So I've been dabbling with a little head up NL recently, and it's been going well. For a while, head up limit holdem was my main game. I saw great results for a number of months, but when I hit variance for the first time, I lost it. Head up limit holdem is by far the most brutal and frustrating card game on earth (ok maybe razz is worse.)
I've basically been seeking out shortstacks at the .50-1 and 1-2nl limit. I feel like these players are pretty much free money. They play straight forward, and when they get short, they try and pick a spot. I feel that this is one of the stronger points of my game; getting it in good I mean (5:2 favorite.) I've yet to lose a match against the shortstacks, and I've also had a couple full stack triumphs at both limits I attempted. My main strategy in these low limit head ups, is to let these guys run into a wall. In almost all of my matches, my opponent has won maybe up to 85% of the hands. They take small pot after small pot, but then bingo bango bongo. They mess up big time. Obviously this wouldn't work at higher limits, but who cares? I will continue to seek out these profitable match ups while by no means switching my main game. I'm not nearly ready enough for the variance involved in HU HE, especially NL.
I got average cards at best today, and play on FT was not nearly soft enough for a Friday night. I still managed to take home a little money for my efforts, thanks to some head ups.
The Goods
http://www.pokerhand.org/?932738 I do not want to be floated like this at 1-2nl. I like my smooth call on the turn. I think if move in, I'm getting called if I'm toast only. Call the turn and check call the river for value slash pot size control against a could be monster... right?
http://www.pokerhand.org/?932745 My opponent shows you how to misplay JJ on every street. Enjoy.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?932746 This hand is strange. My hand is HUGE on this flop. But I really put my opp on a big hand. A REALLY big hand. That being said, if I can put him on KK here even, I'm supposed to move in on the flop. 15 outs twice, come on jamie. I really screwed this hand up. I cost myself an easy $200 here. To make matters worse, I went for a check call on the end. For some reason I thought he was HUGE. Man I missed value on the end to make matters worse. Hands like this happen though, and I absolutely took a break after this hand. At least I won.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?932756 Do I have to 4 bet here? Is folding AKo in the SB ever right? I really hated this hand. And it just felt OK to fold. This site isn't easy. I don't know if this is possibly right. And I'm not ever this tight. But at the time after his insta 3 bet it felt OK. I dunno. I'm folding here like 1% of the time.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?932761 This guy sits to my left on every friggin' table. He's a LAG regular but I mean come on. Is he cold calling here with AK preflop? Can he possibly check twice to me with TPTK? Hands like this drive me NUTS! I guess betting flop OR check behind on the turn are both better plays than this? I'm at a loss. (He used his whole time bar preflop.)
Today's Net +$235
Total Goal Left 18,268
2 comments:
the ak fold. how long had you been playing at the table? what was their image?
if i was going to play that hand, i would call and take one shot at it on the flop at 2/3 the pot then give up on it. if you were shorter, i would have pushed all in. but thats if i decided to play.
would you treat qq the same way?
i think i made a bad fold possibly today. i had a similar situation. first hand at a table, so i had 0 reads on ppl, UTG raised 4x, next guy insta raises 5x that guys bet. my stack is medium/short (had about 3 times the current bet) and i was sb with QQ.
6 player table.
now that i think about it, i should have pushed b/c they could have been making deep stack plays.
The issue with the AK was a combination of my position and the insta reraise preflop by the cutoff. I think cold calling in this spot makes thing VERY difficult. In the small blind, im not going to cold call and then lead out the flop. If i was on the button i could chose to smooth call with position, but i think its almost out of the question in the small blind. I think this has to be a raise fold situation, and after a couple days on it, i dont HATE my fold. Although im not folding here more than 5% of the time. I just got a gut feeling against the type of opponents i was up against. PLus, i had zero invested with no pair and no position. Not the worst result.
I would not have treated QQ the same way. QQ is WAY stonger in this spot and i would definitely 3 bet. If i was deep i would be put to a tough decision if the 3better moved all in but i was just with 100BB. QQ is FOLDABLE but again id have to go by the 3 bettors action preflop.
As far as your QQ hand is concerned, the sizeable raises do create a problem. Assuming you are at a 100 max table with 100BB stack, the 3 bettor has made it 20% of your stack. I still dont mind a shove in this spot, as AA and KK will not likely want to kill all action. I think insta raises of this size come more from lower pairs 99-jj (maybe even qq also, 1 combo) and hands like AK AQ. i just dont think AA and KK will play it that way preflop. So i like a shove. If you are uncomfortable just shoving preflop, you can call and see a flop. If no ace or king, then go with the hand. QQ plays MUCH MUCH better than AK on the flop.
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