In the Money

Heads Up Play

From In The Money: Strategies for Winning Texas Hold'em Cash Games by Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari

Heads-up play is greatly different from full-ring games or even shorthanded games. If you are just starting out, you may be wondering why you even need to know how to play heads-up. Certainly, if you are playing cash games in a casino,you are almost never likely to be playing heads-up. It is too expensive for casinos to spread such games.With the popularity of poker, it does not make sense for a cardroom to use a table and a dealer on just two players.

Having said that, I would urge every player no matter what his or her level of experience to rack up some hours playing heads-up. There are a number of reasons for doing this. First, if you play tournaments, you will eventually find yourself in a heads-up situation. Even if you are not that experienced, there are so many single-table sit-and-go tournaments offered now - both online and in casinos - that you will inevitably find yourself in a heads-up situation. Next, heads-up play is gaining in popularity. Any aspiring poker player should have a well-rounded game so that he is prepared for any new challenge. There have been many well-publicized heads-up cash games in recent years. In addition, the Golden Nugget held the first ever National Heads-Up Poker Championship featuring 64 of the best poker players in the world in a single-elimination format. I reached the final 4 in that event, and I can attribute that success to my early poker playing experience.

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In The Money