PAHWM: Heads up in a NLHE tournament (1 Viewer)

[WedgeRock]

This is a bi-weekly NLHE game with the same cast of characters. The game has been going on for years; the current lineup had been playing for ~4 years, so everyone knows everyone's playing style. Villain is very competent. He has been caught shoving, trying to steal the blinds with 56os, but he also makes strong moves and has a very deep understanding of the game. Overall, hero has a good image at the table, but was caught bluffing once with third pair on a flushed board, called down by villain (after a tank) with top pair. Villain, who was to hero's right the whole game, shoved/raised on hero's big blind 8 or 10 times over the course of the night; villain is confident that he is a better player than hero. Hero has folded ace-rag a lot tonight, sometimes there wasn't a raise, and has been feeling that he was overfolding at times. Single table-tournament that is now down to heads-up.

Blinds are 3k/6k. 180k chips in play, hero has a stack of ~80k. Hero on the button/SB and looks down at . This is the second hand of heads up. Action?

 

[BGinGA]

Raise to 15k.

 

[theshepherd]

I like the 15k raise as well.

 

[Bluegrass Poker]

Anything but call. But I’d probably do raise to 18K.

 

[grebe]

Raise to whatever your standard size is (my standard would be 2X, but I like the 15K sizing in a vacuum). Call off/shove is the plan if V 3 bets.

Edit to add: my plan is to cbet most boards if we get just a call. the exception would be boards that have lots of connection to cards Q-8. Any high or any low flop, we cbet.

 

[upNdown]

Yeah, you have to raise an ace heads up and 2.5x seems great to me, normally. But if you’re getting short, a lower raise might be good so you can comfortably call a reraise.
Does hero have 180k or are there 180k in play?

 

[grebe]

Yeah, you have to raise an ace heads up and 2.5x seems great to me, normally. But if you’re getting short, a lower raise might be good so you can comfortably call a reraise.
Does hero have 180k or are there 180k in play?

Hero has 80K. 180K total, so he is short stack with about 12 bigs.

 

[WedgeRock]

Does hero have 180k or are there 180k in play?

180k in play (30xBB) -- 9 starting stacks of 20k, but 2k removed from one stack as a late arrival penalty. Villain has ~100k (~16xBB), hero has ~80k (~13xBB).

 

[WedgeRock]

FYI, no cards were licked, and all bets were made in a single motion.

 

[WedgeRock]

Edit to add: my plan is to cbet most boards if we get just a call. the exception would be boards that have lots of connection to cards Q-8. Any high or any low flop, we cbet.

I like that you added your plan going forward. This is part of my decision in the moment too.

Why the exception for Q-8 connecting boards?

 

[Frogzilla]

No ante? Open shove unless you have a big edge.

With ante it’s a slam dunk open shove.

 

[upNdown]

No ante? Open shove unless you have a big edge.

With ante it’s a slam dunk open shove.

Yeah at this stack depth, that’s where I’m leaning.

 

[WedgeRock]

No ante? Open shove unless you have a big edge.

With ante it’s a slam dunk open shove.

No ante.

I considered an open shove, but wanted to win more than 1xBB against a random hand.

Interesting, though, villain made this same move the prior hand.

 

[grebe]

I like that you added your plan going forward. This is part of my decision in the moment too.

Why the exception for Q-8 connecting boards?

Those boards would favor a preflop caller more than a preflop raiser. High or low boards would be opposite.

 

[WedgeRock]

Those boards would favor a preflop caller more than a preflop raiser. High or low boards would be opposite.

I'd be more likely to call with 56os than TJo figuring my out are more live/less counterfeited...

 

[grebe]

No ante.

I considered an open shove, but wanted to win more than 1xBB against a random hand.

Interesting, though, villain made this same move the prior hand.

Seems a touch early for open shove, especially head's up.

Would you be willing to open shove here with all your continuing hands, or just because you have an A? Would you shove any pair? J9s? KTo? If not, then you need to hold up shoving when you are truly strong.

 

[grebe]

I'd be more likely to call with 56os than TJo figuring my out are more live/less counterfeited...

What would you do with JTo facing a raise from the button head's up?

 

[upNdown]

Seems a touch early for open shove, especially head's up.

Would you be willing to open shove here with all your continuing hands, or just because you have an A? Would you shove any pair? J9s? KTo? If not, then you need to hold up shoving when you are truly strong.

Personally I’d be open shoving because it was a shit ace. Good pairs and good aces I’d probably be raising and hoping to get some action.
I don’t thing we have to be all in or fold at this point, I just don’t care for A3o.

