Online poker heads up offers you the chance to master your heads up poker skills -- just hit the HEADS UP tab
FACING OFF! The most exciting event in any game of poker is always a heads-up contest where two players are finally pitched against one another. You can feel the tension in the big tournaments when the final table reduces down to that pair of guys who have hacked their way through thousands of contestants to face off against one another for the big bucks. What most new online players don’t realise as they log onto their chosen gaming site and head for the cash games or the tournaments is that they have the option to go directly into a one-on-one heads up game. You’ll see a tab marked: Heads Up. Hit it and you’re facing down a single opponent without any of the pre-amble.
HEADS ON THE BLOCK! So what does a heads up game teach you? Basically it teaches you about aggression. Heads up is the most aggressive form of poker. If you’re not a natural pit bull player you won’t be a winner in a one-on-one. Think about it. There’s only two ways you can take the pot down. You’ve got to have a premium hand every game or you’ve got to intimidate your opponent enough to make him fold. We all know premium hands don’t come along that often, especially in a two handed game, so it’s all down to the power of your raising. Some professional players don’t even look at their cards in a heads up situation. They just look at the other guy’s stack and if they think they can overwhelm him, they will do! For those of you without balls of stainless steel, keep the following strategy in mind: In heads up poker you always raise with reasonable same- suit cards, Aces or Kings and obviously with pocket pairs. The odds are against much coming from the flop in a two handed game so this is where the battle is really fought. Bet and bluff is the order of the day. You can’t allow niceties like pot odds to affect you in heads up. It’s far more gladiatorial. What you learn from these one-on-one plays is how to handle yourself if you make it to the top table of a mega prize competition. That’s your goal. That’s why you should hit the heads up tab regularly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: I overheard someone use the term “golf bag” in a game the other day. What does it mean? A: A golf bag usually applies to a “club” flush as opposed to hearts, diamonds or spades.
Q: What does drawing to an open ended straight mean? A: When you have a mid strength consecutive run of cards like 7-8-9-10 from your hole cards and the flop you are looking to draw either a 6 or a Jack from the turn or the river. It means you have the chance to complete your straight from either end!
