Heads up. First or Second?

[phattP]

When playing heads up, do you generally prefer to be first to act after the flop, or second?

There seems to be good arguments for both...

Acting first postflop:-

In heads up play, you don't have the worry of possibly being re-raised by 2 or more players acting after you.

You have the opportunity to reverse the positions by check-raising.

There is the chance to run a bluff. A decent size raise can often pick off the blinds without a fight.

Raising first can give you information about the strength of the other players hand. ( beware of traps ).

You get to act second preflop, which puts the first call ( preflop) in your opponents court. Does he raise often from SB? Or only ever flat call to see the flop?

Acting second postflop:- ( on the button ).

You have the chance to raise from small blind, and not give your opponent a 'free' look at the flop.

There are good opportunities to trap, if you're against an aggressive player who raises almost every hand. Calling along to the river if you've flopped a monster hand can
win you a good sized pot. ( Wait until bonzo bets big after the river then smack him round the head with a massive re-raise.)

There are probably other good reasons for acting first or acting second..
Heads up is such a different game to playing against multiple opponents. ( And an important one to get experienced at if you play a lot of tourneys.)

I think overall I personally prefer not being the one on the button...

I'd like to hear what other people think.

[TheTexan]

As with most things, both. If you are a versatile player and can adapt your play to each hand, or are very very tight, then you can play either position equally well.

If you are stuck in a rut then one or the other will match your needs. This is the longer solution as you will need the "right" cards to act otherwise it will be the same as if both sat out.

How is that for an ultra-solid maybe?

Good thread as always.

[T_B_H]

i think alot depends on the player ur up against and there style of play

heads up if a totally different game to a table full of players and i always find the best approach is to mix up ur play

also stack sizes can affect both players styles, if ur pretty even stacked my 1st goal is to try and obtain about to thirds of the chips in play, so if u do loose an all in by ur opponent then u still have a good chance of getting back into the game

usually blinds are very high by then also and in alot of cases any J/Q is a premium hand

[DukeOfDeath]

I agree with Kev that above anything else it depends on the opponent. If it's a passive player I want to be big blind because they are gonna call any raise I'll make preflop anyway just to see a flop. And acting first puts pressure on them post flop. If they NEVER fold then that's a leak you can abuse, and if they fold on a missed flop or turn or river you can just put pressure there and it becomes really obvious when they are playing back. Against most other opponents and just in general:

I would say I prefer the button. You put the BB at a decision right away. You should raise 2/3 or so of your hands on the button because it disguises when you have really strong hands, and if you get checked to you can steal a lot post flop because they are gonna miss just as often as you and can't afford calling with not much. You should avoid limping if at all possible. I'll raise button 76 off before I limp KJ suited.

Whether you are a preflop raiser or limper though, there's still no denying position post flop. You get to pot control or put pressure or fold to obvious strength or WHATEVER you want all you want when you're acting last. Yes you can be sneaky and pull tricks from out of position (classic Johnny Chan vs. Eric Seidel 1988 WSOP Finale - YouTube) but in general it's good to have position.

ok back to studying

[stevo_58]

I heard a pro on tv saying when playing heads up you should only ever fold or raise, never flat call on sb or check on bb.

If only I would take their advice !!! lol

[DukeOfDeath]

Originally Posted by stevo_58

I heard a pro on tv saying when playing heads up you should only ever fold or raise, never flat call on sb or check on bb.

If only I would take their advice !!! lol

I think it's fine checking BB. Otherwise raising EVERYTIME in BB will get you killed. If SB is limping I'll try to raise somewhat often so I can get SB to fold to me more often. Punishing the limp gives more "walks".

But yes you should technically never limp SB (of course against certain opponent styles this is flexible)

[reaper1569]

u won why think so hard lmao

[phattP]

Thanks for the input tex.

Totally agree with you ( and TBH), it's even more important to mix up your game when heads up.

I was really just sitting thinking out loud about some of the heads ups I've had recently, and wondering if anyone had noticed a preference for SB or BB.

It'd be nice to get a few more opinions, just to get a discussion going.

I think position matters much less when heads up, but it can still be a factor.

Do people have a preference as to which type of player they're facing?

The loose aggressive types can often give you a more testing time.

Liked your post Duke...