How To Beat The Short Stack In Heads-Up Poker

Have you ever been in a heads-up poker match and realized
just how much DIFFERENT one-on-one poker is from
multi-player poker?

Most players learn strategies for winning no limit Texas
Holdem when there are 4... 6... 8... or 12 players at the
table.

Not 2.

Yet, you can't win a game or a tournament without MASTERING
heads-up play. In fact, heads-up play is perhaps the MOST
IMPORTANT aspect of Texas Holdem... and here's why:

If you can't win at heads-up poker, you'll never come in
first place.

Period.

And I don't know about you, but I play to WIN. Not to come
in second place.

Most players-- when they make it to a heads-up match-- are
COMPLETELY CLUELESS and don't know what to do. Especially
when it comes to DEFENDING a chip lead.

Why is that?

I think there are three main reasons...

1. Most players only make it to a heads-up match once in
awhile.... so they have very little EXPERIENCE playing poker
one-on-one.

2. The strategies for starting hands, odds, tells, and
betting are so RADICALLY DIFFERENT for heads-up poker
versus-- say, at an 8-man table-- that most players don't
have the KNOWLEDGE needed.

3. Most players don't get to watch and study poker GREATS
play heads-up Holdem, because even the greats will only make
it to a heads-up match once in awhile.

With that said, let me share with you a rather EMBARRASSING
story of how I got "schooled" in a heads-up match earlier in
my poker career... and how I learned the "secrets" to
winning in heads-up poker:

I had fought my way through a 100-man tournament, and found
myself heads-up with someone named Brandon.

Brandon was (and is) a very skilled poker player who loves
to push the action... but at the time, I wasn't intimidated
by him. Because I thought I had this baby in the bag...

You see, I had been catching monster after monster in this
tournament, and I had JUST finished knocking out two players
at once with trip kings.

My chip lead was HUGE. 10 to 1 over Brandon, actually.

I was on a roll.

I had over $100,000 in chips, versus Brandon's $10,000, with
the blinds at $500/$1000.

This thing is OVER, right?

The first hand I looked at was Q-9 while I was small blind.
I limped in, and the action went to Brandon.

"All in," he said.

I folded.

I didn't want to give him the chance to double up.

The next hand was K-4 offsuit. Once again, Brandon went
all-in.

I folded again, and Brandon raked in more blinds.

The next hand I was dealt was A-4. Brandon goes all-in
AGAIN.

This time, I called.

He threw over pocket 4's. The flop, turn, and river come
out:

K-7-9-2-Q

So I didn't hit my ace, and Brandon doubled up.

By this time, he was sitting on $24,000 in chips, and I was
at $86,000.

The next few hands played out... and Brandon continued to go
all-in time after time... and I continued to fold hands like
K-7, Q-9, J-8, and so on.

I just didn't want to risk doubling him up AGAIN with such
"mediocre" hands.

But before you knew it... it didn't matter.

Because I'd let Brandon right back into the game. He had
taken about 10 straight pots from me...

I was frustrated as all hell, and went on tilt. As you
probably guessed, I blew the rest of my chip lead and lost
the match.

Honestly, I think this CHOKE should go down in the history
books right next to the Yankees versus Red Sox in the 2004
ALCS.

Just writing this newsletter makes me sick to my stomach.

Anyway, what's REALLY IMPORTANT is what I did AFTER I lost
that tournament.

I called up my buddy Don... and I told him he was going to
come over and play in me $20 heads-up games.

I think Drew could hear the frustration (and DESPERATION) in
my voice... so he came right over.

We started playing at 7 P.m. and didn't finish until well
after 5 A.M. in the morning. We completed OVER 50 GAMES THAT
NIGHT...

Now let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that night for ANY
other experience in my poker career.

It changed EVERYTHING for me.

And here's why:

Because I crammed in YEARS of heads-up experience into that
one night...

I learned how to play with a big chip lead... how to play
when I was short-stacked... how to "lean" on my opponent
with a small chip lead... and so on and so on.

And since then, I've done this same exercise with TONS of
other poker players... to keep my skills FRESH and to master
the techniques needed to win against different playing
styles.

When I was up against Brandon in that tournament, I had made
a TON of mistakes.

