
Texas Holdem Heads Up Tips
Internal Links
Detailed calculations on some starting hands.
Texas Hold'em Heads Up Odds
Extneral Links
Play Heads Up Hold 'Em at the Galaxy Gaming web site. Casino slots win real money. One click and you're playing.
Written by:Michael Shackleford