NL Heads-up: An Introduction
Introduction
In this article
- what kind of bankroll management you should use
- the amount of variance
- the relevance of the psychological component
- where you can play heads-up poker profitably
- how to find weak opponents
You can win a lot of money as a strong No-Limit Hold'em player, if you have an edge on your opponents. This edge is especially advantageous when playing heads-up poker: You can play against a weaker player on your own and don't have to "share" him with other good players.
In this article we will explain how to get off to a good start playing heads-up No-Limit Hold'em. You will find out what you need to start playing this game variant and what to pay attention to before joining a table.
What do you need to get started?
If you’ve been playing full-ring or shorthanded games up until now, then you’d be used to needing 20 to 30 stacks (=buy-ins) for your current limit, so that you have enough reserves and don't have to move down a limit whenever you have a short streak of bad luck.
In heads-up poker games, which are generally a good deal looser and more aggressive, these reserves will not suffice. For this reason the variance increases and you need a larger bankroll. You should take an absolute minimum of 50 stacks to the table to play at the lower limits.
50 stacks is already an aggressive level of bankroll management. If you are not that confident yet or tend to go on tilt easily, you should accordingly have larger reserves. 100 stacks does not mean you're overdoing it, and even 150 stacks is a realistic number when you're managing your bankroll conservatively. This will mean you're playing on the safe side and will have the time to develop your game.
If you feel like you have a good edge on your opponents (at the next-highest limit), feel that you can handle it on the psychological level, and won't have a problem with moving back down quickly should it be required, then you can take shots at the next limit. Evaluate yourself realistically, however, or you could end up losing a large chunk of your bankroll.
If you have just started playing this variant, taking shots at a higher limit tends to be an unwise choice. You should really focus on improving your own game and move upwards slowly but steadily. This is why you need to assess your own playing skill correctly and choose a suitable bankroll management method for it.
Variance is higher in heads-up poker than it is in other No-Limit Hold'em game variants. Swings of 10 stacks or more are practically the order of the day and you can lose a lot of money very quickly, despite playing a good game.
In heads-up No-Limit Hold'em it is not unusual to repeatedly end up running 20 stacks above or below all-in EV.
Psychology is very important in heads-up poker. There are many luck-based short-term fluctuations, many bad beats, coolers, and also downswings. Many players also make the mistake of thinking that they are in direct competition with their opponent. This is when ego tends to become more important than aiming to play your A-game.
It is not surprising therefore, that many heads-up players end up going on tilt from time to time. You can lose a lot of money this way, even if you have a big edge on your opponent. Becoming a tilt-resistant heads-up player should become one of your top priorities.
The converse argument is that it can work to your advantage when your opponent goes on tilt. Unlike shorthanded or full-ring games you have the opponent all to yourself and every time he deviates from his A-game, the money he loses goes to you alone in the long run.
Under certain circumstances it can even become profitable to select a move that does not have the highest-possible EV when looked at in isolation, but will most probably cause the opponent to go on tilt. Hands with high implied odds are of greater value in these situations.
But you should be careful when you make moves like these. If you don't know your opponent well enough, you will be the one to lose a lot of money in the long term.
Where can you play?
Almost all poker platforms now offer heads-up No-Limit Hold'em as a game variant. On some sites you will find more players, on others there is not that much going on.
In heads-up poker you are involved in every hand. This is why you pay a lot of rake compared to shorthanded or full-ring games. This higher rake is not won back easily, even if you're playing against weak players.
This is why there tends to generally be a lower rake cap for heads-up poker. This means that you do not need to pay more than a certain amount of rake per hand.
Only play when the rake cap is no higher than 2 BB per hand, even if you have a very good edge on your opponents. If the maximum rake per hand is very low, you can already play heads-up poker at the lower limits:
| Rake Cap | Lowest Limit |
| $0.20 | NL10 |
| $0.50 | NL25 |
| $1 | NL50 |
| $2 | NL100 |
| $3 | NL200 |
Table selection
Once you know what it is you need to play heads-up No-Limit Hold'em, you can join a table.
It is possible to make a very clear differentiation between the fish and the regulars in heads-up poker. A regular is a player who plays a limit regularly. He has an edge on most of the fish and plays a solid game for this limit.
A fish is a weak player that definitely makes loss in the long term. He does not play with professional standards and does not concentrate on finding out what is needed to become a successful poker player.
At the lower limits there are a lot of fish compared to the amount of regulars. That's why it is not necessary to play against regulars at the beginning, even if you might have an edge on some of these regular players.
The trick at the lower limits therefore is to recognise which player is not a regular and then to play against him.
Characteristics of a regular:
- Multi-tabling
Most regulars play at more than one table at the same time. You will probably also start playing at two or more tables once you've become familiar with the game. It is better not to play against a player who is playing at more than one table. - Waiting for other players
Many regulars select their tables in such a way that they simple join an empty table and wait for other players. If you come across players in the lobby who are often waiting at empty tables, instead of joining tables where other players are already seated, you can generally assume they are regulars. Especially if they are waiting at several tables. - Solid Game
This point is self-explanatory really. If you are playing against an opponent and notice after a while that he is not making any mistakes in his game, then he is most probably not a fish and therefore not the right opponent for you.
Characteristics of a fish:
- Single-tabling
Unlike regulars most fish do not do multi-tabling. Because they don't play poker with a professional attitude, playing a large number of hands is not important to them. If a player is only sitting at one table, then he is most probably a fish. - Not full-stacked
Many fish usually tend not to buy themselves in with 100 big blinds. Whereas a regular usually joins a table with the maximum buy-in, so that he can take full advantage of his edge, a fish does not pay attention to things like this. That's why a player who has a stack that is less than 100 big blinds is usually a fish.
As briefly mentioned above, many regulars now tend to simply join an empty table and wait for other players.
So if someone joins your table you should simply try to play a number of solid hands against this player and then decide whether your edge is big enough, or whether you'd be better off looking for another opponent.
The important thing to keep in mind here is not to hold on to the opponent's small mistakes or uncertain moves for too long, if you are not able to take advantage of them. There are enough fish at the lower limits, with big leaks that you can take advantage of.
It's nicer to play against these fish and you will win more money in the long run than against regulars who play badly.
Summary
In heads-up poker variance is very high. That's why, on the one hand, it is important for every heads-up No-Limit Hold'em player to have a big bankroll that can handle larger swings without any problems.
On the other hand it is very important to look into the psychological side of playing poker. A good heads-up player is tilt-resistant himself and can assess the psyche of his opponent well.
If you want to get started at playing this poker variant, you need to especially make sure that you don't pay too much rake and that you don't play against an unnecessarily high number of strong players at the beginning. There are enough fish for everyone at the lower limits.
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