A little help with 1 on 1

[007joe]

Hey,

Whenever I play poker, I usually make it to the top 3 at the table. But when it gets down to just one opponent I seem to have trouble winning. Does anybody have some advice on playing one on one with someone?

~peace

[pimpin1919]

Well I pretty much just play a little more conservatively.

[Uyto]

Don't check all the times when you are in BB
Steal pots, and often raise and this with strong or weak hand

[SternSwiss]

Depends on the relative chip counts also.


In general; I play a shifting mix of very tight and rather aggressive (Which doesn't mean stupidly: sometime you simply have to fold). Do not hesitate to raise on the opponent's blinds if you get a hand for it. And at some points it doesn't have to mean pocket aces.

And yeah, don't check too much, makes you give up your initiative lead, that is an important factor on 1 on 1.

[Virtus11]

Originally Posted by 007joe

Hey,

Whenever I play poker, I usually make it to the top 3 at the table. But when it gets down to just one opponent I seem to have trouble winning. Does anybody have some advice on playing one on one with someone?

~peace

you must learn how to bluff not just rely on good hands. always give yourself
a chance to win.
if ur in the final 3... maybe by this time u already had an slight idea about how your opponent play.

[magno]

one on one in the final table of a tourney is very different of one on one table,in a tourney depends of your chips left and you have to consider that your opponent knows how you play,if you were in the same tables before. frequently changhe your stile,sometimes a bluff a don't mind to fold when necessary in small blind.
this is what i do,ah and luck sometimes help!!!

[PokerfaceBE]

I played around 3-4 tournaments so far and only lost 1.Basicly what i do is :
-When i got the most chips of both players i play more aggresive and go All in when u got good cards

-When i got less chips then the other player i play more defensive and wait untill i get good cards,then go all in and try to "steal" his chips,bluffing is good too always,don't be afraid to fold or raise either.

[SternSwiss]

Originally Posted by SternSwiss

Depends on the relative chip counts also.


And yeah, don't check too much, makes you give up your initiative lead, that is an important factor on 1 on 1.

Adding to say that if you do have a good hand checking and then raising your opponent's bet can be very useful...

[ChineseIrish]

I noticed a lot of people, predominantly on 1k mini tourneys, feel under pressure to follow their opponent's calls,raises etc in a 1 on 1 situation.Dont do this if your hand is not strong.play cleverly ie if someone raises pre-flop, dont call them automatically with the mentality "i might get lucky". dont rush, dont be afraid to lay down a bad hand,and be sensible. If you reach the later levels of the mini-tourney(higher blinds) 1 hand can change everything, even if you are short stacked. we are all playing poker, not the pied piper of hamlin or follow the leader

[Connytor]

u got better chance to win if ur aggressive cos 1 the other player folds 2 he calls and u can still have a better hand

[007joe]

Thnx for the tips guys... they're all really good.

[Smashworth]

In one-on-one, it ALMOST doesn't matter what your hand is. It only matters what your opponent THINKS your hand is. You can't bluff on every hand, because your opponent will recognize that quickly and blow you apart.

But if the turn is a card that ALMOST makes a straight, or ALMOST makes a flush, and your opponent has not been betting really strong, then it doesn't really matter if you have the straight or the flush (or whatever). You can often make a great big bet and your opponent has to respect the cards he sees on the table.

So pay close attention to the situation from your opponent's point of view. Ask yourself, "If I was the other guy, what would I be afraid of right now?" And then bet like you have exactly that.

Again, you can't do it every time, it's too obvious. But you can often do it. If you have a big chip lead, you can do it even more often.

[GRANTY_J]

Originally Posted by 007joe

Hey,

Whenever I play poker, I usually make it to the top 3 at the table. But when it gets down to just one opponent I seem to have trouble winning. Does anybody have some advice on playing one on one with someone?

~peace

I used to but i think its all about knowing when to get out of a bad hand!!!

hey joe, joe here do you know how to get 20,000 chips by sending 5 posts???

well if you hear any thing give me a shout

Originally Posted by chinese/irish

I noticed a lot of people, predominantly on 1k mini tourneys, feel under pressure to follow their opponent's calls,raises etc in a 1 on 1 situation.Dont do this if your hand is not strong.play cleverly ie if someone raises pre-flop, dont call them automatically with the mentality "i might get lucky". dont rush, dont be afraid to lay down a bad hand,and be sensible. If you reach the later levels of the mini-tourney(higher blinds) 1 hand can change everything, even if you are short stacked. we are all playing poker, not the pied piper of hamlin or follow the leader

Very well put my good poker smart friend!!

very well put my poker smart friend!!

[UncleSam]

Hey man, seems you don't need to much help anymore!

[blee66]

I am pretty new, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Keep in mind that the quality of hands (in general) drops as the number of players drops. At a 10 person table you want to generally wait for premium hands, not always so with small numbers.

Also, I have noticed that a quick change in style can through the opponent off once you reach heads up (or near it). I have noticed this more while playing in person, but could still work online.

[CashManDo]

Bet big when you got um or sense weakness. Don't be suckered in to large bets, better to lay it down and wait for better cards. Just one opinion...take care

[steven66]

dont choke and take big breath

[edel28]

in one on one situation always raise and bluff....

[Mac46]

Originally Posted by 007joe

Hey,

Whenever I play poker, I usually make it to the top 3 at the table. But when it gets down to just one opponent I seem to have trouble winning. Does anybody have some advice on playing one on one with someone?

~peace

A couple of tips:

1. when you are small blind do not fold. Any hand is worth calling at 3:1 odds.
2. If you call a poor hand and get raised then fold
3. If you are small blind be more aggressive as you will not have position after the flop, so raise all strong to medium hands.
4. Raise any pair.

Cheers

Mac

[Xx_SYNYSTER_xX]

i personaly hate 1 on 1 so i just leave and go to another table