 

[WedgeRock]

What would you do with JTo facing a raise from the button head's up?

In the same spot, facing a 2.5x raise? Probably still flat. But facing a shove, I am more likely to call 56o than TJo (not calling 56o in that spot tho).

 

[WedgeRock]

Seems a touch early for open shove, especially head's up.

Would you be willing to open shove here with all your continuing hands, or just because you have an A? Would you shove any pair? J9s? KTo? If not, then you need to hold up shoving when you are truly strong.

I wouldn't shove if I thought my ace was ahead... I wouldn't shove any pair, 9Jo or TKo either. With 13xBB in my stack, I want more than 1xBB in a hand where I think I am ahead.

 

[grebe]

Personally I’d be open shoving because it was a shit ace. Good pairs and good aces I’d probably be raising and hoping to get some action.
I don’t thing we have to be all in or fold at this point, I just don’t care for A3o.

Full ring, sure A3o is a nothing hand. Head's up against a good aggressive player with 13 bigs? any A is magical.

Also head's up, if you are varying your opens based on hand strength, you are going to be very easy to exploit.

 

[WedgeRock]

Stacks: about 13xBB effective, Villain has 7s covered.

We're in the SB with on the button. We raise to 15k and villain flat calls.

Pot: 30k, hero has about 65k behind.

Flop:

Villain checks.

Hero?

 

[grebe]

Bet 2 bb's

 

[JMC9389]

A lead out half pot sounds about right.

Preflop I probably raise to 12k or 15k as well.

 

[upNdown]

Also head's up, if you are varying your opens based on hand strength, you are going to be very easy to exploit.

I’m no head up expert. Personally I find it way too exhausting to play, unless it comes down to it. But I’ve done fine at the ends of tournaments. Anyway I’ll agree that you don’t want to be predictable, but that statement seems overly broad to me.

Are you saying that you shouldn’t vary your opens at all? Or are you saying you should do it randomly and without regard to holdings? Or what?

 

[BGinGA]

I’m no head up expert. Personally I find it way too exhausting to play, unless it comes down to it. But I’ve done fine at the ends of tournaments. Anyway I’ll agree that you don’t want to be predictable, but that statement seems overly broad to me.

Are you saying that you shouldn’t vary your opens at all? Or are you saying you should do it randomly and without regard to holdings? Or what?

One example below.

Button options are fold, call, raise 3x, raise all-in:

Weak hands: 25% each option
Medium-strength: 33% each non-fold option
Strong hands: 25% call, 50% raise, 25% all-in

 

[Frogzilla]

I’m no head up expert. Personally I find it way too exhausting to play, unless it comes down to it. But I’ve done fine at the ends of tournaments. Anyway I’ll agree that you don’t want to be predictable, but that statement seems overly broad to me.

Are you saying that you shouldn’t vary your opens at all? Or are you saying you should do it randomly and without regard to holdings? Or what?

You can have two pre sizings at this stack depth. I’d probably play limp and jam but admittedly I don’t look at non-ante basically ever because tournaments have antes. The smaller sizing gets a lot of hands that are too weak to jam plus some very strong ones to balance. The bigger size gets everything in the middle. I guess it’s harder than just opening 2bb with top 80% or whatever but it’s not that much harder.

 

[grebe]

I’m no head up expert. Personally I find it way too exhausting to play, unless it comes down to it. But I’ve done fine at the ends of tournaments. Anyway I’ll agree that you don’t want to be predictable, but that statement seems overly broad to me.

Are you saying that you shouldn’t vary your opens at all? Or are you saying you should do it randomly and without regard to holdings? Or what?

I do not vary my opens in any game by hand strength.

I DO vary my opens by other information that is available to all players. i.e.: position, money in pot, number of players in, stack to pot ratio, and villain type.

For example: in this instance, we are on the button very short stacked against a good thinking player. My typical open would be 2 bb's. I would make this no matter what I was coming in with....75s or AA. HOWEVER, against the same opponent that limped in from the button and we are big blind, if I was planning to raise, i would make it at least 3 bb's, because he has entered the pot, therefore the pot is larger and he will want to call more. It still doesn't matter what my hand strength is....if I am planning to raise, the raise would be the same whether it was AA or A2.

 

[upNdown]

One example below.

Button options are fold, call, raise 3x, raise all-in:

Weak hands: 25% each option
Medium-strength: 33% each non-fold option
Strong hands: 25% call, 50% raise, 25% all-in

Yeah this is starting to sound like a GTO conversation - I’ll see myself to the door.

 

[WedgeRock]

Bet 2 bb's

A lead out half pot sounds about right.

Why so small? Because the board is wet?