You see, when you have a big chip lead in heads-up action,
the first secret is YOU MUST ATTACK.

To get a perspective on this, think about how you play when
you're the SHORT STACK...

You're prepared to go all-in as soon as possible, right?

Well, you must use this to your ADVANTAGE when you're the
big stack, and PUT YOUR OPPONENT ALL-IN right away... rather
than the other way around.

When you have a big chip lead, YOU must be the one to create
"coin-toss" situations... and fast.

A coin-toss situation is when both players have virtually
equal odds... and the winning hand is determined by whatever
the flop, turn, and river cards are.

In heads-up poker, any starting hand with a FACE CARD is
playable. Or any pocket pair. It's that simple.

If you've got a big chip lead on your opponent and he CHECKS
or LIMPS-IN (calls the blinds), then you should IMMEDIATELY
put him all-in.

He wouldn't be checking or limping-in if he had ANYTHING
DECENT at all...

If he folds, you've stolen the blinds from him, which is
crucial. If he calls, you've created a coin-toss situation.

Odds are you'll win at least one out of every two coin toss
situations. Or at the very least, you'll win one out of
three.

Here's a basic summary of the "rules" you should follow when
playing heads-up poker with a huge chip lead. When I say
"huge", I'm talking about 10 to 1 or more...

Of course, you won't START with a 10:1 chip lead very often
(like I did against Brandon), but you will frequently BECOME
the 10:1 chip leader in a heads-up match if you're a skilled
player.

And that's the exact moment when you MUST PULL THE TRIGGER
AND WIN THE GAME.

If you don't, the chip stacks can quickly even out again and
you may lose your chance forever.

Anyway... here are the RULES you should follow:

1. Any starting hand with a face card or any pocket pair is
good.

2. You should either FOLD or go ALL-IN every time. Nothing
else.

3. Force COIN-TOSS situations... In other words, leverage
the 50/50 ODDS as much as possible. Do this two or three
times and you will almost always win the match.

4. If you're playing against a tight player, it will be even
easier. Keep going all-in on just about every hand and let
the blinds eat him to death.

Read and re-read those four principles and you'll be
prepared the next time you make it to a heads-up match.

In the meantime, you should IMMEDIATELY do two things:

1. Call a friend or poker buddy and invite him over to play
you heads-up. Put $5 or even just $1 on each game... it
doesn't matter.

The point is to play game after game after game in a
heads-up setting. Play for as long as you possibly can.

When you're done, call a different friend and do the same
thing again. And then do it again next week. And keep doing
this over and over...

Trust me, your poker skills will SKYROCKET when you follow
this simple exercise.

Win More When You

HERE'S A SIMPLE BLUFFING TECHNIQUE you can use the next time
you play Texas Holdem poker...

I call it the "Mini-Bluff".

The Mini-Bluff is an easy way to win BIGGER POTS when you
bluff... AND... decrease the chances that your opponents
will call your bluff.

It goes like this:

When you want to "buy the pot" and bluff out an opponent you
think is weak, what you do is make the MINIMUM RAISE
possible in the current round of betting.

After they call, make your REAL BLUFF on the NEXT round of
betting... and take down the pot.

Here's what I mean...

Let's say you're playing $1-2 no limit with good
positioning. Josh makes a pre-flop raise of $15.

The next few players fold... and the action is to you. You
look down at J-10 of diamonds. You know this is a "hidden
hand" that could bust Josh if something good hits on the
flop... so you call.

It's just you and Josh heads-up. The flop hits:

7h-9s-2c

Not exactly the flop you had hoped for. It gives you an
inside straight draw... which means you have outs... but YOU
KNOW BETTER than to chase an inside straight draw.

Josh represents the flop and bets $25. You know he doesn't
have anything... there's no way that flop helped him.

He's been representing the flop all night with that same $25
bet...

So YOUR READ on Josh is that he doesn't have anything, and
that YOU can buy this pot.

What do you do?

The answer is to make the MINIMUM RAISE.

Come back over Josh and make it $50 to play.

(This is your "Mini-Bluff".)

By doing this, you're taking control of the action and
finding out EXACTLY where you stand in the hand.

Most likely, Josh will call your raise. If he has something
really good, he'll re-raise you. And in that case you should
probably fold.

