10- 5-04, LearnTexasHoldem:

Losing Heads Up To Aggression

Question: I was playing a 10 man tournament and I was the chip leader when it came heads up. I was heads up against a person who seems to play and bet every hand. He kept winning my blinds because I wasn't getting my cards and he became chip leader. Eventually, I beacame so frusturated that I went all in with Jh9h and he called me with A4 off suit. He won with ace high. How should I play differently.

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Answer: This is a good question because it brings up the issue of how you can't play the same way when you play heads up as you do when it is a full table. Tied in with that issue is how you need to adjust your play based on who your opponent is -- especially when heads up. What happens when you are put on the defensive against an aggressive player is that he forces you to actually make a hand.

His bet can win in a number of ways; one, he can get you to fold preflop; two, he can bet you out on the flop if you miss; three, he can outflop you and win. The only way you are able to win is to flop a hand (which is very hard heads up), or bluff (which is even harder because he is already the aggressor). You never know what he has so there is no good way to play against this. What you need to do then is to become equally aggressive in good position.

When you are on the button then you need to put the hammer down and force him to make the same hard decisions that he just made you make. Now to talk specifically about the hand that knocked you out. What I just mentioned above is a general approach to shorthanded and heads up play. It breaks down though when you are in a tourney at the final table with a short stack. Raising all-in with your J9s wasn't a horrible play if you didn't have many chips left.

You have to make a stand sometime. If you did have a good amount of chips left and you could survive the blinds a number of more times then I wouldn't have recommended putting your last chips in with Jack high. Remember, you need a hand that will do well heads up. J9s is a gamble against an unknown hand, even having a Queen would put you at a disadvantage.

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