BUT IF YOUR READ WAS CORRECT-- and Josh DOESN'T have a
strong hand-- he'll just call...

The reason he won't fold is because HE made the original
bet. And since you only raised him the MINIMUM amount, it
won't be enough to scare him off.

OK, so Josh calls, and the turn hits:

7d

That pairs the board... but is no help to you.

Josh is first to act again, but this time taps his fist
against the table and checks.

Just as you'd hoped.

NOW it's time to make a REAL bluff and buy this pot.

You come out firing $100 in chips...

Josh shakes his head and says, "I can't call."

He flips over his A-J.

You throw your cards into the muck FACE DOWN... leaving
everyone wondering what you had. And you rake a nice pot.

Here's why the Mini-Bluff technique is so powerful:

1. It gives you control in the hand.

When you raise your opponent, you automatically assume a
level of CONTROL. If your opponent re-raises, he takes
control again...

The entire POINT of a bluff is to get your opponent to fold.
If he feels like he's in control, he won't fold... and your
bluff won't work.

2. You get a better read on your opponent.

In our example, Josh could have easily had something like
A-9 (and hit top pair) or an over pair or whatever.

You didn't THINK he had something good, but it's tough to
know for sure.

Your Mini-Bluff eliminates the confusion. If Josh had a
monster, he would have either gone back over the top of you
with a re-raise... or would have bet after the turn card.

Instead, he just CALLED and then CHECKED the turn. That's
pretty much a dead giveaway that he didn't have anything.

3. It builds the pot.

In this case, you won $25 more by "setting up" your bluff
with the Mini-Bluff. That's $25 more in your pocket at the
end of the night...

If you use the Mini-Bluff technique five times a game,
that's a nice chunk of change added to your wins.

4. There's less risk involved.

A MINIMUM RAISE is much safer than trying to buy the pot
outright... especially when you're not completely sure your
opponent is weak.

The Mini-Bluff prevents pot-commitment and leaves you room
to GET OUT of the hand if necessary.

5. Your bluff is more believable.

The Mini-Bluff raises "red flags" for your opponent...
mostly because he's not used to it.

It doesn't APPEAR that your bluffing-- and that's the whole
point, of course.

After he calls your Mini-Bluff, he's going to be weary of
you... confused about your hand. And THAT is the perfect
setup for taking down the pot.

So that's the power of the Mini-Bluff.

It's a great technique to add to your poker "bag of
tricks"...

But as with all strategies, use the Mini-Bluff SPARINGLY.
Don't get careless with it or use it too much.

The Mini-Bluff is NOT a replacement for your regular
bluffing patterns. It's meant to keep your opponents off
balance and MILK them for a few extra dollars once in
awhile.

Also, only perform the Mini-Bluff when you've got good
positioning and sense weakness at the table... the same
conditions as any other bluff.

How To Win With Big Slick In Early Position

Let's discuss how to win when you're dealt Big Slick (A-K)
in early position.

First, let me clarify what is meant by the term "early
position".

If you're in an early position, it usually means you're one
of the first three players to the LEFT of the dealer.

Of course, if you're small blind, that means you're almost
last to act before the flop, but first to act AFTER the
flop.

If you're big blind, that means you're last to act pre-flop,
but second to act after the flop.

And last but not least, if you're the THIRD player to the
left, that means you are the FIRST to act before the flop,
and third to act after the flop... This position is also
known as "under the gun".

Ok. Enough with the definitions. Re-read those four above
paragraphs if you're confused. Otherwise, let's dive into
the strategy...

As we discussed a few days ago, Big Slick is a monster hand
that most players pray for... BUT... it can actually be a
TERRIBLE hand for you if you don't know what you're doing.

It can be terrible if...

1. You go "all in" (or bet a substantial pile of chips)
before the flop, but then don't catch anything...

Or...

2. You catch an Ace or King on the flop, bet a lot of chips,
but then get run down by another player who gets a better
hand.

Since even a pair of DEUCES can beat Big Slick by itself, I
recommend that you don't go all-in with Big Slick before the
flop with a lot of players in the game.

It's usually too risky. Because there are so many hands that
can beat you.

Going all-in with Big Slick pre-flop is the equivalent to
saying, "Hey, I'm not that confident I can win this game, so
I'm going to HOPE to get LUCKY and risk all my chips on the
CHANCE that an Ace or King hits, or that my Ace high wins."

Obviously that's not ALWAYS the case (especially if you're
short-stacked), but for the most part it's pretty accurate.

The second scenario-- getting run down by another player
even though you hit your Ace or King- can be EXTREMELY
frustrating.

For example, let's say you're holding Big Slick and the flop
comes out:

A-K-5

You're obviously excited because you flopped top two pair...
but what if Marty, that new guy who just learned how to play
Holdem a couple weeks ago, is holding a pair of fives?

Chances are, he's going to clean you out for all your chips.

Your strategy then, should be to DECREASE the chances that
someone at the table (like Marty) is going to get lucky on
the flop.

And you do that by making sure they don't even SEE the flop
in the first place, by making a pre-flop raise or strong
bet.

The ultimate goal should be to create "heads-up" action
before the flop when you get dealt Big Slick. Force players
like Marty to fold before the flop hits.

That will prevent the "bad beats" and allow you to focus on
a single opponent.

The most difficult way to win with Big Slick is if you're in
an early position AND you don't catch anything good on the
flop.

Here's how I play it:

Let's say I'm "under the gun" (first to act before the
flop... third player to the left of the dealer) in a no
limit cash game.

I look down to see A-K of diamonds.

Great hand, terrible positioning.

Instead of limping in and letting all the crap hands at the
table see the flop, I make a raise as we discussed.

"$15 to play."

Some players will limp-in with AK when they're first to act,
hoping someone ELSE will make the raise for them (which
gives them the chance to re-raise).

I don't like this strategy. Because if someone else makes
the initial raise, that means they get control over the
table and betting.

For example, let's say I limp-in and Josh makes it $25 to
play. Everyone else folds and then I come back over the top
of him for $100 more.

Without hesitation, Josh goes all-in and pushes in his stack
of $350 in chips.

See how this could get ugly?

Josh may be holding pocket 9's for all I know... which will
BEAT me if I don't catch the right cards on the flop. Then
again, he might be holding a pair of face cards... or maybe
just A-J.

No matter what, I really don't care.

Because I don't want to risk all my chips on A-K and leave
my night up to chance.

As much as possible, I want to be in FULL CONTROL of my
destiny at the card table.

There will inevitably be players who are more reckless with
their chips-- and these are the players who rely on LUCK
more than SKILL...

But not me... I know I can beat the game, which is why I
don't limp-in here when I'm first to act with Big Slick.

OK, back to the hand...

"$15 to play", I repeat.

I'm hoping to get just one caller, or two at the most.

The action goes around the table, and everyone mucks their
hands... except for Don. He splashes the pot and calls.

So I've created heads-up action and taken control of the
betting... exactly as I wanted to do with my monster hand in
this position.

The flop hits:

2h-9d-7s.

I'm first to act.

Obviously, this flop is terrible... the best thing I've got
going is a possible runner-runner diamond draw.

So what do I do now?

Should I check my Ace high?

No. This is where you should fire AGAIN, and continue to
play aggressively...

Because the flop probably didn't help Don either.

If I CHECK, Don will sense my weakness and might try to
steal the pot.

My bet will give him the impression I'm on on over-pair and
have the best hand... so he'll probably muck his cards now.

Even if he calls, I'm still in good shape.

If the turn card doesn't help me, I'll back down and
minimize my losses. I DON'T want to dig myself in a deeper
hole and try to bluff it out.

Or I may catch my top pair on the turn or river and be able
to win that way.

So no matter what happens, I'm not risking too many chips
and I'm putting myself in a great position to win the hand.

Now... rewind for just a moment. What if my $15 pre-flop bet
had multiple callers?

Having multiple players in the game would have increased the
odds that someone actually benefited from the 2-9-7 flop.

Which means I would NOT have made a strong bet after the
flop. Instead, I would have backed down and just checked. If
someone else bet strong, I would have mucked my A-K and
lived to see another hand.

So THAT is how you play Big Slick under the worst of
circumstances... with scraps on the board and bad
positioning... and STILL have a great chance at winning a
nice pot.

Of course... the chances of getting A-K are just 1 in 83.
And the odds of getting A-K suited are just 1 in 332. And
that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your
positioning.